Two men, one taking a picture of the shelf price label, the other standing by their cart (with about 15 pharmacy items in it). My filter wasn't working. I blurted out and asked them if they were mystery shoppers. In unison, the one taking the pictures said "Yes", the other said "No!" I laughed and asked if they were doing an audit. Mr. No said No, they were not doing an *audit*, they were taking pictures of prices and were sending them back home overseas. Nice try guys!

@BeachBumess wrote:

Two men, one taking a picture of the shelf price label, the other standing by their cart (with about 15 pharmacy items in it). My filter wasn't working. I blurted out and asked them if they were mystery shoppers. In unison, the one taking the pictures said "Yes", the other said "No!" I laughed and asked if they were doing an audit. Mr. No said No, they were not doing an *audit*, they were taking pictures of prices and were sending them back home overseas. Nice try guys!

Actually BB, my son was visiting from the Boston area last month. When we went to Costco he almost fell over when he saw how cheap the liquor was. Evidently Mass only sells liquor in liquor stores (like NY where I grew up) so there are no discounts. Just before going home we went to Costco and he loaded up on 50 Lbs worth of bottles to take back but not before calling several friends and getting orders right from the aisle. I would not have been surprised if he had sent them photos of the shelf tags. One item he purchased was $85 in Mass and $45 here. So his baggage fee was reimbursed by Costco! and then some. These two guys you saw (who were probably shoppers if one said yes) very well could have been just as amazed at the prices as my son was that they sent pics back home.

@sandyf wrote:

@BeachBumess wrote:

Two men, one taking a picture of the shelf price label, the other standing by their cart (with about 15 pharmacy items in it). My filter wasn't working. I blurted out and asked them if they were mystery shoppers. In unison, the one taking the pictures said "Yes", the other said "No!" I laughed and asked if they were doing an audit. Mr. No said No, they were not doing an *audit*, they were taking pictures of prices and were sending them back home overseas. Nice try guys!

Actually BB, my son was visiting from the Boston area last month. When we went to Costco he almost fell over when he saw how cheap the liquor was. Evidently Mass only sells liquor in liquor stores (like NY where I grew up) so there are no discounts. Just before going home we went to Costco and he loaded up on 50 Lbs worth of bottles to take back but not before calling several friends and getting orders right from the aisle. I would not have been surprised if he had sent them photos of the shelf tags. One item he purchased was $85 in Mass and $45 here. So his baggage fee was reimbursed by Costco! and then some. These two guys you saw (who were probably shoppers if one said yes) very well could have been just as amazed at the prices as my son was that they sent pics back home.

I thought grocery stores in Mass could sell liqour, or is it a case by case thing?

Usually when I go to Costco, I'm hanging out by the cell phones.

@sandyf wrote:

@BeachBumess wrote:

Two men, one taking a picture of the shelf price label, the other standing by their cart (with about 15 pharmacy items in it). My filter wasn't working. I blurted out and asked them if they were mystery shoppers. In unison, the one taking the pictures said "Yes", the other said "No!" I laughed and asked if they were doing an audit. Mr. No said No, they were not doing an *audit*, they were taking pictures of prices and were sending them back home overseas. Nice try guys!

Actually BB, my son was visiting from the Boston area last month. When we went to Costco he almost fell over when he saw how cheap the liquor was. Evidently Mass only sells liquor in liquor stores (like NY where I grew up) so there are no discounts. Just before going home we went to Costco and he loaded up on 50 Lbs worth of bottles to take back but not before calling several friends and getting orders right from the aisle. I would not have been surprised if he had sent them photos of the shelf tags. One item he purchased was $85 in Mass and $45 here. So his baggage fee was reimbursed by Costco! and then some. These two guys you saw (who were probably shoppers if one said yes) very well could have been just as amazed at the prices as my son was that they sent pics back home.

Wouldn't say that publicaly, that is getting around the taxes and mr tax man might just look into it. I had a freind who worked for the IRS and told us crossing the state lines like that would involve him.

