Drugstores could sell beer, wine in Mundelein

Two drugstore chains are pursuing liquor licenses to sell beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages in Mundelein.

Representatives from Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy spoke to the village’s liquor commission, which consists of Mayor Kenneth H. Kessler and the six trustees, on Monday night about their proposals to sell alcohol at their local stores. Three Walgreens stores and two CVS stores operate in town.

The pitches were met positively by the commission, and the company representatives were given directions about how to apply for liquor licenses.

Kessler said he used to oppose the idea of local drugstores selling alcohol, but “times have changed,” he said.

Before giving their support, however, several officials expressed concerns about shoplifting and preventing minors from buying alcohol illegally. The company representatives described their theft-prevention techniques as well as the training their employees receive about underage alcohol sales.

CVS employees who sell alcohol to minors are fired, district manager John Boyk said. The same strict standard exists for Walgreens workers, said Lowell Sederstrom, a community leader with that chain.

Boyk said alcohol represents between 4 percent and 6 percent of sales at CVS stores. At the Walgreens stores that sell alcohol, such beverages take up about 2 percent of shelf space, Sederstrom said.

The sale of packaged alcoholic beverages is “something consumers are requesting in our stores,” Sederstrom said. People want to buy bottles of wine or six-packs of beer in the same store they buy shampoo or other items, he said.

Boyk suggested the additional products would be purchased by people who want to buy a bottle of wine for dinner or beer for a picnic.

When it was time for the liquor commissioners to share their opinions, Trustee Ed Sullivan said he thinks allowing local drugstores to sell alcohol could “put pressure” on dedicated liquor stores.

He was the only trustee with such a reservation, however, and eventually he said he’d support the plans.

Trustee Terri Voss was more enthusiastic about the proposals. She said she was fine with it “as long as they are responsible about selling it to those who should be purchasing it.”