Beer Board approves Aldi beer permit after manager details ID-check procedures

At 5:32 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2024, the Beer Board approved a beer permit for an upcoming Aldi store after the store's manager described the chain's ID-check procedures and said background checks on staff were clear.

Angel Baez, who identified herself as the Aldi store manager, told the board that cashiers are trained to require and inspect identification for any alcohol sale. "If they come up to the register and they have alcohol of any kind, we ask for their ID, they're trained to ask for the ID, they have to touch it, see it, feel it, they can't just open up their wallet, they actually have to hand it to them," Baez said. She added that clerks check the birth date and expiration and call a manager if they have doubts.

When asked about background checks, Baez said, "They did. They were clean." The manager also said the store's soft opening had been scheduled for Jan. 30 but that a March date was now more likely; she suggested March 5 as tentative and cautioned that the date was not final. Board members and Baez also noted ongoing power issues at the site that could affect the opening timeline.

After the presentation, the board's chair moved to approve the permit. A second was recorded on the record, members voted "Aye," and the board approved the permit. The meeting then moved on and closed the item; Baez thanked the board and attendees exchanged holiday greetings.

The permit approval was procedural: the board recorded the motion and a voice vote in favor. No roll-call vote names or counts were recorded in the meeting transcript.