I am pretty sure you are allowed to bring things back in your luggage. He also brought back gifts I had given him for Christmas that I paid taxes for in my state and he did not have to pay again in his state. He was not running a business but just bringing back some gifts for friends. 50 lbs of liquor did not amt to enough bottles to constitute a business and most of it was for himself...a years supply til he visits again plus a gift or two. If you can bring back $100 worth from Cuba now surely you can bring a bit more back from another state.
He tells me there are no liquor sales in groceries where he lives. It might be county or city by city. I remember my sister in law telling me that the Trader Joe's in NYC had to have a separate cashier and entrance to the liquor store and the regular store although they were side by side.

Not all grocery stores can sell liquor in Mass. Some of the Trader Joe's sell wine and beer. Costco sells alcohol. Each city has x amount of liquor licenses. You do not have to belong to Costco to purchase liquor.

And some say the Midwest is backwards. Our grocery stores have large wine and liquor departments, some even have tastings. We also have liquor warehouse type stores. Over the years I've seen some really odd liquor laws that just left me shaking my head. One of the weirdest was in Nashville. The store that sold wine didn't sell corkscrews

@sandyf wrote:

@BeachBumess wrote:

Two men, one taking a picture of the shelf price label, the other standing by their cart (with about 15 pharmacy items in it). My filter wasn't working. I blurted out and asked them if they were mystery shoppers. In unison, the one taking the pictures said "Yes", the other said "No!" I laughed and asked if they were doing an audit. Mr. No said No, they were not doing an *audit*, they were taking pictures of prices and were sending them back home overseas. Nice try guys!

Actually BB, my son was visiting from the Boston area last month. When we went to Costco he almost fell over when he saw how cheap the liquor was. Evidently Mass only sells liquor in liquor stores (like NY where I grew up) so there are no discounts. Just before going home we went to Costco and he loaded up on 50 Lbs worth of bottles to take back but not before calling several friends and getting orders right from the aisle. I would not have been surprised if he had sent them photos of the shelf tags. One item he purchased was $85 in Mass and $45 here. So his baggage fee was reimbursed by Costco! and then some. These two guys you saw (who were probably shoppers if one said yes) very well could have been just as amazed at the prices as my son was that they sent pics back home.

In Oklahoma, if you do that you are considered and treated as a moonshiner if you get pulled over for anything. It is such a racket that in Arkansas there is a liquor store just over the state line and a speed trap as you return to Oklahoma. It was only in the last twenty years that they have allowed bars to open and sell liquor by the drink. Used to be that you had to buy the whole bottle, but you left it there behind the counter. Made for expensive bar crawling.

@LisaSTL wrote:

And some say the Midwest is backwards. Our grocery stores have large wine and liquor departments, some even have tastings. We also have liquor warehouse type stores. Over the years I've seen some really odd liquor laws that just left me shaking my head. One of the weirdest was in Nashville. The store that sold wine didn't sell corkscrews

You haven't been to SC obviously, where bars have millions of airline bottles behind the counter and no real ones so everyone gets the same perfect amount of liquor in their drink. Also their liquor stores close at like 3pm but you can buy beer at 3am and carry it out of the store without a bag. Honestly that was the oddest one to me. I bought beer one morning and just sat their waiting on a bag for it. The clerk finally said "oh, would you like a bag?" I was like not really but where I come from you're the one that's gonna get in trouble when I carry it out without one.

*I haven't been in a bar in SC since 2003, so things might have changed.


Edited to add: Most places I've lived where wine is classified as liquor and not beer, the stores aren't allowed to sell ANYTHING but liquor, so not surprised they wouldn't have a corkscrew. Many of them will have a separate store in the same building with mixers, beer, and other things you might need to go with your alcohol like cigarettes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2015 12:53AM by bgriffin.

I remember those airline bottles well. The strength of the drink still varied depending on the size of the glass.

