DENVER— Colorado convenience stores began offering wine in March under a new law voters passed in November.
Until a few years ago, food retailers were limited to sale of 3.2 beer. For ten years they pushed to do away with the archaic law passed in the 1930s but they came up against a powerful liquor store lobby that contended it would mean an end to the small mom-and-pop shops. In 2018, the Legislature finally approved the sale of full-strength beer, which took effect in 2019.
Encouraged by that victory, the push began to add wine. But not wanting to face the opposition lobby again, the stores opted to let the people decide. It seemed like a slam dunk, as thousands signed a petition to get it on the ballot. But the measure narrowly passed and they lost the vote to include home delivery.
The stores that already possessed a beer license had them automatically converted.
The same state restrictions are in effect. No wine can be sold to those under 21 and to prevent that from occurring there can be no self-check-out, which won't bother most convenience stores, but is irritating grocery store shoppers. Alcohol cannot be sold between midnight and 8 a.m.
As an added perk, the new law allows stores to stage beer and wine tastings.
DENVER — The best of plans can go awry, as state legislators found out after they passed an anti-pollution law requiring food retailers to charge anyone who insists on a plastic bag to pay ten cents per bag.
Because sixty percent of the funds collected must go to the governmental entity in the area where it is collected the legislators thought there would be a rush to grab the money. Nope.
Convenience store owners in some localities are complaining that they are left holding the dough, as many of the intended recipients don't seem to want it.
And they have a year to decide.
In the meantime, the money sits on retailer books, accruing interest and becoming subject to taxes, says Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado/Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Assn. which represents 2,200 convenience stores in its membership.
Bailey said the trouble is there are 64 counties and 267 cities in the state that either don't want the responsibility of enforcing it or haven't figured out how to collect and process the money, he theorized.
"We saw it as a great problem for local government," moaned Rep. Alex Valdez, a sponsor of the bill. "You have a new stream of income coming in, it's dedicated to helping you set up a process to clean up your environment."
"Sometimes, when an idea meets implementation there can be a bit of a conflict," said Bailey.
Valdez is now checking the feasibility of creating a state enterprise to hold the untransferred money. Critics say that means more state money to operate the storage.
LOUISVILLE — No new gasoline stations can be built in this city until at least the Fall with the passage of a moratorium designed to combat climate change and promote the use of electric vehicles.
What was described a an emergency measure will not affect an application already submitted by Koebel & Co.
The ban did not pass unanimously. Dennis Maloney, who opposed it along with Chris Leh, said, "We are doing it too quickly, not having sufficient conversation with the community. Do we need to get away from fossil fuel? Absolutely. But I would like to have more of a discussion without this panic action."
Leh said, "I am concerned about the process because I don't know that it has any limiting principle and I just don't know that this is the way we're supposed to govern."
The proponents claimed they had to act quickly or there would be a rush of new applications to beat the deadline to build gasoline stations. As to the need, "We lost 560 homes to a massive wildfire on the 30th of December when we should have had two feet of snow on the ground," said Councilwoman Maxine Most.
DENVER — A bill submitted to the Colorado Legislature that would have eliminated a new 27-cent fee on deliveries didn't even get out of committee.
The fee took effect last July and has already been levied on 161.2 million deliveries as of the end of last year. Convenience stores had recently been adding delivery as a customer perk and it has been very popular.
But the state opposed the bill because the revenue generates a big boost to the budget.
COLORADO SPRINGS — Inflation has taken its toll on one of the oldest car washes in this city.
After two decades of operation 7th Wave Wash has closed its doors.
The owners cited the current cost of supplies as the main factor, but also a labor shortage and constant increases in government regulation.
At first the business tried to survive by limiting the days of operation, but even that failed.
PARKER — QuikTrip is expanding in Colorado.
A gasoline station and convenience store opened in Parker recently, the fourth to be established in the state, and more are planned for this year.
It was only last June that the corporation opened its first location in the state, in Firestone. A second followed last July in the Denver area and a third in October in Bennett, east of Aurora.
Other stores are scheduled to open in Thornton, Greenwood Village, Evans, and Meade.
FOUNTAIN — A police officer in this small town has died as a result of an attempted carjacking and pursuit.
It started at a Love's gas station after Mary Lee's husband went inside and she started pumping gas.
Three people approached, one brandishing a gun, said Lee. "I had my keys in my hand. He was just yelling at me to empty my pockets and give him the key. I just stood there, kind of frozen and turned around and screamed for help."
She said she held her keys ready to try to fight, then escaped into the store. When the Lees emerged, police, tracking them from another attempted carjacking, already were there. The suspects took off in their vehicle.
The chase was on. On a bridge near the highway one of the suspects tried to jump off. That's when Officer Julian Becerra fell 40 feet off the bridge. He later died in a hospital without gaining consciousness.
AURORA — Someone, possibly a car thief, dropped off an urn containing a person's ashes at a car wash here and a couple of Good Samaritans are trying to find the owner.
Riley Webb was at the Happy Henry's Car Wash, cleaning out his vehicle after washing it when he noticed the urn sitting next to a trash barrel. He realized immediately what it was when he picked it up and considered putting it back, but "I'm like, I can't do that. This is somebody."
So he took it home, where his girlfriend was spooked at having it in the house, but soon relented. They called the police who said they could pick it up and store it, but not attempt to find the owner. So the couple set out to do it themselves.
They contacted the wash manager who pulled up the surveillance video. It showed a red car with no plates dropping off the urn.
So the couple advertised on social media, even managing to get a spot on the TV news. They got some responses, but so far no luck. A woman offered to store the urn indefinitely and to help search and Riley accepted. Both families are now on the hunt. "I'm sure someone is very upset at the loss," said Webb.
Originally published in the April 2023 issue of the O&A Marketing News.
© KAL Publications Inc. 2023