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On Friday, November 7, something new and surprising appeared on the shelves at Bullock’s Independent: beer.
Owner Darcy Bullock says they were happy to be selected as one of the Ontario grocery stores to carry beer and cider, which complements the wine they already sell. It’s been in the works for a while, he says, and they chose the selection that offered the most local craft brewery options. There are still some to arrive, but in all the store will offer 240 varieties.
Most of the store’s cashiers — except those that are underage — have been Smart Serve trained and customers wanting to purchase beer or cider will have to go to marked lanes. Soon those cashiers will wear special red sweaters to make them easily identifiable.
Don’t forget your picture identification, though — cashiers must enter a customers date of birth to complete the sale and will be asking everyone for their ID. Watch the clock, too, especially on Sundays. Beer and cider will only be sold from 9 a.m. until the store closes, Monday through Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
There are other rules that grocery stores are required to follow. Beer has to be stocked in designated areas and at the same cost as the Beer Store and LCBO. It can only be sold as singles less than 750mL or in six-packs. At least 20 per cent of the containers of beer on display must be beer produced by small brewers. And the beer offered can’t be stronger than 7.1 per cent alcohol by volume.
“It’s just one more way that we can make the store a convenient one-stop shop for our customers,” says Bullock.
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Was very pleased with the surprise appearance, and happy with the selection, quite a number I hadn’t had the chance to try out yet. Only downside to buying here is the lack of Airmiles, anyone know if you get PC points on your beer purchases?
It seems that all precautions regarding under-age purchases have been instituted. And the 20% basement for micro-breweries should not be problematic when you are carrying 240 varieties. But 20% is far too low for smaller grocery outlets. Perhaps a gradation of percentages would be more appropriate in order to support small business.