Story posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Council Approves Walgreens Packaged Liquor Sales
Despite a change of mind by two Des Plaines aldermen, city council last week granted licenses to the four Walgreens drug stores in the city to sell packaged liquor.
Aldermen Matt Bogusz (3d) and Mark Walsten (6th), voted on Tuesday, Jan. 19 against the proposal to allow the Walgreens' to sell packaged liquor in their local stores even though they had cast "yes" votes two weeks earlier. The final vote was 6 to 2 to allow the retail sales. According to Walsten, he changed his mind after learning that the entire Walgreens store chain sold $42 billion worth of merchandise in 2009. Granting the local stores the power to sell liquor, said Walsten, would likely hurt smaller local liquor stores. Selling liquor in Walgreens is a nationwide effort to boost revenue.
"I don't think they're hurting," said Walsten of Walgreens. "I think we already have enough liquor stores here and allowing Walgreens to sell liquor could hurt the little guy. Aren't they making enough money already?"
Also about two weeks ago, the owner of a Citgo gas station on Oakton Street west of River Road submitted an application to sell packaged liquor. Aldermen earlier this year approved a new city budget that included an extra 2 cent per gallon tax on gasoline purchases doubling the local tax to 4 cents per gallon.
Several local gas station owners have said that doubling the tax will severely cripple their ability to operate.
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