Liquor store owners divided on booze ban

Five months after introducing sale restrictions on alcohol, bottle store owners have mixed opinions on whether the ban actually works.

Auckland Council introduced new liquor laws last December which ban licensed stores from selling alcohol after 9pm.

Alcohol sales at liquor stores were previously banned from 11pm, but the new restriction aims to reduce alcohol-related harm.

The duty manager of a West Auckland liquor store, who chose to remain anonymous, says that working in an alcohol store is never safe.

“We should be able to have security, instead, they decrease the sale times, which reduces our income. What would help is having more protection from the police.”

They reported feeling unsafe at work because they never know what will happen that day.

“We don’t even bother calling the police now, because they don’t come, or if they do, it's late and there is no resolution,” says the duty manager.

The New Zealand Police reported that retail crime costs New Zealand stores $2.6 billion every year.

Although the 9pm sale ban is a step in the right direction, the manager believes there is more work to be done to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Alongside safety concerns, the West Auckland store also said that sales are down and further restrictions on sale times would put more financial pressure on small businesses.

Harjas Singh, store manager of Super Liquor Kingsland, says that the 9pm finish has had positive results for their team.

“Our customers come in earlier, so I don’t feel like we are missing out on a lot of sales.

“I think it's great that we can finish earlier; it feels a lot safer.”

Despite conflicting responses to the sale ban, local businesses are hopeful that its impact will ultimately be positive.

If stores are caught breaking the 9pm sale ban, they could face a fine and potentially a loss of licence.