"Where Is Your Beer Aisle?"

I was working one Saturday, and happened to be at the front cash when a group of five guys walked in. They looked to be about eighteen years old, but I've never been good at guessing age. They wandered up and down all of the aisles of the store (this is a very small pharmacy, so there are actually only three aisles). When they came back to the front cash, they all had rather puzzled looks on their faces.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Uhh, yeah. We would like to know where your beer aisle is." Responded one of the young men hopefully.

"Huh? We don't sell beer here."

"Oh. Do you sell any alcohol?"

"No."

"Alright, well thanks anyway." And like that, the gang just wandered out, much in the same manner they had wandered in, looking slightly confused and annoyed at the pharmacy's lack of beer.

Quebec is a little relaxed about drinking laws, as the legal drinking age here is lower than in the other Canadian provinces (18 instead of 19) and you can even buy beer in grocery stores. Some people seem to think that this means that you can find beer in just about any store, judging by the number of Saturday customers who wander in to the pharmacy in search of beer.

I'm not even certain that pharmacies were ever allowed to sell beer. Seems to me that it would require more licenses and permits than it would be worth. But I guess that no one told that to anyone who lives outside of the province. Unfortunately, the closest thing you will find to alcohol in a pharmacy is likely the type that you use to clean wounds. That doesn't stop people from trying, though.

However, in Quebec, there is the luxury of finding beer in a depanneur, the French word for "corner store." These stores are everywhere, especially in Montreal. They will sell you beer without batting an eyelash, provided you are of legal drinking age. Just don't wander in to a pharmacy looking for anything alcoholic and drinkable, because the chances of finding something are less than slim.