Yes but it stops the "I only had 2 drinks they must have mixed them too strong" defense when someone gets pulled over.

I didn't realize that was a defense.

Absolutely. A bar in Portland, OR got sued recently by a man who was victim of a beating. The bar was serving a guy stronger than standard drinks, he got drunk, and beat up this guy. Guy sues bar for it.

I take picures of the tags at Costco all the time. Usually to text them to DH or Youngest Son to ask if they'd like me to buy item.

Bgriffin, as an almost native South Carolinian, let me correct your mis-statements.

South Carolina ended the minibottle requirement in 2006. Bars now freepour. Our liquor stores have never closed at "like 3pm". Many years ago, the liquor stores were only allowed to be open between the hours of sunrise and sunset, which is why they have the big red dots on them. Back in the 1980's, the law was changed to open at 9am and close at 7pm. The liquor stores are closed on Sundays and all legal holidays.

Sunday sales are allowed on a county by county basis. Places that wish to sell alcohol on Sundays have to apply for a permit and pay a fee. There are still counties that are dry on Sundays.

Beer and wine used to be bagged but the law was changed when plastic bags came into widespread use and the 12, 18, and 24 packs of beer wouldn't fit in the bags. Wine is not classified as liquor in South Carolina.

@bgriffin wrote:

You haven't been to SC obviously, where bars have millions of airline bottles behind the counter and no real ones so everyone gets the same perfect amount of liquor in their drink. Also their liquor stores close at like 3pm but you can buy beer at 3am and carry it out of the store without a bag. Honestly that was the oddest one to me. I bought beer one morning and just sat their waiting on a bag for it. The clerk finally said "oh, would you like a bag?" I was like not really but where I come from you're the one that's gonna get in trouble when I carry it out without one.

*I haven't been in a bar in SC since 2003, so things might have changed.


Edited to add: Most places I've lived where wine is classified as liquor and not beer, the stores aren't allowed to sell ANYTHING but liquor, so not surprised they wouldn't have a corkscrew. Many of them will have a separate store in the same building with mixers, beer, and other things you might need to go with your alcohol like cigarettes.

It is likely a mix of the two: When reentering the country through Mexico or Canada one is allowed to bring back two liters of alcohol per legal age adult without paying taxes. Likely something similar while crossing state lines.

I don't know but I would bet the crossing state lines with liquor law is about "commerce" and not about bringing something for yourself. The only time I have been stopped going across state lines is when there is some sort of insect invasion which they are trying to prevent from spreading to the crops in the next state.
All these different laws are amazing to me in one country. And they are all a far cry from when I was growing up in NYC and we could drink at 18 unlike elsewhere but we could not drive at 14 or 16 like elsewhere. And now in New Orleans where there do not seem to be any rules regarding liquor other than just consume as much as you can when ever or where ever you are.

@James Bond 007.5 wrote:

Bgriffin, as an almost native South Carolinian, let me correct your mis-statements.

@bgriffin wrote:

*I haven't been in a bar in SC since 2003, so things might have changed.

Apparently you missed that part of my post so I let me highlight it for you there.

@mysterious_in_sanfrancisco wrote:

It is likely a mix of the two: When reentering the country through Mexico or Canada one is allowed to bring back two liters of alcohol per legal age adult without paying taxes. Likely something similar while crossing state lines.

The way the law is worded breaking a state liquor law by transporting alcohol makes it a Federal crime. The Feds want their money for everything.

I just looked at several airlines sites regarding transporting alcohol on board a plane from one state to another. The basic rule (with slight variations) is that you can bring up to 5L of spirts per person and unlimited beer and wine. There are some specifics like they have to be unopened and packaged in corrugated boxes etc. they say nothing about declaring these items to the airline or to the other state when you arrive. In fact since you do not go thru customs on a flight within the country I am not sure who you would report this to if you are so inclined. I guess for those of you who seem convinced it is illegal to bring a bottle of booze from one state to another I suppose if you were crossing a state line to go to dinner at a friends house and you are bringing a bottle or two of something as a gift you could stop at the closest police station and declare it.
Everyone must follow their own interpretation of the law but I for one have never heard you are not allowed to bring alcohol across a state border without paying the other state's tax. It is certainly a different matter if you are engaged in a business and plan to sell what you are bringing. Now purchasing a car in another state and soon after bringing it back to where you live without paying state taxes in your state is illegal.

