 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Press Releases and News Articles
News Articles
October 01, 2004
Tagged!
By Bill Donahue
A simple but effective "beer tagging" program keeps alcoholic beverages on the menu in Stop 'n Save's Colorado stores.
Beer six-packs and suitcases represent a nice chunk of sales at Stop 'n Save stores, but about six months ago the 16-store chain considered removing beer from its shelves entirely. Stop 'n Save already had meticulous precautions in place to prohibit sales to minors when one of its stores in Edwards, CO, got caught in a sting. The lapse made executive management wonder if its stores should sell beer at all, according to Bonnie Lightfoot, personnel supervisor for Stop 'n Save parent Feather Petroleum (Grand Junction, CO).
"We were confused by [the fact that an employee didn't card properly] because we felt we were being very thorough to make sure employees were doing what was right," says Lightfoot, a 17-year veteran of Stop 'n Save. "In a management team meeting we were considering maybe dropping beer from the product mix entirely. The thinking was that if we can't keep alcohol out of the hands of minors we should drop it from all our locations. That's when one of our team members asked, 'What about a tag?'"
Earlier this year, the company supplemented its long-standing policy to card all beer buyers, regardless of appearance, to make sure they are at least 21 years of age. In January Stop 'n Save started developing a 2" by 5" orange tag on heavy cardstock that employees attach to each package of beer with a nylon cord. The tags remind clerks to check IDs but also shout a loud message, proclaiming Stop 'n Save stores as "off limits" to minors looking for an easy score. Signage on the front doors, on the cooler doors and at the point of sale reinforces the new policy in the customer's mind. Stop 'n Save rolled out the tags in March, "after some trial and error," says Lightfoot.
The process is simple but effective. A customer brings a package of beer to the register. The tag tells the buyer to have his or her ID ready, while reminding the store associate to check the birth date to make sure the buyer is of legal drinking age. The associate then tears off a perforated portion of the tag, writes the buyer's birth date on the detached part, initials it and staples it to a copy of the sales receipt, which the store will hold for 30 days. Each tag explains the reasoning behind the program ( printed in both English and Spanish), and is emblazoned with the Stop 'n Save logo.
All Stop 'n Save stores, with the exception of one in Vail, which doesn't sell beer, have adopted the program. Lightfoot admits the program requires a little more labor?in affixing the tags at store level, either in the cooler for larger stores or on the sales floor at the time of delivery for smaller stores?but it has been worthwhile in reducing underage sales. She says it has also elevated the image of Stop 'n Save in the communities in which it does business.
"Now when customers select their packages of alcohol and bring them to the register, they already have their IDs in hand," she says. "The community response has been excellent. At first we were concerned that someone well over age would come to the register and be upset that we were carding them and having them go through this process. It seems like as long as you notify customers up front, and they realize that the sales decision is not up to the clerk, customers understand. In fact, we're getting thank yous left and right."
A strong endorsement
Customers aren't the only ones ladling on the thanks. Lightfoot says Stop 'n Save has been "backed up 100%" by the city of Grand Junction as well as local liquor enforcement officials. It's not the first time the chain has received accolades for preventing sales of age-sensitive items to minors. In 1998-99, Stop 'n Save led the movement in the state of Colorado to pull tobacco from front counters.
Getting employees to understand the critical importance of checking IDs is of paramount importance to making the tagging program effective, according to Lightfoot. In developing the carding and tag program, the chain went through TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures), an initiative popular among Colorado retailers designed to curb underage beer sales. The chain also worked with online training provider 360Training to create a Webbased conduit for training employees.
"We need employees to feel comfortable refusing a sale," Lightfoot says. "The Internet has made it so easy to teach employees because they can learn indepth how to refuse sales and deal with minors trying to purchase alcohol, and I can keep track of our training procedures. Each quarter, every store does a complete review of alcohol and tobacco training, and I get documentation sent directly to me for our records."
Initially, the company faced increased training costs in "re-educating" store-level employees, but the tags presented no major challenges in terms of stocking or merchandising. If anything, the tags have added a minimal cost to the process. Still, sacrificing a small chunk of profits is acceptable to Stop 'n Save if the company plays a hand in decreasing unlawful beer sales and reducing its chances of being caught in future stings.
"The tags dropped our profit margin just a bit on alcohol; we're buying tags in bulk now, and they cost about 1ยข each," Lightfoot says. "Margin may be down just a hair, but we believe we've seen a reduction in the number of customers who try to buy beer without showing ID. And we've seen no decline in beer sales."