A chart always makes things more definitive

By adamg on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 1:26pm

In this case, that the beer at Fenway Park is wicked expensive.

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Comments

Archaic state laws on beer and liquor distribution

By O-FISH-L on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 2:27pm.

I'm not a huge fan of Red Sox management, but aside from onerous MA taxes and Fenway's small capacity, part of the high pricing certainly has to do with the monopoly on beer/liquor distribution required under MA law.

Every liquor store and pouring establishment in Boston, whether it's Fenway or the corner tavern, must buy Budweiser from August A. Busch in Medford. Coors and Miller from Burke Distributing in Randolph, etc. There are only a small number of ABCC licensed distributors statewide and each has its own territory. Even if Fenway found a Budweiser distributor willing to sell cheaper in MA or another state, "shopping around" isn't allowed.

One problem

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 2:38pm.

MA taxes are not onerous.

Oh, another problem: The big breweries decide on the distribution areas, not the state. They don't want price wars between their distributors. So, if you can't truck it in from RI or whatever, that isn't the Commonwealth but Anheuser Busch you are dealing with.

For liquor, I'm not sure how it shapes up. Big beer is run by big beer.

Re: One problem

By O-FISH-L on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 3:05pm.

MA is among the worst states for business Unemployment Assistance taxes (can only imagine with the Red Sox payroll) and commercial property taxes alone. Average to bad in most other categories. Not business friendly, see State Street, Fidelity etc moving out of state or country.

You are correct that the big breweries decide the territories but the state requires who you must buy from. Fenway couldn't make a deal with Kappy's Liquors or Atlas to buy from them and increase buying power through volume discounts. In fact, the four table restaurant in the North End can't even buy a bottle of wine at a liquor store where it is often cheaper than the distributor the state requires them to buy from. Archaic.

Elephant in the Room

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 7:27pm.

Fenway probably pays LESS for each hot dog and bud lite dose than your neighborhood bar or Fenway area bar that sells it for $3 a glass (and gives you the hot dog).

It is the private business mark up that makes Fenway concessions so ridiculously expensive, silly! Even if deregulation made that $0.10 worth of beer cost $0.09, Fenway would still charge you the same because they can get it!

Martha Coakley, where are you?

By Markk02474 on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 3:04pm.

If competition prevention isn't written in Mass Laws or ABC rules, why hasn't Martha yet protected us from monopolistic practices?

Adam, thanks for the pricing info, I am still put off by ticket prices to even discover concession prices.

It's not that big an issue

By merlinmurph on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 4:20pm.

Believe me, even if there were more than one distributor, they would be forced to wholesale at the same price. There would be no competition among the distributors.

At least the prices aren't fixed at the retail level like a lot of other products, generally "exclusive" high-end items. There are a lot of items where if a retailer sold them at a discounted price, they would no longer be able to sell those items. It supposedly makes the product look cheap.

I suspect the fact that Red Sox management

By anon on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 5:10pm.

continues to pay outrageous salaries to these "professional" athletes for playing a children's game (and often poorly, I might add) has far more to do with the high beer prices at Fenway than state laws and supposed monopolistic practices of beer distributors.