Chips, candy and pop are staples at most corner stores but some convenience stores across New Brunswick want to offer alcohol to their customers as well.

“It’s a convenience item,” says Jeff Green, who owns a store in Fredericton. “It’s a good fit with the offering we already have.”

A new poll suggests many New Brunswick residents agree. The poll, conducted on behalf of the Atlantic Convenience Stores Association, shows a majority of New Brunswick residents mostly support liquor being sold in all convenience stores.

“We live in a world today where consumers expect convenience and the simple act of being able to drop into your local corner store for a bottle of wine for dinner,” says Mike Hammoud of the Atlantic Convenience Stores Association.

Alcoholic beverages can be bought at convenience stores in Quebec and in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Former Newfoundland resident Jamie Goulet says he liked being able to pick up a case of beer at his local corner store.

“Beer is all you can buy at convenience stores in Newfoundland, but that’s what most people drink anyways, so I liked it,” says Goulet.

While some New Brunswick convenience stores do stock their shelves with alcohol, many don’t; NB Liquor chooses where to award agency stores.

Just outside Fredericton, a legal review is being waged by one convenience store which objects to NB Liquor’s decision to award an agency store to a location that hasn’t even been built.

“When they’re picking one store to have the retail licence in a certain area, it creates winners and losers in the marketplace,” says Green.

NB Liquor says their agency store system is effective in under-served areas, although they weren’t surprised by the poll numbers.

“We do know there is support and we do know we have a public/private model, which is working very well,” says Marcelle Saulnier of NB Liquor.

Retailing liquor in more places is a concern to some. Groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving say there are higher reports of impaired driving and family violence in areas with a higher density of liquor available for sale.

However, convenience store owners say they’re responsible.

“Convenience stores retail more age-restricted (items) than anyone else in New Brunswick. Convenience stores have a solid track record of age testing,” says Hammoud.

The Convenience Store Association says they are not ready to lobby NB Liquor for a change yet, but they do say they wanted the poll numbers out there to start a discussion.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Nick Moore