Most SF Corner Stores Must Now Close at 8pm

Thanks to KRON4 and NBC Bay Area for noticing the fine print in one of the recent Mayoral proclamations that stated that corner stores that sell booze must be closed each night at 8pm to help prevent large groups from congregating outside.

And it’s not just that the stores can’t sell alcohol after 8pm and can stay open for everything else. The proclamation appears to order the stores to close completely, which means many neighborhoods without large markets will have their local source of groceries and sundries shut down early.

“We’ve had a challenge with some of our local corner stores where people are congregating outside and sort of attracting crowds, and we really want people to stay home.” – San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney

This order comes at a tough time when corner stores have become a lifeline for neighborhoods during the coronavirus crisis and now will be forced to close early.

The rules only apply to stores under 5,000 square feet, so they don’t apply to supermarkets or large stores. According to KRON4 many corner store owners are upset by being targeted by this rule and complain that big stores are able to stay open and have even larger crowds.

Read the Proclamation (3/27) – Page 5

Any store that has less than 5,000 gross square feet of retail space and sells alcohol under a Type 20-Off Sale Beer & Wine license or a Type 21-Off Sale General license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control must be closed to the public every day between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m