Date: Fri 13-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-Brand-cyber-booze

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: Cyber-booze

By Bob Brand

Another outrageous story hit the evening news this past December. "Underage

kids buying booze on the Internet," the anchor announced. Oh no! Here we go

again!

Sometimes it is difficult to know if the mass media is just plain dumb or if

they purposely distort the facts to raise viewership. The lasting impression

left upon the viewing public is that of underage children buying liquor on the

Internet and having it delivered to a home with complete anonymity. This story

was on the evening news for one night. Thankfully, it disappeared without

another word. In today's world of tabloid television (Monica who?), we should

not be surprised. Here is what really happened.

The Sting

New York State's Attorney General, Dennis Vacco, conducted a sting operation.

Underage customers would order alcoholic beverages on the Net and receive

delivery at their parents' homes without proof of age. When questioned about

the extent of this problem, Vacco stated that he knew of no instance where

teenagers ordered alcoholic beverages over the Net and received them. The

media, naturally, failed to report that part of the story.

It turns out that an advocacy group of beverage wholesalers was behind the

stunt. Jim Lowe, a spokesman for Hogs Head Beer Cellars, a beer-of-the-month

club, stated: "This is an emotional red herring." All the evidence points to a

special interest group, the beverage wholesalers, attempting to raise false

concerns to protect their profits.

The American Vintners Association, a group representing wineries in 41 states,

followed up with the statement: "While it is not inconceivable for an underage

person to order and receive beer, wine or spirits by mail order, the actual

use of that mechanism is rare." Remember, most purchases over the Net are made

via credit card. The standard proof of age on the Net has come to be regarded

as "if people have valid credit cards, they are old enough to purchase

anything."

A Bit Pricey

The news article conjures a vision of home beer delivery just like someone

ordering pizza from Pizza Hut. Not quite. Jim Lowe sells two six packs of beer

for $27.00. This apparently does not cut any ice with Vacco. He has sent a

letter to the attorney general in 49 states asking: "How far are we going to

allow technology and expediency to usurp safeguards against underage access

and state revenues?" Currently in 21 states there are laws on the books

against the direct shipment of alcoholic beverages to consumers. It appears

that these states may be much more concerned about loss of tax revenue than

the specter of minors receiving and imbibing alcohol. Frankly, enforcing laws

regarding cyber-purchasing becomes a sticky issue.

The Internet, over time, will permanently change the purchase patterns of

everything from information news and entertainment to big ticket items like

homes and automobiles. As the new lines of direct sales by the manufacturers

clash with traditional mid-level distribution channels (warehouses and buying

conglomerates), these skirmishes will continue to flair up and make news. We

have witnessed the disappearance of many small retailers from mom and pop

grocery stores, local garages for automobile repair, small book stores, five

and dime stores and much more to large Wal-Mart/Costco/Staples/Barnes & Noble

superstores. The next phase in the cycle will be purchases from cyber outlets.

While retailers complained about this past slow Christmas season,

cyber-commerce increased.

People who use the 6 o'clock television news programs as their primary source

of information about the Internet will continue to get an inaccurate picture

of cyberspace. However, should you hear that Costco runs a special of "home

delivery of pizza and beer for Monday night football," you may have to verify

the offer on their website.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.currents.net/newstoday/98/02/01/news5.html

http://www.wal-mart.com/ http://www.costco.com/

http://www.staples.com/

(This is the 90th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, "Opera -- a browser" is the subject on tap. Stay tuned. Until

next week, happy travels through cyberspace.

Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People (including links to sites

mentioned in this article) can be found at http://www.thebee.com. Please

e-mail comments and suggestions to rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)