Effective July 1, All State Liquor Stores To Have Uniform, Expanded Operating Hours | Business

Effective July 1, all state liquor stores will have the same hours of operation.* All state stores will also be open additional hours for added convenience. The WSLCB received funding in the state budget to standardize state store hours. Standardized hours are projected to generate nearly $800,000 in additional revenue during the 2011-13 Biennium. Currently, operating hours vary by location at the 166 state stores. The new state store hours will be:

Monday – Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Friday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (58 state stores open on Sunday)

“Having standard, reliable hours will be a significant improvement in convenience for our customers,” said Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) Chair Sharon Foster. “It took an investment by the Governor and Legislature to make it possible. We are excited and thankful to have this opportunity and look forward to providing this service to our customers and returning additional revenue as well.”

“The later hours are not expected to compromise our top priority - public safety,” said WSLCB Administrative Director Pat Kohler. “Washington State liquor stores have among the nation’s highest no-sales-to-minors compliance rate at 95 percent. Additionally, state store employee wages are not based on sales, so they do not have an incentive to sell to teens or apparently intoxicated people.”