This entire situation is insane. o.0 I understand about the post office not mailing certain items/certain boxes. I've seen it happen before. I've also seen a box get damaged at the post office so they put the item in a new box, thus the person receiving the item gets a box completely unlike what the sender sent, though it has the item in it.
BUT it makes NO sense if the post office saw the alcohol box and discarded the box with the item in it and then sent a new box with NOTHING in it!? What? >.< That is the wonkiest thing I ever heard! Was someone drunk at the post office or what!?
What I would assume in this situation, which is what usually happens when someone uses unacceptable shipping materials, is that the item is either thrown out (and thus the receiver never gets anything) or the post office sends it back to the sender.
This whole thing is so weird. I'm just glad you got your refund, tulagirl!