The LCBO, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, that marvelous store always only a 10 minute walk away and always had your favorite wines, spirits, or liquors is something I often think of when buying liquor here in ALberta. Sometimes I do miss it. The prices were reasonable. There was no bullshit about it. It was a fine goverment run store. Having moved out to Alberta I won't see an LCBO or a Beer Store for a long time. Alberta instead has a private industry.

In the town of Okotoks There's quite a few liquor stores. Ralph's Liquor is the newest, but it used to be Hi-ho Liquor, run by an old asian couple. It was nice. The people that run it now just aren't the same. The place accross the stret from Ralph's is run by some other asian couple. It has a decent selection and the best prices in town. I preffer to go there. There's a few other ones I never go to, and there's the one at Sobeys which is the closest one to me. I hate the one at Sobeys. $25 for a bottle of Fireball? That's a goddamn ripoff. Anywhere else Fireball is $18 for a 26oz.

The one thing about Alberta Liquor stores that bogles my mind to this day is the concept of sales. Sales on products in a retail environment is no big deal, but when coming from only ever going to the LCBO where everything is always one reasonable price seeing sales on liquor is a big deal. Last night I picked up a bottle of Alberta Premium Whiskey for $20, where it was regular $26. That's cool. It's unremarkable whiskey, but for paying less than I would for anything else it's not bad. Fry up some latkes and hand me a yarmulke, I'm a cheap jew like that.

The flip side of this being, different stores are different priced. If I want a decent price on something not on sale I have to walk across town stopping by every liquor store on the way to get the better price, OR JUST SOMETHING THAT IS REASONABLE.

It seems the only place with reasonable prices is that store run by that asian couple I spoke of. Every time the woman is working she always compliments me. It makes me think of a few year back in college when I dressed up as a pirate for halloween and old asian ladies kept stopping me for pictures. It's always the old asian ladies. I don't understand it. All I understand is I need to grow back my hair, and never cut it again. The old asian ladies will be all over me. AS I WAS SAYING That store is probably the only good one in town now.