Posted on 06/23/2007 4:32:14 AM PDT by don-o
Whether it's a blue-haired granny or a fraternity brother celebrating the big 2-1, anyone wishing to buy beer from Tennessee grocery and convenience stores will soon need to hand over a valid I.D.
Beginning July 1, Tennessee will be the first state in the nation to require universal carding for purchases of beer for off-premises consumption. The legislation will not affect the sale of wine and liquor, monitored by the office of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or beer sales in restaurants and clubs.
The Tennessee Responsible Vendor Act - passed the General Assembly last year - is hailed by proponents as an innovative and strong step in the fight against underage drinking. The legislation will expire in July of 2008, giving law makers and vendors an opportunity to review the process.
According to Jarron Springer, president of the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association, the mandatory I.D. provision establishes Tennessee as a national leader on the underage issue, and he suspects other states will soon follow suit. In the coming weeks he'll begin briefing the grocery and convenience stores in his association on the issue.
Springer concedes older customers, who are obviously of legal age to buy beer, may not be too thrilled with the mandatory carding. However, he says the cooperation of those customers will help busy clerks establish requesting an ID as part of their working routine, helping fight underage purchases.
Many local stores have already began the carding practice, such as 47 Roadrunner Markets stores in the Tri-Cities. John Kelly, chief operating officer for Roadrunner Markets, who implemented the strict policy last year, says it makes it less likely that a clerk will make a mistake. He says regular customers quickly adapted to the stricter carding procedures and most now arrive at the counter with an I.D. in hand.
“The universal carding law means that all retailers are on the same page,” said Kelly. “There will be consistent training of clerks. Customers can expect to have their I.D. checked at any store in Tennessee that sells beer.”
The new law also establishes a voluntary Responsible Vendor Program which will be administered by the Tennessee ABC. To become a "Responsible Vendor" a retailer will be required to have each of their clerks complete a server training course approved by the ABC.
Civil penalties for underage sales against ABC certified Responsible Vendors will differ from retailers that are not certified, giving stores incentive to volunteer in the program. Non-participating retailers face a license suspension, revocation or a fine of $2,500 for each underage sale violation, an increase from the previous penalty of $1,500.
Meanwhile, Responsible Vendors face a fine up to $1,000 for each underage sale violation. If a retailer has two violations in a 12-month period the ABC will revoke their Responsible Vendor status. If subsequent violations then occur, the vendor will be subject to a license suspension, revocation or a fine up to $2,500 by the local beer board -- penalties non-certified vendors can face on a first offense.
Responsible Vendors must pay an annual fee based on the number of certified clerks per store. That fee ranges from $25 for 1-to-15 certified clerks up to $250 for stores with over 100 clerks certified as Responsible Vendors.
The new law takes no authority away from local beer boards and will have no effect on law enforcement conducting underage stings, according to a press release on the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association's website.
The association's president, Stringer, says more changes may be on the way for alcohol sales in Tennessee. There is a push to make wine, currently under the jurisdiction of the ABC and sold at their stores, stocked in grocery store aisles throughout the state.
"It just makes sense to have it available for people to buy with their groceries, because most people that drink wine do so with food," Stringer said.
Hmmmmm. Glad I quit drinking.
Just folowing through with the same strategy as the TSA. Everyone’s guilty or trying to hide something.
Ihre papiere. Schnell.
Does this mean that Illegal Aliens will no longer be able to buy beer in TN? This could start a nation-wide trend to help solve our illegal immigrant problem. If illegals were denied access to their drink of choice, they would surely go home.
You know, you maybe on to something there.
Look for booze sales in neighboring states to increase.
This policy is so stupid I don’t know where to begin. How does requiring a grandmother to show ID help in the fight against underage drinking. Policies like this turn workers into automatons instead of thinking adults exercising common sense.
True story...I am in my late 40s, and look it. I have a gray beard and more hair in my nose and ears than on my head...not to mention the wrinkles and leathery skin of working outdoors for more than 25 years. I was in a Wal-Mart in Mississippi and had purchased about $120 worth of groceries, including a six pack of beer. When it was time to scan the beer, the clerk asked for an ID. I didn’t have one (I leave my drivers license in my truck at all time). She refused to sell me the beer without an ID, and I told her I wasn’t interested in purchasing any of the groceries without the beer. Even the people in line behind me were laughing at the clerk for even assuming I was under 21. Anyway, I ended up leaving all of my groceries there on the counter and left the store without buying anything.
My papers are in order.
With Jorge Boosh and the other IllegalPhiles in our govt...they will claim its “racist” to card illegals and try to kill the program
Actually I think this is a good idea, and in the long run few people will complain about showing ID for beer purchase (though why not for all booze?)
This article should be re-posted with the headline, “TENNESSEE FIUGRES OUT HOW TO GET RID OF ILLEGAL ALIENS”.
That is so wrong...... and so funny.
Tennessee is the first state in the union to tackle the growing “Age Profiling” crisis. With you, Tennessee, the ACLU is well pleased.
As a small business owner who does residential and commercial work, commercial always pays better. One repair on a residential unit might cost the homeowner $250 while the same repair for a commercial unit is $600. Government must have figured that out too.
Its easier to fine a store $2,000 than a citizen.
We all need to look at how our activism is changing the debate on immigration and apply that locally and pressure our lawmakers to do the right thing.
In Texas the TABC started arresting citizens in bars for public intox. That lasted about 2 weeks until our sell out governor got tired of the pressure from the citizenry and business. He decided it was a bad idea.
Sounds more like they want a record of buyers to suspect in the event of an illegal beer party for minors.
This is stupid. Stupid liberal solutions always fail, and then the liberals demand more of the failed solutions.
This reminds me when my husband was ransferred to Ft. Rucker, AL in 1972 after he came back from Vietnam and we moved to Ozark, which was dry. Our next door neighbor told us that the garbage man would turn people in when he saw beer cans or liquor bottles in the trash. I thought myself how stupid this is. Should the military, who lived of post just go to the clubs on post, get drunk and then drive drunk home? Thank God it didn't last long after we moved there as they made the city wet.
But they were the best for years in handing out drivers licenses to illegals, still passing out renewals to people who haven't ever lived in the state.
These universal ID card checks are stupid but right in line with the no judgement required punishments handed out in our schools for insignificant infractions.
Kids still buy beer.? I thought they were all buying ecstasy,Uppers bennies. Cocaine ,marijuana, heroin, its all easier for kids to get than beer.
Our local (recently located in place of one that went out of business) grocery store, for awhile had a similar policy. I’m 63, bald with gray fringe. Regardless, they’d card me every time I would buy my monthly bottle of bourbon. Sheesh.
I guess they had too many complaints because they’ve since stopped the practice.
Will this law prevent the unscrupulous clerk from selling to underage drinkers? No! And the underage are clever enough to ferret out these unscrupulous clerks pretty quickly.
This law essentially does the same thing. The lawmakers are going to control the many to prohibit the few. But, will this law prevent the unscrupulous clerk from selling to underage drinkers? No! And the underage are clever enough to ferret out these unscrupulous clerks pretty quickly.
This is stupid, but understandable when we consider the quality of people we tend to elect to higher office.
How stupid. We really have a strange fear of booze overhear. Kids can join the army before they can have a beer. A lot of other western countries allow booze from a much younger and chaos hasn’t resulted.
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