VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: NY’s potential law change could help grocery stores, hurt liquor stores
Elliot Pototsky: Wine and spirits retailers in New York are fighting bills that would allow wine sales in grocery stores.
Gary Decker: They’ve been trying to pass the bill for I’d say 40 years.
Pototsky: While these bills were originally proposed in 2023, conversations have resurfaced as Democratic lawmakers are now introducing new bills that would allow both liquor and wine sales wherever you buy groceries.
Decker: Well, it’s easier to get the stuff. When you’re in the shopping center, and you got a cart, and you’re putting your bottles of wine in there, so it will make it a lot easier.
Pototsky: Gary Decker owns Vinomania in Syracuse, and he believes that privately run liquor businesses near grocery stores could be in trouble.
Decker: You’re probably going to put — not out of business but close to it — all of these liquor stores next to grocery stores.
Pototsky: Others believe that this law won’t necessarily be all that bad for private liquor stores.
Mona Golub: There is an opportunity for everyone in this circle: the liquor stores, the grocery stores, even the convenience stores — to be able to sell something different they don’t have today.
Pototsky: For one Syracuse woman, her decision to buy wine from a liquor store or grocery store will come down to expenses.
Jean Soper: It also depends on the price. I’m price-conscious, so it would depend.
Pototsky: She also thinks some small businesses might have better wine recommendations.
Soper: Some of them study it. If you go to a grocery store and you’re looking for a particular wine that you’d like to pair with food, a mom-and-pop store might know more.
Pototsky: And Decker can prove it.
Decker: You come in and tell me what you’re having for dinner, I can tell you what wine to have. You need wine for someone who loves wine, and you don’t know wine — I can help you with that too.
Pototsky: A helpful hand from a local liquor store owner, and a call for convenience made by grocery stores… Elliot Pototsky, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, NY (NCC News) — Liquor store owners across New York are raising concerns over proposed legislation that would allow grocery stores to sell other types of alcohol besides beer, a change they say could threaten small, independently owned retailers.
While similar legislation introduced in 2023 would allow only wine to be sold in grocery stores, Democratic lawmakers are now pushing a new bill that would allow the sale of wine, liquor and cannabis drinks wherever groceries are sold.
“It’s easier to get the stuff,” said Gary Decker, the owner of Syracuse liquor store, Vinomania. “When you’re in the shopping center, and you got a cart, and you’re putting your bottles of wine in there, so it will make it a lot easier.”
But that convenience, Decker warns, could come at a cost to small businesses like his. He believes liquor stores located near grocery stores would face significant challenges competing with larger retailers that already have steady customer traffic.
“You’re probably going to put — not out of business but close to it — all of these liquor stores next to grocery stores,” he said.
(c) 2026 Elliot Pototsky
Not everyone agrees that the change would harm liquor stores. Northeast Grocery Vice President of Public Relations and Communications Mona Golub said that expanding wine sales could create opportunities for multiple retail types.
“There is an opportunity for everyone in this circle: the liquor stores, the grocery stores, even the convenience stores — to be able to sell something different they don’t have today,” Golub said.
For consumers, price and expertise may play a role in where they choose to shop. Syracuse resident Jean Soper said affordability is a key factor.
“It also depends on the price. I’m price-conscious, so it would depend,” she said.
However, Soper added that smaller liquor stores may offer advantages that grocery stores cannot match.
“Some of them study it. If you go to a grocery store and you’re looking for a particular wine that you’d like to pair with food, a mom-and-pop store might know more,” she said.
Decker agrees with Soper and argues that personalized service is exactly what keeps customers coming back.
“You come in and tell me what you’re having for dinner—I can tell you what wine to have,” he said. “You need wine for someone who loves wine, and you don’t know wine—I can help you with that too.”
As the State Senate and Assembly continue to review this proposed bill, another interesting detail should be noted: An additional 9% tax would be placed on distributors and a 13% tax on retail sales. The money made from those taxes would help fund social equity programs, as well as the State Liquor Authority and local governments.