Out of all the many confused messages that Ontarians are subject to about beer and booze consumption, this has to be the stupidest:

The policy at the Liberty Village outlet is specific to that location, said Jeff Newton, a spokesman for The Beer Store. “This is a very unique store. It is an upscale, premium shopping experience,” he said. The 2,700-square-foot location has space and design features “that do not lend it to container returns,” Mr. Newton said. The Ontario Deposit Return Program makes it mandatory even for agency stores in small communities with a licence to sell beer, to accept empties. The agreement between the province and The Beer Store requires the retailer only to provide the same return service for wine and liquor as it does for beer. While the Beer Boutique is trying to be more up-market, Mr. Newton dismissed any suggestion the no-empties policy is to keep “bottle scavengers” away from the Liberty Village location. “Absolutely not. That was not a consideration in doing it. The majority of containers are brought back by people who purchased them. Bottle scavengers are a small percentage,” he said.

Now, keep in mind that others greater than I have attended this "upscale" location and found it irrelevant or "lipstick on a pig." My concern is not about that as we live in a jurisdiction with some of the most constipated beer buying rules in the world. Fortunately, I live near borders and avoid these rules by buying elsewhere. No, what simply amazes me is that:

a. there is a perception that there is some wimpy class of affluent losers which could be characterized as wanting an "upscale, premium shopping experience" and
b. that there is another class of bureaucrats and PR suits who think that it is necessary to pander to class "a"; and
c. they imagine that you can pander to them by spending gazillions on a "boutique" that offers the same goods as at any other store but that offers a reduction in services.

Only in Ontario?