Fredericton — NB Liquor’s promotion on cases of beer should be extended past Thanksgiving, according to several old guys who were hanging around outside the York Street ANBL location Thursday afternoon.
“Sixty beer for 75 bucks — them’s Quebec prices!” slurred Wally McIntyre, 63. “I’m stockin’ up on Bud Light now before they haul the carpet out from under us.”
Other old drunks agreed. “Why should we pay so much for beer?” Ron Arthur, 68, queried in the general direction of our reporter. “I go through a 60-pack in a weekend easy, and Thanksgiving means I’ll need two cases. I’m thankful for all the cheap beer we did have this summer, but jaysus, I’ll be needin’ it twice as much come winter.”
Harvey Wilson, wearing a threadbare Alpine T-shirt with a camo cap, threw in his two cents. “I don’t care who ya are, ya can’t beat $1.25 a can for Alpine. I guess I’m gonna have to switch to some cheap swill like Miller Light or, heck, JR 6.0. What’s that one they got over in Mexico or whatever? Corono? Not on your life…” Wilson trailed off, then sat down directly in front of building’s entrance.
Our reporter felt no need to round out these informative interviews, but called up ANBL spokesman Mark Barbour just for kicks.
“We have asked these inebriated gentlemen to leave our premises on multiple occasions,” he replied hours later in an emailed statement. “While they are by far our most lucrative consumers, they detract from ANBL’s public perception, which, for reasons I cannot disclose, we believe is one of openness, honesty, and most importantly, cleanliness.”