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Consider this scenario:

Joe works at a liquor store. Shortly before the store closes a potential customer calls in, and asks if Joe could purchase the products so that the customer can buy it off him after the store has closed (because the customer could not get to the store fast enough). Is this legal?

Would it be different if it was Joe who proposed the idea to the customer? What if Joe used his employee discount or charges the customer a higher price than he paid?

I'm curious which laws may be broken. Joe would not have a license to sell liquor, which I think would be required.

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  • Is the customer in question over 21? May 25, 2021 at 13:49
  • @Studoku yes, assume they are legally allowed to purchase alcohol and aren't intoxicated etc
    – minusvivid
    May 25, 2021 at 13:50
  • @Studoku the legal age is 19.
    – phoog
    May 25, 2021 at 16:13
  • Is the store closing time also the legal end time for legal liquor sales (if that is a thing in BC)? Say selling after 2 am in certain US states.
    – Damila
    May 25, 2021 at 22:35

1 Answer 1

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You cannot act as an agent to buy liquor

s8(2)(b) of the LIQUOR CONTROL AND LICENSING ACT [SBC 2015] CHAPTER 19 is crystal clear:

… a person must not, personally or otherwise,

(b) solicit, receive or take orders for the sale or purchase of liquor, or act as agent for its sale or purchase,

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  • So food delivery services (such as Uber Eats) are allowed to do this because they are a business?
    – minusvivid
    Jun 7, 2021 at 9:06
  • 1
    @minusvivid Uber Eats is not buying the alcohol, it's delivering it. "Delivery" is not "selling" Jun 25, 2021 at 16:48
  • By not including the "Except as provided under this Act or the Liquor Distribution Act," part of the first line, this answer is borderline misleading. You could have quoted s8(2)(c) and your answer would then imply manufacturing alcohol is totally prohibited in BC (when it clearly isn't). Without at least a mention about what the rest of act says, and the liquor distribution act, I'd consider this answer incomplete.
    – mbrig
    May 22, 2022 at 23:27

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