Dallas Retailers Find Common Ground Over Beer, Wine Sales

Grocery stores, restaurants in favor of eliminating Dallas' dry spots.

March 25, 2010

DALLAS - A group of grocery store chains, restaurants, and retailers launched a drive earlier this week to bring to a November vote the right to sell alcohol in "dry" areas of Dallas, the Dallas Morning News reports. The group has 60 days to collect nearly 70,000 signatures of Dallas voters in order to bring the issue to a November vote.

The group, Progress Dallas, also announced plans to place petitions in Kroger, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and other major retailers throughout Dallas.

The petition, if successful, will yield two November ballot initiatives that would be considered independently.

The first would permit the sale of beer and wine ?" but not liquor ?" at Dallas retailer stores.

The second would eliminate the "private club" requirement currently existing in dry areas, where restaurants admit customers into a "club" before allowing them to purchase alcohol. In effect, it requires the storing of identification details from drinking customers.

"The reason we're doing this, frankly, is for our customers," said Gary Huddleston, director of consumer affairs for Kroger. "We anticipate some folks that are not for beer and wine, and we understand that and respect that. . . We think that the customers should make that decision and put it on the ballot."

The majority of Dallas is dry, and proponents of the changes maintain that alcohol sales would be a boon for Dallas' economy, generating $10 million in annual tax revenues.

Detractors cite moral objections, while others fear that expanding the availability of alcohol will increase crime.

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