Open late, selling alcohol, with a till. All three are the risk.

Liquor liability

If you serve alcohol, your general liability almost certainly excludes what happens after you serve it.

Without it — Selling alcohol creates liability for what a customer does afterwards, and general liability excludes it for anyone in the business of selling it.

Commercial property

Buildings and contents, valued at what it costs to rebuild today rather than what you paid.

Without it — The building, the fixtures, the coolers and the stock are the balance sheet, and fire or vehicle impact takes them together.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage — the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — Slips, falls and assaults on the premises are claims from members of the public who were simply present.

Crime & employee dishonesty

Theft by your own staff, funds transfer fraud, and the dishonesty bond a home care contract will ask you for by name.

Without it — Robbery, till shortages and employee theft are frequency losses in a cash business open long hours.

Equipment breakdown & spoilage

Covers the walk-in, the compressor and the line when they fail from the inside — a mechanical or electrical breakdown is excluded by property policies, and the stock that thawed goes with it.

Without it — A compressor failure spoils every cooler and freezer in the store at once.

Food contamination

Pays for the destroyed stock, the deep clean, the lost income and the publicity when a health department closes you or a supplier contaminates a batch.

Without it — Prepared food and hot counters bring spoilage, contamination and a health authority closure.

Business income

Replaces the profit and pays the ongoing bills while a covered loss keeps you closed — the part of a fire claim that is not the building.

Without it — A fire, a flood or a forced closure stops all revenue while rent and payroll continue.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Night shift staff face robbery and assault on top of ordinary lifting and slip injuries.

Umbrella & excess liability

Extra limit stacked above general liability, auto and employers liability. Usually the cheapest million dollars on the policy.

Without it — A dram shop claim following a fatal crash is the largest single exposure a small store carries.

Cyber & tech E&O

Breach response, ransomware and the notification costs that follow. Technology errors and omissions sits on the same policy and covers the software or service itself failing a client, which is the half most tech companies find out about too late.

Without it — Card terminals and loyalty systems put payment data in a small business with no security staff.

What is dram shop liability and does it apply to a store?

It is liability for harm caused by someone you sold alcohol to — most seriously, a drunk driver who injures a third party. Many people assume it only reaches bars, but off-premises retailers are exposed too, particularly on sales to minors or to someone visibly intoxicated. General liability policies exclude liquor liability for any business in the alcohol trade, so it has to be bought as its own coverage. Where your state imposes it, this is the largest number your store can produce, and it is the reason age-verification discipline is an insurance control and not just a licensing one.

Does selling fuel change everything?

It changes a great deal. Fuel brings environmental exposure from tanks and lines, which is its own policy and frequently a state financial-responsibility requirement, plus a fire hazard and a different property valuation. Canopies are also a wind and vehicle-impact exposure that stores without them do not have. A store with fuel and a store without are two different submissions, and should be quoted as such.

How much does staying open overnight matter?

It is one of the first questions asked and it moves both liability and workers compensation. Late-night hours correlate with robbery and assault, which is why underwriters ask about cameras, drop safes, lighting, whether staff work alone, and whether there is a service window. These are cheap controls that materially change the price, and a store that has them should be making sure its broker has said so.

I lease the building. What am I responsible for?

More than most tenants expect, and the lease decides it rather than the policy. Triple-net leases commonly push building insurance, glass, and sometimes the structure itself onto the tenant, and require the landlord to be an additional insured at a stated limit. Improvements you have paid for — coolers, counters, fit-out — are usually yours to insure regardless of who owns the shell. Send the lease when you shop; it changes what you actually need to buy.