Store owners and employees from several Morrisville area establishments came together to participate in a training seminar about alcohol and tobacco sales regulations provided by the Department of Liquor Control. On October 25, 2013, individuals from Tomlinson’s (Morrisville), Jolley’s (Stowe), Rite Aid (Hardwick), Westfield General Store (Westfield), and M&M Beverage (S. Barre)—eleven in all, attended the seminar at the Morrisville VFW Post.
Jennifer Fisher, Department of Liquor Control Trainer, says that retailers can choose to send staff to the in-person seminar or an “in-house” training kit is available to employers to use to train staff though the in-house training has been shown to be a less effective way to ensure compliance with liquor and tobacco sales laws. Data shows that people who attend the in-person seminar are four times more likely to pass compliance checks than people who are trained with the in-house training kit or not at all. Every employee who sells alcohol or tobacco products must attend the training prior to making their first alcohol or tobacco sale and every two years thereafter.
Participants in the seminars learn about a wide variety of topics related to the laws and regulations that apply to retail liquor and tobacco sales. According to the Department of Liquor Control website, people who understand the laws will have fewer problems adhering to the laws while on the job. Information about alcohol use and abuse, liquor liability laws, and signs of intoxication and managing intoxicated individuals is some of the helpful information learned in the seminar. Spotting acceptable forms of identification and how to check identification are also key components of the seminar.
Regularly scheduled compliance checks are conducted at retail outlets by Department of Liquor Control Investigators to protect public safety and ensure that laws and regulations are followed. In September 2013, twelve stores in Lamoille County were sampled and eleven, or 92%, of those stores passed the compliance check and did not sell alcohol to a minor during the compliance check. This rate of compliance is consistent with compliance checks conducted in August of 2012 where 91% of the stores sampled in Lamoille County passed the test.