Three Independence Township establishments were reported to the state’s Liquor Control Commission after selling alcohol to a minor during recent sting conducted by Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputies.
Of the 12 stores targeted, an underage decoy was allowed to purchase alcohol at:
‘Kroger, 6625 Dixie Highway;
‘Bianca’s II, 7880 Andersonville Road;
?7-Eleven, 7743 Sashabaw Road.
‘We’ve been doing stings at party stores and grocery stores,? said Sgt. Matt Baldes of the OCSO Independence Township substation, who was in charge of the operation. ‘We’re going to do the bars pretty soon, as well.?
The sheriff’s office conducts the stings periodically, said Baldes, especially during peak times like Christmas and graduation season, when store employees need to be especially vigilant about selling to minors.
Decoys are usually 18 to 20 years old, and do not try to fool clerks about their age or identity.
‘It’s not our job to trick them,? said Baldes. ‘The kids all have their own valid vertical licenses that say they’re under 21. We tell them not to come in with beards or other things that make them look older.?
An undercover officer is present in the store to view transaction and to ensure the safety of the decoy.
If minors are allowed to purchase alcohol, officers enter the store, identify the clerk and issue a citation to him or her. A form outlining the violation is then filled out and sent to the Liquor Control Commission, where a ruling is issued based on circumstances.
William Hall, manager at the listed Kroger store, declined comment, and said company policy dictates that all media inquires must be directed to company headquarters.
‘We have a standard policy for training new employees,? said Monica Gordon, spokesperson for Kroger Co. Great Lakes Division based in Ohio. ‘New employees are shown videos that discuss proper carding for alcohol as well as tobacco, and have to pass a test before they can begin working.?
In this case, said Gordon, the 18-year-old employee made a mistake.
‘In this particular incident the cashier did card the person,? she said, ‘but unfortunately he transposed the numbers in the birth date.?
The police report, written by Deputy S. Armstrong, lists the decoy’s actual birthdate as July 25, 1987, and also states: ‘my decoy provided me with a receipt upon exiting the store. I looked at the receipt and noticed that the cashier had provided a false date of birth (10-10-66) that was printed on the receipt.?
Kroger has a progressive discipline policy, said Gordon, and the cashier is still employed by the store.
At 7-Eleven, the cited 20-year-old cashier told deputies he thought he recognized the decoy as someone he’d sold alcohol to in the past, and therefore did not check the individual’s identification.
The store’s franchisee, Hassan Hans, also declined comment, directing inquiry to the company’s corporate headquarters in Dallas.
?7-Eleven has a comprehensive training program for all age restricted products,? said Margaret Chabris, company spokesperson. ‘We teach the proper and legal way to sell alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets and potential inhalants. Employees are also trained in taking the proper steps to refuse a sale and minimize anger on the part of those carded and denied.?
In order to avoid another such incident, she said, all current employees were retrained Dec. 20.
However, the cashier who was cited for selling alcohol to a minor no longer works for the store.
‘After reviewing the video tape, the franchisee and the young man’s boss made the decision to relieve him from his duties,? said Chabris. ‘He had been trained by the franchisee and worked in another retail store, so he should have known about checking ID.?
According to information contained in police reports, the 29-year-old cashier at Bianca’s II did not ask the minor decoy for identification. Representatives from Bianca’s II did not return calls seeking comment.
Deputies sent the minor decoy into the Pine Knob Wine Shoppe on Maybee Road, where the clerk checked ID and refused the purchase.
‘Everyone who comes in to work, we train them to check everyone who looks under 40,? said Heidi Al-Sheikh, a co-owner at the Pine Knob Wine Shoppe. ‘We remind each other on a daily basis to check ID.?
‘We get a lot of the younger crowd here,? she said. ‘At least half of our customers, we card.?