By EARYEL BOWLEG 

and LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporters

BUSINESS owners say the government’s impending ban on walk-up liquor sales will come at a cost and are calling for more dialogue to find a workable solution.

Effective January 1, selling alcohol from window “cages” and “take away restaurants” will be banned. The ban also applies to supermarkets, convenience stores, and mobile bars, which will no longer receive permits to sell alcohol.

The move has been met with mixed reactions, with the Retailers Liquor Association supporting the crackdown while other business owners have expressed concerns about the financial and operational impact.

Susie Chan, whose son owns a liquor store, said she understands the government’s concerns that walk-up windows can create disorderly or unsightly scenes in neighbourhoods, but also stressed the importance of considering the business owners’ perspective.

She noted that many walk-up services originated during COVID-19 and served a practical purpose, including keeping staff safe.

“I haven’t heard of much robberies or much issues in that matter when they start selling, like through the windows and customer staff, things like that, so that gets rid of that aspect,” she said.

She said that, based on a Zoom meeting with officials last week, it seems that the ideal setup would be like 700 Wines and Spirits, but warned that upgrading to that standard would require significant investment.

“How can, like a small store, compete with somebody that’s actually a brewer or a manufacturer,” she said. “So that’s really two total different levels of business price point too.”

 Officials have said that such venues were susceptible to under-age drinkers.

However, Ms Chan pushed back against this narrative yesterday, saying: “I know legal drinking age is 18 and over so I don’t think that they would sell to, you know, some young person or some school kid. You know, they should know better.”

Valentino Gardiner, business owner, said he understands the government’s plans to modernise the sector, but acknowledged that the changes could affect business operations. He said the new rules could create challenges for vendors who serve both food and alcohol, as they may now need to separate the two operations.

“There’s going to be a cost,” he said. “But definitely, if you already have an establishment and where your setup was one thing, and now they’re asking them to do some setbacks and create more space on the inside, there’s definitely going to be added costs.”

He suggested the government should have consulted business owners before finalising the ban to get feedback and address practical concerns.

Peter Au, owner of Sun Luck Liquor store, believes the government does not fully understand how businesses operate, including considerations of safety and customer service. He argued that business owners should have the freedom to decide how to serve customers rather than having the government dictate operational details.

“You can’t say the customer must have to come inside and touch the product. I don’t see nowhere in the world for the government tell you how to do business or how to operate your business space because how we serve the customer should be our own policy, our freedom,” he said.

He noted that window “cages” provide protection against armed robberies. Regarding concerns about an oversaturated market, Mr Au acknowledged the large number of liquor stores but said competition helps improve his business.

He acknowledged concerns about selling alcohol to minors but said his staff carefully monitors customers’ age to ensure compliance.