Price Hike Goes Into Effect On Hundreds Of Bottles Of Wine, Liquor In Pennsylvania
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Prices on more than 400 bottles of liquor and wine are going up at Pennsylvania liquor stores. But licensed retailers like bars and restaurants, who have to buy through the state-run stores, say they can't plan for the increases, because there is no public list.
The vast majority of the price hikes are about a dollar, according to Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell.
"We feel that the market can bear these increases," Brassell said, "and we now have the authority to make some pricing changes based on market demands that we didn't have before."
But the PLCB is not releasing a list of price increases.
"These retail price changes and our negotiations that we're doing with suppliers as far as product acquisition costs are proprietary," Brassell said.
"It wouldn't be surprising to see that they're the high volume items too," said John Longstreet with the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. He points out restaurants, bars and hotels have to buy all their liquor through the PLCB, but can't get a list of the price increases.
"Without that I don't know how you can plan," Longstreet said. "It just doesn't make any sense at all."
