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Business & Tech

Residents Protest Alcohol License at Walgreens

Retailer wants to sell beer and wine but residents are concerned about underage drinking.

Some residents are protesting Walgreens' attempt to sell alcohol at its store located at the corner of El Camino Real and Crystal Springs Road.

The retailer’s beer and wine license application is pending after receiving two complaints from residents who live nearby the store, said John Carr, spokesman for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

“We can’t issue the license unless the concerns in the community are addressed or the matter goes to a public hearing,” Carr said.

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Resident Robert Riechel, who lives on Seventh Avenue, opposes ' proposed addition of alcoholic beverages.

“There are too many places selling alcohol,” Riechel said. “It’s making enforcement more of a concern or problem, making it too easy at times for underage (kids) to acquire the alcohol.”

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He said he is concerned that Walgreens is located near and elementary schools and .

Walgreens stores across the country are beginning to offer alcohol. The drug store is even selling it’s own private-label beer, Big Flats 1901, for about 50 cents a can.

Walgreens spokesman Robert Elfinger said the retailer wants to offer beer and wine in response to customer demand. “Our customers want more of a one-stop shopping experience, where they can buy a range of products at one location rather than having to travel and park and pay at a variety of different stores,” Elfinger said in an email.

Elfinger said Walgreens cashiers go beyond what the law requires to screen for underage buyers.

“Employees must request identification for any customer purchasing alcohol who appears younger than 40,” he said. “Register prompts built into the coding of this product line will ensure compliance before the transaction is completed.”  

Carr said his department is talking to both sides of the debate to work out a compromise, such as some mitigation measures on the license.

If an agreement can’t be reached, he said, the matter would go before an administrative law judge.

Walgreens applied for the license in December 2009, Carr said, and the 30-day comment period closed in early 2010.

If Walgreens is going to sell beer and wine, Riechel said, he would at least like to see additional restrictions in the permit such as stiff penalties for selling to underage customers.

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