Sec. 1. 28-A MRSA §403, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 45, Pt. A, §4, is amended to read:

3. Licensees may purchase liquor; price. Licensees authorized to sell liquor for off-premise consumption may purchase liquor for resale from the state discount liquor stores at the same price they are permitted to purchase liquor for resale from any state store which that does not offer a retail discount. Licensees authorized to sell liquor for on-premise consumption may purchase liquor for resale from the state discount liquor stores at the discount price.

Sec. 2. 28-A MRSA §1403-A is enacted to read:

§1403-A.__Return of wine and malt liquor products

1.__Wholesale licensee shall accept returns.__A wholesale licensee shall accept the return of wine and malt liquor products sold to retail off-premise licensees and on-premise licensees if:

A. The product is returned to the wholesale licensee from which it was purchased;

B.__The product is undamaged and acceptable for resale, unless it was defective at the time of purchase;

C.__A copy of the original purchase receipt is provided at the time of the return; and

D.__The return is made within 14 days of the original purchase.

2.__Exchange value.__The wholesale licensee shall provide a refund for a returned product in an amount equal to the price of the product at the time of purchase.

SUMMARY

This bill would permit persons authorized to sell liquor for on-premise consumption to purchase liquor from a state discount liquor store at the discount retail price and require wholesale licensees to accept returns of malt liquor and wine purchased by retail and on-premise licensees.