Sunday morning beer sales to continue in Naperville

Naperville shoppers spent enough of their beer money on Sunday mornings during football season that city council members hope the trend continues into the summer barbecue season.

Council members voted 7-1 Tuesday to end the six-month pilot program and to permanently allow the sale of package liquors beginning at 8 a.m. on Sundays.

Before the September passage of the pilot program, package liquor sales were not allowed until noon on Sundays. City officials believed the four-hour difference put Naperville stores at an economic disadvantage with 81 percent of 22 communities surveyed in the surrounding area allowing sales between 8 and 10 a.m. on Sundays.

Council members believed at the time that Sunday morning shoppers and football fans were going to surrounding towns to do all of their shopping in one location instead of coming back out after noon for their liquor purchases.

Jewel-Osco Assistant Secretary Connie Zaio said liquor sales in their four Naperville stores increased by $31,000 for the period of October 2010 through January 2011.

“We got tremendous support from our customers,” Zaio said.

Councilman Paul Hinterlong said he would like to see sales tracked throughout the summer to give the council a full-year of data, but supported ending the pilot program.

“We didn’t get to see the summer months when people starting having cook outs,” Hinterlong said. “I’d like to see what the next six months bring.”

Councilman Dick Furstenau was the only opposing vote to moving the permanent start time to 8 a.m.

“If we do this, we’re changing a Naperville tradition that’s been on the books for 100 years,” he said. “Shoppers have plenty of times to buy liquor.”