PORT HADLOCK — Kathryn DeBernardi was in the new liquor aisles at QFC at 4:30 a.m. Friday, writing down the prices of specific items and then returning to her own store to lower the prices on the same items there.
DeBernardi, who has managed the Port Hadlock package store at 690 Ness’ Corner Road for the past two years, is one of the independent liquor store owners who arose with the passage of Initiative 1183 in November.
Supporters said the initiative, which was backed by Costco Wholesale Corp., was a free-market reform for an industry monopolized by the state since the end of Prohibition. It allows stores larger than 10,000 square feet to sell liquor.
Staff at Costco, as well as Safeway, Walmart, Albertsons, QFC and Rite Aid stores in both Jefferson and Clallam counties, confirmed the Friday opening of liquor sales at their stores earlier last week, while directing further inquiries to corporate offices.
In addition to grocery outlets, liquor will be sold at former state liquor stores in Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Sequim under private ownership, while four smaller, former state-contract stores in Quilcene, Brinnon, Port Hadlock and Clallam Bay have operated as private businesses since Friday.
The independent liquor store at 2005 E. Sims Way in Port Townsend remained closed Friday.
A sign on the window stated it will be open sometime this month.
The Port Angeles liquor store at 1331 E. Front St., which had been closed since May 22 because of statewide staffing issues, did not reopen Friday as originally scheduled.
A sign in the window said only that the store would reopen sometime this week.
Forks liquor store — the Peninsula’s fifth former state contract store — was closed, but liquor is available at Forks Outfitters, which includes a Thriftway store at 950 S. Forks Ave.
On Friday, DeBernardi — who said she doesn’t feel threatened by QFC, calling the store “good neighbors” — already had red-tagged several items that undercut the QFC price.
“There are some items where we can’t compete because of the quantities they can purchase,” she said.
DeBernardi hopes to provide convenience and service.
“We are for the people who don’t want to go into the supermarket and wait on lines,” she said.
“We are selling to the people who want to drive up, get a bag of ice and their beverage, and go home,” she said.
“We also provide a service — maybe someone is having their girlfriends over and wants to know how to make an apple martini.
“We can tell them how many ounces go into a certain food recipe or what liquor is best for a certain occasion, things you won’t get in a grocery store.”
Variety is also a selling point, DeBernardi said, pointing at her 995 different products.
“Anything that you can’t find, we can special-order,” she said.
Jean Morris, proprietor of Jean’s Liquor, 294700 U.S. Highway 101 in Quilcene, also took over her store from the state and has pulled some late nights this week anticipating the transition.
“I had to enter all the inventory into the new system twice because I didn’t understand the system at first,” she said.
“I’ve gotten almost no sleep since Tuesday.”
Morris, whose store is not in proximity to any large store, feels threatened by the competition.
“I’m scared,” she said. “I don’t know what to expect.”
Morris said price-sensitive ads can be deceptive if they don’t include sales tax.
“In my store, the taxes are included on the price tag so people know what they’re paying,” she said.
On Friday afternoon, Morris said she’d already had a few complaints from customers about higher prices — averaging $3 to $5 more per bottle — but said “generally, people are being really nice about this.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
