Walgreens is Selling What?

The Walgreen Drug Store operations are located on a property that is currently zoned PB, Planned Business District. At this time the property owner is requesting the ability to sell alcoholic beverages—liquor and beer—from the premises in addition to the pharmacy and general merchandise operations. The information provided with the application indicates that the proposed operations will be conducted entirely within the existing building. No building addition is proposed.
Drug stores and general merchandise operations are uses permitted by right within the PB, Planned Business District. In addition, liquor store uses are also a permitted use. The sales of alcohol will be secondary to the sale of “general merchandise,” and are not intended to supplant the primary operations or use of the premises. Because of this, the typical concerns—noise, disorderly behavior, loitering, etc.—associated with an establishment selling alcohol are minimized.
A Class “A” intoxicating-liquor/beer license authorizes the retail sale of intoxicating liquor for consumption off the premises where sold and in original packages and containers. This is the type of license a typical liquor store must have.
Management has indicated through the site plan where the sales area will be located. The site plan also indicates that they only plan to sell beer and wine, although the license requested allow for the sale of liquor. The Council may want to add restrictions to the license, such as, beer and wine only or no sales may occur after 9:00 p.m. etc. In addition, a locked storage area is available inside the building to accommodate for extra inventory. All locked areas will be controlled by management personnel. The store’s existing security is higher than we normally see in a establishment selling alcohol.
The management has indicated that the management staff will become licensed by the State, and remaining sales staff will be trained in the proper techniques for selling alcohol—requiring identification, packaging, etc. Persons under 18 years of age will not be allowed to sell liquor.