Those arguing in favor of change, particularly the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, falsely claim that allowing grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and strong beer in Oklahoma will attract new business, jobs and tax revenue to the state. What they fail to acknowledge is all of the local jobs and businesses that will be lost as a result of big box retailers getting into a business that has been completely local since Oklahoma started allowing the sale of strong beer and wine in 1959.

The Chamber insists that W.I.G.S. (Wine in Grocery Stores) will cause an influx of bigger and better grocery stores like they have in Texas and California. Even if this is true, these new stores will accomplish three things for the citizens of Oklahoma:

1) Put some of the current local grocery and convenience stores out of business who already struggle to compete with giant multi-national corporations who buy much of their product from China and other overseas suppliers.

2) Take jobs and businesses away from Oklahomans who work in and own retail package stores. For every "additional" job that a big, impersonal Costco or Sunflower Market creates, one job will be lost at a local wine or spirits shop.

3) Money that used to stay completely local will now flow out of the state to corporate headquarters in Arkansas, Arizona, Washington and California. Not one of these grocery store chains that are pushing for a change in Oklahoma liquor laws has its headquarters in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, money that is currently spent in local retail package stores is money that stays in Oklahoma. Since all retail package stores are locally owned and operated and the owners of these stores shop locally, the vast majority of money spent at your local wine and spirits shop stays not just Oklahoma but right in the community where it is spent.

The RLAO is also not convinced that the state will see additional tax revenue from W.I.G.S. since any wine or strong beer purchased at a grocery or convenience store will be offset by that same product not being purchased at a retail package store.

Putting the false economics of the pro-W.I.G.S. interests aside, there is also the extra cost caused by the increased availability of strong alcohol. The cost of more drunk drivers, more underage drinking and more need for government enforcement to help mitigate these social ills.

In short W.I.G.S. makes no sense for the people of Oklahoma. It is poor direction both economically and socially. That is why the RLAO is fighting to keep our current (working) system in place.

Simply put, we do not believe a small increase in "convenience" is worth the trade off in actual costs.

Natural Grocers, a progressive grocery store based in Colorado, supports these views and has a very nicely written piece devoted to such as a result of a similar initiative in their home state. They recently opened a store in Norman.