Live free or die...

[upthesaukee]

We had a conversation just last night about this very subject. We can see how the data "experts" can analyze the sales by NH Liquor stores and then take population and come up with a high per capita figure. What they can't do is determine who is buying, and where they live.

While we (our small group) certainly do all we can to keep the NH per capita figure up, we also know that when we go to the stores, especially in the May to October part of the year, odds are that NH plates in the parking lot are outnumbered by ME MA RI CT NY NJ plates.

Bottom line, reports like that simply use stats to tell their side of the lie.

Dave

[Descant]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

We had a conversation just last night about this very subject. We can see how the data "experts" can analyze the sales by NH Liquor stores and then take population and come up with a high per capita figure. What they can't do is determine who is buying, and where they live.

While we (our small group) certainly do all we can to keep the NH per capita figure up, we also know that when we go to the stores, especially in the May to October part of the year, odds are that NH plates in the parking lot are outnumbered by ME MA RI CT NY NJ plates.

Bottom line, reports like that simply use stats to tell their side of the lie.

Dave

Our dept. of tourism tracks where our visitors come from and aims their advertising accordingly. We just don't see it in NH. We see ads for Myrtle beach, for example. I would expect credit card records tell the same story to the liquor commission, but they don't need to do the long distance advertising because few people fly home with 4 cases of liquor, but those who drive certainly do. Not so much border crossing the last 24 months, but don't forget our neighbors from Canada. They shop here too for no sales tax and cheap liquor. When I go to the Merrimack Premium Outlets, I hear a lot of French being spoken. Of course, that could all come from Pinardville. IDK.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by Descant

When I go to the Merrimack Premium Outlets, I hear a lot of French being spoken. Of course, that could all come from Pinardville. IDK.

Well there's a way to tell, you know.

Standard French: Je vais faire vérifier les freins de mon camion maintenant.

Pinardville French: M’a faire chequer les brakes de mon truck ast’heure.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Descant

Our dept. of tourism tracks where our visitors come from and aims their advertising accordingly. We just don't see it in NH. We see ads for Myrtle beach, for example. I would expect credit card records tell the same story to the liquor commission, but they don't need to do the long distance advertising because few people fly home with 4 cases of liquor, but those who drive certainly do. Not so much border crossing the last 24 months, but don't forget our neighbors from Canada. They shop here too for no sales tax and cheap liquor. When I go to the Merrimack Premium Outlets, I hear a lot of French being spoken. Of course, that could all come from Pinardville. IDK.

Sort of. We really only have good numbers on items like snowmobiling and OHRVing, because those items tend to have very limited ways to get around the registration requirements. Most other items are studies that may overstate or understate the influence of visitors to the State.

The liquor commission sometimes shuts down some operations that don't seem to be selling well, and opens others. I think that over time they determined that easy access off the major routes was more of their marketing plan.