Will the LCBO ever stay open (really) late?

Most people in Ontario know what it's like to arrive at the LCBO at a perfectly reasonably hour only to find it dark and shuttered. For a corporation established to sell alcohol to the public, provincial liquor stores don't exactly seem keen to furnish consumers with the ability to buy their products.

Genevieve Tomney, a spokesperson for the LCBO, said in a statement that store opening hours reflect customer demand and the company's commitment to social responsibility, not provincial law. Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to open until midnight or beyond.

In Toronto, the latest any LCBO stays open on a regular basis is 11 p.m. These "late night" locations include 2625D Weston Rd. (Monday through Saturday) and King and Spadina (Friday and Saturday). Astonishingly for a city of almost 3 million people, it's impossible to buy a six pack of beer or a bottle of wine to take home after a late night at work or an evening movie, yet Mega Dice, Poker, and Wheel of Fortune lotto is available on OLG gaming machines until 1 or 2 a.m. at most corner stores.

According to the LCBO, Ontarians are happy with the status quo. "Overall LCBO customer satisfaction survey rates are consistently over 80 percent so we believe our existing hours are sufficient for the vast majority of our shoppers."

What do you think? With a possible shake-up of the Beer Store in the works, would you like to see LCBO products made available later into the night?

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Samantha Tan/blogTO Flickr pool.

by Chris Bateman via blogTO