new Fayetteville merchant has pledged to be

exceptionally vigilant in seeing that her

establishment complies with the city's tough

stance on selling alcohol to minors.

Janice

Ferguson received City Council approval Monday

night for a beer and wine license for the

Fitzgerald Food Store at 535 North Glynn Street.

She

was not present when the vote was taken at the

beginning of the meeting, but she appeared later

and addressed the council about her plans.

This

store will be one of 16 that her company owns in

the metro Atlanta area. Most of those stores are

on the north side of Atlanta, and in such place

as Cobb, Paulding and Douglas counties.

Ferguson

stressed that her store will be a

"responsible" seller of alcoholic

beverages, in total compliance with the law. She

said that extensive employee training and

exercises such as "mystery shopper"

programs will help her store police itself and

not become a statistic like the 20 Fayetteville

stores that were nailed in a police operation

last winter for selling alcohol to minors.

Ferguson's

mystery shoppers are unannounced customers of

legal drinking age, over 21 but under 30, who

come in and purchase alcohol while checking to

see if they are asked for identification.

"We want to make sure all of our employees

know the law," said Ferguson.

If

an employee at the Fitzgerald store is caught

illegally selling alcohol, he or she will be

immediately terminated, she added.

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