Rosalyn Hackworth

Secretary-Treasurer

Secretary -Treasurer's Message

Don’t get stung: always check ID when selling alcohol

From the Labor Day weekend through the rest of the year, checkout lines at any of our employers that cell alcohol will become even longer than usual. Customers will be loading up on picnic and party supplies, including beer and other kinds of alcoholic beverages.

This means checkers at these stores will have to be especially careful to check the identification of customers who try to buy alcohol, especially if they appear to be under the age of 35.

A busy checker might feel tempted to speed things along by skipping the request for ID. Don’t let yourself get into that situation, because it could cost you your job!

State regulators are aggressively cracking down on alcohol sales to minors. Huge fines can be levied against the companies and the individual check­ers as well.

*ABC stings*

Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents routinely set up stings aimed at entrapping unsuspecting checkers. Our Union’s efforts to discourage singling out checkers have not been successful with ABC officials.

A common ABC set-up might be something like this:

A young-looking undercover ABC agent casually walks to a checkstand with a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine among other items to buy, while another ABC agent watches behind you. The agents’ only true intention is to see whether the checker requests proper identification prior to selling the merchandise.

The instant an improper transaction is made, the sting is essentially over. Either the agent was carded or not. Case closed.

The process allows little room for challenge. Almost all transactions are recorded on tape by the store’s security system. There is no ambiguity in the law requiring card-checks and swift punishment is the rule.

Your employer has established strict policies requiring checkers to request identification from anyone who looks younger than 35. These are practical policies that protect you and the employer.

Years of experience can help minimize errors as you make transactions with hundreds of customers every day. But even with the best checkers, there are people in line who will get frustrated by having to wait while someone else is checked for ID.

The best advice is to stay relaxed, apologize politely when necessary, and keep checking those IDs!

Think about how many impatient and frustrated shoppers will feel flattered by the possibility they look younger than 21. More than a few gratified customers are likely to smile and thank you for your kind words.