At least one Aurora convenience store owner's experience with selling alcohol has been "a mess" so far.
EasyGrab Grocery owner Tam Kauzman, who purchased the convenience store near the corner of Yonge and Wellington streets last October, was quick to apply for a licence to sell alcoholic beverages, but only received his first delivery from the LCBO Monday.
“The orders are delayed,” he said. “We got a part of it, not all of it, so we’re still missing some stuff. So step by step, it’s a mess because it all came all of a sudden.”
Kauzman said he expected it would take some adjustment for the LCBO, which handles all wholesale alcohol sales in the province, to manage the delivery of the orders.
Plans to allow convenience stores to sell beer, cider, wine, and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages were brought forward from the end of 2025 to the beginning of September by Premier Doug Ford's provincial government. The move has garnered criticism for costing the government hundreds of millions due to existing agreements being cut short.
As of Sept. 5, more than 4,000 corner stores in Ontario are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.
A spokesperson for the LCBO said since the launch 3,330 convenience stores have placed more than 10,000 orders across various supplying sources.
"As the exclusive wholesaler, convenience stores must place all product orders through the LCBO," according to the statement. "Several supplying sources, which include LCBO, Ontario alcohol manufacturers and The Beer Store, are responsible for order fulfillment. Delivery timelines vary based on the supplying source."
Business slow in Aurora
Aurora now has 13 stores dotted throughout town that secured licences to sell alcoholic beverages, with 30 locations also licensed in Newmarket.
But like fellow store owners in Newmarket, Kauzman said there has not been crowds clamouring for a convenient cold one, as of yet.
“It’s slow, I can’t say it’s booming,” he said. “It’s still slow but it takes time, right? It takes time for people to adjust to the new settings.”
Matthew Mikhail, owner of Bestway Convenience/Extreme Snacks on Wellington Street also said "it will take time" for customers to adjust, adding he received his order several weeks ago without delay.
Some residents had expressed concerns about a potential uptick in crime, and youth potentially getting access to alcohol, but Kauzman said he has not had any problems so far.
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen, but so far we haven’t had any problems,” he added. “This is a quiet neighbourhood, our intersection of Yonge and Wellington, it’s a bit of a quiet neighbourhood.”
Mikhail likewise said he'd had no trouble, adding the store had a separate section for alcohol sales to prevent underage youth from accessing it.
