LCBO / The Beer Store

[W. K. Lis]

So sad, I used to go to that HMV location all the time and now it's just another government shop selling toxic ethanol.

rekkids > ethanol

Also, yo, @W. K. Lis, how old are you?

I remember having to fill out the order forms for my father in the 1950's at the LCBO. I was in elementary school at the time.

 

[SunriseChampion]

I remember having to fill out the order forms for my father in the 1950's at the LCBO. I was in elementary school at the time.

Ok, so a bit older than me.

 

[AlbertC]

A sneak peek inside the new location at Queen West & Beverley:

Exterior photo again for location context:

 

[TossYourJacket]

Given the exposed wood, I'm hoping this is a sign they're rolling out the new look from the Front/Spadina store to more locations, rather than the sea of beige that is a typical LCBO.

 

[Northern Light]

A sneak peek inside the new location at Queen West & Beverley:

View attachment 218741View attachment 218742

I don't know if that retail space has ever looked that good! Wow! If the rest of the finishes are up to scratch, awesome.

Given the exposed wood, I'm hoping this is a sign they're rolling out the new look from the Front/Spadina store to more locations, rather than the sea of beige that is a typical LCBO.

Agreed, though it's definitely not a universal 'new look' as Leslie/Lake Shore, which opens next week has the pro-forma LCBO beige.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The new LCBO at Yonge and Teddington Park has a great look to it as well, much higher end than their previous store styles.

 

[SunriseChampion]

That wood though!!!! That alone would cause me to drink. I miss the HMV there though, not gonna lie.

 

[gabe]

The only time i set foot in a Beer Store is to take my empties back a couple times a year. If grocery stores had bottle return kiosks like the rest of the modern world, i would never ever need to go to the Beer Store.

The Beer Store reveals it's losing tons of money after sales expanded to supermarkets

The retail market opening up is being blamed for a "cash flow shortfall" of over $13 million for The Beer Store, according to a letter se...

www.blogto.com

 

[ShonTron]

As a downtown resident without a car, the Beer Store is irrelevant to me. I don't drink enough to make getting a case worthwhile, and I want the variety that the Beer Store doesn't carry. I don't even bother returning empties, as the nearest Beer Store to me that accepts them (not the Beer Store "Express") is a wretched dive. I'll just leave them in the laneway for someone else to collect.

I'll go to the LCBO, to local breweries, or to the supermarket in a pinch.

 

[Jonny5]

There is a Beer Store somewhat close to me at Ontario and Gerrard. It is essentially just a recycling centre for the homeless or near-homeless who arrive first thing each morning with hundreds of cans and bottles. The only retail display inside the store is beside the cashiers and even that is roped off or left empty most of the time (no theft from this location!). They do have some decor in a TPS officer who is posted there at all hours. Certainly a welcoming retail store! It has a parking lot which can hold about 30 cars but never has more than three, one of which I suspect is the cops car, and one other the store manager.

EDIT: Apparently this is one of the locations that will be closed.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I visit the beer store about once every 2-3 months to pick up a 24 pack of Canadian for when I'm going to parties and whatnot and don't care to pay for premium beers. It is a strictly negative experience all the way through. It's the only place that sells 24's, and the whole point of having a "discount" fall back beer is defeated if I buy Canadian in 6 packs at the LCBO. If literally anywhere else sold 24's I'd go there in a blink of an eye.

 

[ShonTron]

There is a Beer Store somewhat close to me at Ontario and Gerrard. It is essentially just a recycling centre for the homeless or near-homeless who arrive first thing each morning with hundreds of cans and bottles. The only retail display inside the store is beside the cashiers and even that is roped off or left empty most of the time (no theft from this location!). They do have some decor in a TPS officer who is posted there at all hours. Certainly a welcoming retail store! It has a parking lot which can hold about 30 cars but never has more than three, one of which I suspect is the cops car, and one other the store manager.

EDIT: Apparently this is one of the locations that will be closed.

That's the closest Beer Store to me that takes empties. That's why I don't bother.

 

[gabe]

Returning empties is a pain. I only go if i have a large stock. And why is it just alcohol bottles/cans? Why not pop or juice jugs? How Ontario doesn't have a bottle deposit program like BC and everywhere else still boggles me. Ontario and Manitoba are the only provinces WITHOUT deposit return programs in Canada.

Somebody could make a nice buck picking up all the soda cans/ plastic bottles in the snow banks if we had a deposit return program.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Returning empties is a pain. I only go if i have a large stock. And why is it just alcohol bottles/cans? Why not pop or juice jugs? How Ontario doesn't have a bottle deposit program like BC and everywhere else still boggles me. Ontario and Manitoba are the only provinces WITHOUT deposit return programs in Canada.

Somebody could make a nice buck picking up all the soda cans/ plastic bottles in the snow banks if we had a deposit return program.

I never return empties. I leave them by the recycling bin on pickup days and one of those ancient Asian ladies comes by with her cart to collect them.

If there’s anything that’s crying out for a deposit system it’s plastic water bottles and single use coffee cups. If Nestle and Tim Hortons joined forces and offered a $0.03 bounty for every bottle or cup ($0.05 if with lids) we’d remove a massive amount of plastic from the landfills and litter. When I lived in NB they had bottle return depots. We‘d need the same here, otherwise you’ll have lines of vagrants and sketchy folks lined up inside and outside the businesses, scaring folks away.

 

[AlbertC]

The Beer Store closest to me at Symington & Dupont is pretty awful, but I do appreciate the one at the Stockyards and Dufferin Mall. They have a pretty expansive selection of Ontario craft beers brewed locally. My latest favourites have been the High Park Brewery - Against the Grain Golden Lager, and Kingsville Brewery - Hefeweizen & Czech Style Lager.