As an alcohol retailer, you recognize that preventing the selling and serving of alcoholic beverages to underage buyers is a legal requirement for all alcohol outlets. It is also good business; establishments that comply with the law are contributing to the health and well-being of their communities. Other incentives for compliance include the empowerment of employees to maintain control over customers despite customer demands, and reduced insurance premiums for responsible alcohol business practices.

In this section you will find prevention strategies for alcohol retailers as well as other useful resources.

For those establishments that sell or serve alcoholic beverages, two specific prevention strategies have shown favorable results:

• Comply with all laws restricting alcohol sales to underage buyers. Establishments that regularly check IDs of all individuals who appear to be younger than 30, and closely supervise sales by employees, have lower rates of underage sales.

• Promote responsible beverage service. Employers who offer training on the importance of checking IDs, how to identify false IDs, how to refuse politely to sell to underaged persons, and about liability issues when sales are made to minors are more likely to be successful in preventing sales to underage drinkers.

Resources for Retailers

Publications

Checking Age Identification explains identification policies, how they can be implemented, and why these policies are important; examples of what other communities have done are also provided. (Alcohol Epidemiology Program, University of Minnesota)

The Making the Link fact sheets contain current statistics on a variety of topics relating to underage drinking, including access to alcohol and public opinion. They were prepared by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to support the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free initiative (PDF files):

Underage Drinking and Access to Alcohol
Underage Drinking and Public Opinion

The National Standards for Server Training is a position paper that discusses prevention and server education and proposed national standards for server education. (Server Training and Responsible Hospitality Subcommittee of the National Conference of the State Liquor Administrators)

Responsible Beverage Server Training describes what the training is, why it is important, and how it can be implemented in your community.  (Alcohol Epidemiology Program, University of Minnesota)

What Worksites Can Do discusses special issues surrounding alcohol use in the workplace when employees under the minimum drinking age are involved. (Alcohol Epidemiology Program, University of Minnesota)

The National Alcohol Beverage Control Association is the national association representing those political jurisdictions that directly control the distribution and sale of beverage alcohol within their borders.

Many State control boards offer responsible beverage service trainings, the requirements for which vary from State to State.