Dan Aykroyd in Local Las Vegas Liquor Ad

Image from Extreme Mortman

My home town is Columbus, Ohio. And one of the peculiarities there--though this may have changed in the past 14 years--was the State Liquor Store. You could buy beer, wine and "wine coolers" (now, really malt liquor) at the grocery, but the hours were regulated for no particular reason. We did have "beer docks," which were drive-thru jobbies where you could buy beer and snacks. Peculiar, really, drive-thru beer. But their hours were restricted too.

If you wanted selection, or something stronger, you had to go to the State Liquor Store. And in the town I lived in--Delaware--you could browse but not actually touch the liquor. Everything had to be requested. And the hours were lame. Now, imagine my surprise when I moved to Las Vegas in 1994. Not only can you get any kind of liquor under the sun at the local grocery, you can do so 24 hours a day! Oh, and the bars don't have a closing time, but that's a different post.

Even though we can buy just about anything at Vons or Albertsons, the prices fluctuate, and sales are not always on the item you want. So, we rely on the "big box" liquor stores, like Lee's Discount Liquor. Lee's is huge here in Vegas, and has been around for a long time. They have large stores, with wide selections in all varieties of alcohol. And they have great prices, especially if you bring cash. The location nearest our house is staffed with the surliest, most unpleasant retail workers I've ever encountered, but the prices can't be beat.

Local commercials for the chain have been uneven, from mildly amusing to bad. But I saw a commercial last night that cracked me up, starring (in addition to Mr. Lee and his grandson--carryovers from previous ads), Saturday Night Live alumnus Dan Aykroyd! I looked around, and couldn't find the ad available anywhere, but I was so tickled, I wanted to post something from the Aykroyd oeuvre. And he plays Julia Child, who is sauced, so it's appropriate! Here you go. . .