Whine machines.

• Author: Sullum, Jacob
• Position: Pennsylvania vino vending - Brief article

IN THE SUMMER of 2010, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) began rolling out wine vending machines in supermarkets, portraying them as a consumer-friendly alternative to the state's liquor stores. Fourteen months later, Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner reported that the "wine kiosks" were operating at a loss, costing taxpayers more than $1 million so far.

"We think the wine kiosk program has failed," Wagner said at a press conference in August, "and it needs dramatic, radical changes if the program is going to continue to exist." His report attributed the failure largely to disruptive, persistent mechanical problems, but the cumbersome, intrusive purchase process may also help explain why the kiosks were not as popular as anticipated. When they are working, the machines dispense a limited selection of wines at limited locations and times to customers who present ID, look into a camera monitored by a state employee, breathe into a blood-alcohol meter, and swipe a credit card.

The PLCB expected to have 100 kiosks in grocery stores throughout the state, each selling...