Drugstore Gets OK to Sell Hard Liquor
After being denied once, Thrifty-Payless won City Council approval this week to sell hard liquor at its 16141 Harbor Blvd. drugstore.
Council members reversed a July decision after learning that the only places to buy spirits in the area are liquor stores, where some residents, particularly women, feel uncomfortable shopping, officials said.
Drugstore representatives convinced the council that they train employees to check identification closely to prevent sales to minors at the store, which already stocks beer and wine.
“I think we cannot deny it on the matter of convenience,” Councilwoman Laurann Cook said. “Thrifty has been a good neighbor.”
Agreeing with a state Alcohol and Beverage Control report that calls the area near the drugstore saturated with alcohol licenses, Councilman Guy Carrozzo cast the only dissenting vote.
“I still don’t buy the notion of convenience and necessity,” he said. “I cannot, in my heart, vote for something like this.”
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