As the Sioux Falls police finish another crackdown on underage sales, in Rapid City, one store owner is going to just quit selling alcoholic beverages altogether.
Last week, Sioux City Police did an alcohol check at 29 local businesses. Three failed and sold alcohol to someone under 21. That’s not a bad average, and after tickets and a court appearance, the clerks involved will probably learn their lesson.
However, in Rapid City, the situation is a bit different. That’s where the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology campus is. And just off campus, the franchise owner of the Gas Depot has decided to stop selling any form of alcohol. That means abandoning a valuable liquor license along with beer and wine sales. The reason seems to be an unwillingness to keep up an ongoing fight with City Hall.
In this case, City Hall is partnered with the school who have apparently been complaining about students buying alcohol so close to campus. The store owner, who pointed out that they can just drive six more blocks, is stoic about it though. According to a report from the Rapid City Journal, he said, “If that’s what they believe is in the best interest, I will remove it [alcoholic beverages] voluntarily.”
City Alderman voted unanimously to set a public hearing to revoke the malt beverage license for the store, but the decision to remove all such beverages by the end of December trumps that move.
So each city continues to wrestle with its own alcohol problems. Selling to the underaged or simply selling in an area where it isn’t wanted by the neighbors. At some point in the regulatory chain, some businesses realize that the profits just aren’t worth the legal hassles.
