Why Don't Frostburg's Liquor Stores Allow Comparison Shopping?

This week's article was originally going to be a comparison of  prices at Frostburg's major liquor stores so students and locals alike could decide where the best place is for them to shop depending on their drink preferences. But I quickly learned this week that the owners and employees of most of Frostburg's liquor stores do not allow their customers to comparison shop.
I was kicked out of each major liquor store in Frostburg that I visited. To keep myself from getting into even more trouble, I will not be naming the liquor stores. However, as there are only a few stores near campus, I'm sure most readers can guess what those stores are.
Each time I went into a liquor store and started jotting down prices, an employee would come up to me and ask me what I was doing. I would reply that I am writing an article for class and was just checking the prices on different types of alcohol. Then, each time, I was told I was not allowed to do that and was asked to leave. One employee even asked me, "Are you sure you don't work for another liquor store?"
I was extremely angered and frustrated by this experience. Why are Frostburg's liquor stores so secretive about their prices, prices that are blatantly stickered onto the front of the bottles anyway? Many people visit several stores a day, shopping for the best price on given items. I can almost guarantee that I would not be kicked out of Wal-Mart or Martin's for writing down the listed price on milk or bread. So why is this not the case for liquor stores? I fail to see what the problem is, even if I was an employee of another liquor store in the area. As I stated before, anyone can go into these stores and check the prices for themselves, but apparently writing the prices down is not allowed.I find it interesting that when I visited several area bars last week, the employees were more than happy to speak with me and answer my questions about drink prices, but liquor stores were not.
Based on my experience, I can say that I will not be patronizing any of these liquor stores in Frostburg any longer. I find it ridiculous that I was asked to leave when essentially all I was looking to do was find the best deal. But I will say that the only store that was more than happy to speak with me  was Byrne's Store, located in the A2Z building on Center Street. They now serve alcohol, from liquor to beer to mini bottles, and they told me that when they are able to buy alcohol at a discount, they charge the discount price, which is great for students that are low on cash.