Liquor Store Diary: These Prices Are Ridiculous

"Three dollars for a damn quart of light beer? I pay less money to rent the trailer I live in!"
"I don't make the prices, sir."
"That's a really high price, but I will pay for it anyways because I am a drunk."

This conversation happens on a regular basis. True, the prices are high, but complaining about the prices doesn't make them lower unless you are wizard who can fire magic missiles at liquor store clerks.

The most vocal of all price mark up victims are smokers. I sometimes get to hear about the golden age of smoking when a pack of Camels cost 2 bits at the local bazaar and the Budweiser flowed like wine. Cigarettes have been expensive for 10 years and they will continue to be expensive.
Without fail, what follows the whining is a vow to quit smoking immediately. This lie belongs to the same category as the New-Years-Eve-I-gotta-get-to-the-gym-next-year thing. My response is a sympathetic nod, but we both know they will be back in 2 days to buy more cigarettes. For all the smokers out there, don't think I am a hater. It's just that you smell disgusting and whine a lot about the price of your addiction.

The alcohol at the store is a lot higher than I would like it. My manager said that people shop here for the convenience, not the prices. I've tried to empathize with the consumer but my job is to sell this overpriced sin juice to people who can't bother to drive to a cheaper liquor store. So if someone asks where another liquor store is, I tell them there is one in Orlando but it's only open for 2 hours a day, so good luck with that drunkie.

I've never actually bought anything from the store except the random energy drink/soda because I don't make enough money to pay for any of the booze there. If I could get drunk off the irony in that sentence, Bukowski would be proud.