"We feel hoodwinked by this," said Brad Fletcher, president of The Village Grocer in Markham. His store has been licensed since 2019, but he does not see any way to continue making it work once they have to accept, sort, clean and palletize empties and associated packaging. "We, for a long time, have been questioning the profitability of carrying beer and wine in our store," he said.
Having the smell of stale beer mingling with the smell of fresh food and having to put not-quite-entirely-empty bottles that become fruit-fly magnets near produce sections would not be good for business, they said.
Grocery stores were already concerned that those that sell alcohol will also have to accept empties. But with new and detailed requirements communicated to them this week by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario just days before they begin, retailers say they don't know how they will make it work.
Ford's plan to expand alcohol sales in gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores has met some challenges along the way, including limited buy-in on the part of grocers.
Collection
[
|
...
]