Retailers Preparing After Strong Beer, Wine Arrives In Oklahoma

October 1 can't come soon enough for many Oklahomans. That’s when the state’s liquor laws change to allow for wine and strong beer to be sold in convenience and grocery stores.

OnCue has been making sure all its stores in the metro have beer caves, and those that didn't already are being remodeled to add them. They like the other retailers News 9 spoke with on Wednesday, say they have been planning and preparing for this pretty much non-stop for a year now.

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At Homeland, the wine is lined up ripe for the picking, although shoppers won't be able to purchase for two and a half more weeks.

“We’re teasing them,” joked Homeland President and CEO Marc Jones. “But they will be able to buy it come first thing in the morning October 1st.”

And customers say they can't wait.

“Probably be the first one at the door,” said Cheryl Pierson. She’s talking about her husband. Although she may be the one actually buying the wine.

“He can say pick me up some wine while you’re at the grocery store,” said Pierson.

Homeland says they have invested between $1.5 and $2 million to sell wine and strong beer in their stores. They've also been training employees not only on the new laws, but also on how to help customers.

“The fun part for us really is we sell cheese and we sell meat and we sell bakery items and they all pair great with different beers and different wine,” said Jones.

At the Anheuser-Bush distributor warehouse, they are already getting in the high-point beer so they can get it out to stores by October 1. 

The new laws will allow for more than 30 new beer brands to come into the state and many other higher point beers to be sold in grocery and convenience stores.

“I think one of the things we’re most excited about is the local, just some fantastic local beers and some local wines too,” said Jones.

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