For years Missouri didn't sell alcohol on Sundays. I knew a lot of people who would drive across the bridge to Illinios and bring it home for themselves. I don't recall anyone ever being arrested. It was so common it actually helped change the laws here to keep the revenue in our state.

About 10 years ago, mom and I flew to Oregon. While there, we bought some "Made in Oregon" wine. We were able to have it mailed to a friend in Virginia but, because of state law, we had to pack ours in our luggage.

I saw that shop on an app shop..... technically not a mystery shop according to the app but it was not a reveal.

@James Bond 007.5 wrote:

About 10 years ago, mom and I flew to Oregon. While there, we bought some "Made in Oregon" wine. We were able to have it mailed to a friend in Virginia but, because of state law, we had to pack ours in our luggage.

Until last month you were not allowed to ship wine to Mass but then they passed a new law allowing wine to be shipped. I did not see the entire report but from what I read in the newspaper they said they were allowing it only from certain wineries. Hmm, how much campaign money were they promised for that decision..or did the journalist misinterpret the new law? Since I do not live in Mass I have not checked it out.

A few years ago, Pennsylvania police (using unmarked cars, of course) were monitoring people in Pennsylvania licensed cars who were buying liquor in Delaware and then following them back into Pennsylvania and arresting / fining them for transporting non-Pennsylvania taxed liquor into Pennsylvania. All spirits and wine (not beer) in Pennsylvania is sold in state-run stores and the prices are much higher than in Tax-Free Delaware. The "conflict" got to the point where Delaware State Police began to arrest Pennsylvania police offers for trespassing in the parking lots. Most Pennsylvanians who live near the border still make sure that they do not drive directly back into Pennsylvania after purchasing liquor in Delaware.

The easiest way to see if you're being followed is to make four right turns and watch the cars behind you.

If your doing any sort of regular routine from point A to point B, it will become obvious with the license plate readers that LEA has set up at major intersections around all city centers as well as all interstate and back road state crossings. Many large police departments even have plate readers on patrol cars as well.

They also have highway toll pass RFID readers situated to record movements on secondary roads. If they ever do get you in their cross-hairs, they can go back and see your movements without even bothering to track your phone movements.

This network is set up for the war on drugs. I would not be a bit surprised if some mystery shoppers are profiled and pulled over for the same type of behavior a drug dealer would have.

Does anyone here feel they were profiled and pulled over with a drug style stop investigation due to long mystery shopping routes?

This would involve questioning you about where your going and asking about drugs and asking for permission to search, followed by a K9 dog walk around the car if you refuse this violation of your private space. The premise to pull you over could be a rolling right turn, or an incomplete stop. If LEA follows you for 3-4 miles on a two lane road or a metro area for less than 10 minutes, they will find an excuse to pull you over if they choose to.

I used to work on the road and worked third shift and would drive through many small towns and have the officers get on my rear bumper and tailgate me to attempt to pressure me to speed. I was doing contract work for the local telecom company and would just pull over and have a chat with them and explain that I would be going from my hotel at city x to city y for the next 2-3 weeks and we should just get this cat and mouse game over with now. Nine times out of ten, after I pulled over when I was being profiled, they would pull over behind me and I would walk up to them and initiate the first stop. Then I could travel the 3-4 mile stretch through their town for that job and they would even wave as I passed the speed trap. Most of the towns went from 55 MPH to 25 in less than 2 miles and had the speed change signs on curves and were the most blatant speed traps.