A proposal to ban the sale of small alcohol containers — those containing 205 milliliters or less — will be considered by the Attleboro, Mass., town council today (10/6). It’s a bad idea, the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. told Mayor Paul Heroux in a letter. If the ban becomes law, it will hurt Attleboro business, have little if any impact on littering and encourage consumers to shop in nearby towns, the letter, signed by Jay Hibbard, DISCUS Vice President of State Government Relations, says.
The letter explains there are many reasons small containers are produced, including:
- To provide customers with an opportunity to try a new product at a lower price point before committing to purchasing a larger and more expensive size;
- To introduce new product extensions to the marketplace, such as new flavors within a product or brand line or test the market acceptance of new products;
- To allow a customer to purchase a super-premium product at an affordable price point that may be economically out of reach in a larger, i.e. 750 milliliter, size;
- To use in recipes or cooking applications where small quantities are called for and a larger size purchase would be unnecessary.