The Princeton Review ranks Ohio University No. 5 in the nation for “lots of hard liquor,” and with more than 20,000 students on campus, there is plenty of money to be made from thirsty scholars.
Kroger, 919 E. State St., is the only store near campus that allows customers to carry out hard liquor. The next-closest place to get Mark Twain Bourbon or Svedka is The Pit Stop in Nelsonville, which is a 20-minute drive from campus.
Athens County has two liquor agencies, though Ohio counties can have a total of five liquor agencies and an additional agency for every 60,000 people, said Matt Mullins, spokesman for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.
In order to allow the carryout of hard liquor, a store must enter into a five-year contract with the state, which can be renewed after five years if the contract has not been violated.
Hard-liquor sales at Kroger in the past year totaled more than $4.5 million, with a 6 percent retail commission going to the state, Mullins said.
Kroger has had the contract for the carryout of hard liquor for three years, said Jackie Siekmann, media relations manager for Kroger.
The contract was previously with Lucky Dog Carry-Out and Drive Thru, which is now closed.
Although it is the only liquor store near campus, Kroger has done a good job preventing fake-ID and underage violations, she said.
“To avoid fake-ID violations, we train all of our associates to ID anyone who appears under the age of 27,” Siekmann said.
This strategy has been effective, said June Evener, Athens Police Department records clerk.
“There have been no violations by Kroger,” Evener said.
For students at Ohio State University, hard liquor is more easily accessible. There are almost 10 stores within the vicinity of campus that allow customers to carry out hard liquor.
The University of Cincinnati and the University of Akron both have about a half dozen liquor stores close to campus.
Miami University, like OU, has only one store near the city where students can buy hard liquor.
Brandon Muzzy, a sophomore studying culinary arts at Hocking College, said he buys hard liquor from Kroger once every few months.
“It’s frustrating that Kroger is the only store to get hard liquor near Athens,” Muzzy said. “I don’t really go anywhere else to buy liquor.”
bm471311@ohiou.edu
