It comes as no surprise that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is once again seeking outside advice on how to be a liquor merchant.

Last month the government monopoly on wine and spirits sent out bid invitations to state universities for "statistical analysis and economic research to help redefine the PLCB's current sales model."

This follows previous requests from the state liquor operation for help in learning about consumer preferences, conducting an image makeover and training state employees on how to deliver good customer service.

Not that businesses don't pay for such advice, but merchants that must compete for sales by understanding their consumers, projecting an attractive image and hiring employees with product experience and a desire to serve customers have a natural bent for such basic ingredients of private enterprise. Not so state government.

We certainly hope the Liquor Control Board gets the tutorial it is seeking on data collection, new sales models, inter-store sales migration and sales "relationships, patterns and correlations which may not be readily or intuitively apparent." In the meantime, Pennsylvanians are left to wonder why, once again, the state just doesn't leave the liquor business to the liquor professionals -- private merchants.

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