After dodging what would have been a well-financed ballot campaign to lift the cap on alcohol licenses for food stores, Massachusetts package store owners told lawmakers they've come to the table with a compromise that is essential for their future survival.
While the convenience of one-stop shopping has proven popular with consumers, package store owners say the ability of large corporations to dominate the marketplace and rewrite the rules in their favor is threatening their livelihoods.
A proposal from the Massachusetts Package Stores Association would double the number of allowable licenses any one retailer can hold but reduce the cap on licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages.