Do you have a membership card to your favorite grocery store?  You know that little card with the store’s logo you swipe to save twenty cents on rice, forty-five cents on milk and occasionally a buck or so on stick of Old Spice deodorant.  If you don’t and you’re currently residing in North Carolina, it may be time to go out and get one.  Why, you ask?  Not so you can save pennies on condiments and personal hygiene products, right?  No, it’s time to get a membership card because if you are resident of North Carolina, your favorite grocery store (and many others) is lobbying in Washington D.C. to give you bigger discounts on that beer you purchase every week.

That’s right, grocery stores in North Carolina are out fighting the good fight in D.C. in an attempt to save you two to three dollars every time their customers swipe a 6, 12 or 18-pack’s bar code. Under the current laws, grocery stores must provide discounts on beer to all shoppers regardless of whether or not they carry a membership card.  The new law would limit the discounted beer to members of the store, a way of saying Thanks for shopping at our store.

There is a slight “Big Brother” issue at stake here.  Grocery stores are pleading the change as a way for the stores to track the purchases of alcoholic beverages.  They would then be able to turn in monthly, quarterly and annual reports that would show increases and decreases in the consumption of alcohol.  This data could be used by the local government and law enforcement agencies for numerous tasks like monitoring the purchase of alcohol by individuals - a thought that’s a little scary.

Another argument is that the release of coupons or “special deals” on alcohol leads to binge drinking, especially amongst younger drinkers.  College students, a demographic known for its binge drinking habits, often purchase and consume alcohol at a much higher rate when they are able to get a “deal” on it.

Both of these arguments are valid, but I have elected to take the high road on the issue.  Grocery stores are offering to sell their customers cheaper beer - HELLO, that’s a good thing!  There’s only one thing that I love more than beer, and that’s free beer.  The cheaper these grocery stores sell their beer, the closer it is to being free.  And isn’t freedom what this country was founded upon?

If California’s local governments want to track my beer purchases, go ahead.  College kids are going to binge drink more with a drop in beer prices?  Fantastic, my apartment is within walking distance of UCLA, home of the country’s most beautiful co-eds.  By goodness I say YES to cheaper beer!  Let freedom ring!