Compliance Check Finds Local Retailer Selling To Minor

Oneida, TN (2011-03-25) A recent compliance check by the Oneida Police Department of convenience stores within the town’s corporate limits found one of five sold alcohol to a minor.

On Friday, March 18, 2011, Corporal Gerry “Greasey” Garrett of the Oneida Police Department conducted compliance checks on five convenience markets inside the Town of Oneida. During the operation, a 17-year-old, who had been outfitted with a remote transceiver which allowed authorities to monitor conversations between the youth and store clerks, was able to purchase a twelve-pack of beer from one of the locations. While the sale of alcohol to a minor by any business is alarming, authorities were deeply concerned the clerk sold the beer to the minor despite the buyer’s youthful appearance. “The purchaser looked closer to fifteen than twenty one,” commented Garrett.

The compliance checks are part of an ongoing campaign to eliminate retail access to alcohol by underage drinkers. An initial purchase survey was performed in August, 2008 by Schools Together Allowing No Drugs (STAND) employees using young-looking twenty-one year olds. The results revealed that approximately half of all Scott County retailers failed to ask for age verification for alcohol sales.

“I think one of the things we noticed right away was that there was no real consequence to the owner if one of the employees sold to minors,” said Dale Owens, STAND Coordinator. “The clerk would get cited and that would pretty much be the end of it. What we needed was a policy change that would incentivize the owner to ensure that the employees were being responsible,” he added.

In July 2009, the Oneida Beer Board unanimously adopted an updated policy, which implemented stiffer penalties on businesses selling alcohol to minors. The policy, which closely mirrored the “Responsible Vendor Act” passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2007, also afforded business owners the opportunity to avoid costly fines and possible suspension of their beer permit license by agreeing to put their clerks through responsible vendor training. Since the adoption of the policy, the STAND program has been providing that training to local businesses.

On Thursday night, Owens briefly addressed the Oneida City Council, informing the body one local business had voluntarily chosen to take the training to assure its waiters and waitresses were in compliance with the law. “I want to commend El Rey Mexican Restaurant for stepping forward and voluntarily taking the training,” Owens remarked.

The new beer regulations, coupled with law enforcement led compliance checks like the one recently performed in Oneida, has brought the failure rate of convenience stores down to under 10%.