Update in Story About Pennsylvania Liquor Board's Smile Training

Radley Balko | March 16, 2009

Last week, I posted a story about how the state of Pennsylvania is spending $170,000 in taxpayer money to train the employees of its state-owned wine and liquor stores to be nice to their customers. It's a relatively tiny amount of money, but still a bizarre expenditure given the state's massive deficit, and the fact Pennsylvania has a government monopoly on the sale of wine and spirits.

New development: The president of the consulting firm that won the contract is married to a high-ranking official with the state's liquor control board (his wife is one of the state's three regional managers). Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.

Comments

Mister DNA|3.16.09 @ 12:04PM|#

Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.

I'll bet they were smiling when they said that.

phalkor|3.16.09 @ 12:05PM|#

While this story is a strange example of cutesy government wasteful hijinx, PA wine and liquor store employees do tend to be very rude. Perhaps it is because I look like I'm 16 and the store I frequent is near a college campus. It would be nice to not be treated with glaring suspicion whenever I enter.

Why can't they be as jovial and good natured as the local herb salesman?

|3.16.09 @ 12:06PM|#

New development: The president of the consulting firm that won the contract is married to a high-ranking official with the state's liquor control board (his wife is one of the state's three regional managers). Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.

Coincidence, that's all.

TofuSushi|3.16.09 @ 12:16PM|#

When all liquor is sold by the government we will have a safer society.

Xeones|3.16.09 @ 12:16PM|#

Nothing to see here. Have a nice day!

DADIODADDY|3.16.09 @ 12:28PM|#

I'll drink to that.

alan|3.16.09 @ 12:40PM|#

The guard at the state owned liquor dispensary in my town pats me on the back every time I walk in. Despite being a dead ringer for the bailiff on the old show Night Court, his smile is so radiant you should check for the herpes simplex after leaving the premises. For, public sector dead enders, that crew is alright.

|3.16.09 @ 1:00PM|#

"It's a relatively tiny amount of money, but still a bizarre expenditure given the state's massive deficit, and the fact Pennsylvania has a government monopoly on the sale of wine and spirits."
To a gubermint weenie, it seems perfectly logical- mismanagement of economy leads to unemployment, increased drinking, must buy drinks at government monopoly, government wants to appear that it makes people happy, smiles at saps ... uh, taxpayers.

Abdul|3.16.09 @ 1:01PM|#

I believe that there's nothing improper about how the contract was awarded. Have you seen the contractor's smile? It is a damn nice cmile.

|3.16.09 @ 1:56PM|#

Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.

Babel Fish translates that to -

We think we've covered our tracks pretty good on this one.

Yeah, I'm a cynical bastard. The world made me that way.

JB|3.16.09 @ 2:02PM|#

hahaha! Anyone who works for any government is a crook.

|3.16.09 @ 2:05PM|#

"Think of all the money we saved by not taking this through some elaborate, drawn-out competitive bidding process!"

LarryA|3.16.09 @ 2:12PM|#

I lived in Pennsylvania for a year. Won't make that mistake again.

Worst bureaucracy I've encountered.

|3.16.09 @ 2:31PM|#

When all liquor is sold by the government we will have a safer society.

Some of the comments I've seen today make me think that Tofusushi is "what Stephen Colbert is actually thinking." Or what he would say if he broke character...I don't know if that makes any sense.

|3.16.09 @ 2:46PM|#

Some of the comments I've seen today make me think that Tofusushi is "what Stephen Colbert is actually thinking." Or what he would say if he broke character...I don't know if that makes any sense. off his game and boring as hell.

phalkor|3.16.09 @ 3:43PM|#

on second thought, isn't a sneer a kind of a smile? If so, then training isn't really necessary.

|3.16.09 @ 4:53PM|#

When all liquor is sold by the government we will have a safer society.

Like saying that when all the financial institutions are handled by government, we will have a richer society - what, no?

Ok, ok, when all the trains are handled by gov. . . Oh, ok, what about, when all driving licen.... Oh, crap.

|3.16.09 @ 4:56PM|#

The president of the consulting firm that won the contract is married to a high-ranking official with the state's liquor control board (his wife is one of the state's three regional managers). Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.

Of course they would say that.

LarryA|3.16.09 @ 6:10PM|#

Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.

Once you swallow the state-run monopoly concept, the rest of the graft just falls into place.

|3.17.09 @ 2:41PM|#

I've lived in PA about 9 months, and the people at the state stores have always been impeccably nice to me, even when I made fun of PA liquor law to their faces. Even when I questioned state support for the Steelers.