ABC Store

Really? A review about a local ABC store? Um… yeah, that’s what this is.
I’ve lived in a number of states, with a variety of liquor laws — among others, New York — where I didn’t get carded until AFTER I’d turned 18 (it was a LONG time ago), to California, where you could go to a drive-​in booze shop (Motto: Too drunk to walk? No problem! Just drive on in…) to Pennsylvania, where you had to buy your beer by the case — but only at drive-​through places where they’d even «Put it in the trunk for ya.» So moving to North Carolina, with its ABC stores, really was not perturbing at all.
Fast-​forward almost 20 years — and now that ABC store management (or mismanagement) is headline news, I’ve come to realize that individual ABC stores are run independently of one another — and that each county has a local Board of directors… I used to think that the stores were run by the State of North Carolina (wrong). They are county-​wide operations, and apparently have a lot more leverage in setting prices than I’d imagined.
Granted, most ABC stores in the state look the same. Most are clean, well-​lit, and have aisles and selections arranged in logical and easy-​to-​navigate floor plans. But the prices are different. And the employees are different. Sometimes, even VERY different.
…which brings me to the reason for rating my local favorite, ABC Store #10 in Hillsborough. It’s the people.
Pleasant? Check. Helpful? Check. Quick to offer suggestions when asked to? Check. Okay to leave me alone when I just want to browse the selections? Check. Always a smile and a pleasant attitude at the register? Check. Much more conveniently located (for me) than other shops? You bet.
Hey, they’re even getting to know me by name. It has the feel of… community.