Some people readily dismiss teenage shenanigans as simply youthful indiscretion. They feel like there is no real harm done, and that kids will be kids. In some situations, those dismissals are fine. In other situations, the consequences of those actions can be much more far reaching than a simple slap on the wrist can cure. A breach in liquor bottle security is one of those situations.
Without liquor bottle security, like using bottle locks, teenage miscreants can easily come into a liquor store, grab a bottle, and hide in a corner somewhere while they open the bottle and start drinking. In some cases, teens have brought a flask or other container in and filled it with the liquor from one of these bottles. Both methods serve the same purpose of obtaining alcohol for underage drinking.
While it might be easy for some to chalk underage drinking up to youthful indiscretion, there are some very serious consequences that can arise from these actions. If the teens drink and drive, or through another way hurt themselves or others, potentially life-threatening damages can happen. At that point, who is to blame? Will the teens be charged? Most likely they will, depending on the seriousness of the infraction, they might even be tried as an adult.
The next question inevitably will be as to where they obtained the liquor. Did someone give it to them? Did they get it themselves, and if so did they steal it, or did they purchase it? Either way, they may be able to track this liquor back to your store’s location. Even if the liquor was stolen, you might be on the hook for some of the liability.
Whether or not you are found guilty within this litigation may come down to your liquor bottle security policies and procedures. Just like bars and nightclubs have a civic and legal responsibility to prevent underage drinking, so do liquor stores. Some stores have been found guilty purely through the concept of gross negligence.
A store that does not use bottle locks to prevent unauthorized consumption is one thing. It’s another if this same store has inattentive employees, teens are allowed into the store unsupervised, and there is a history (known or not) of underage drinking from the store’s liquor inventory.
Sometimes owners are the last to know that there is a problem in one of their stores. If the employees do not self regulate their customers, a teenage drinking problem can quickly get out of hand. It may be that the situation is not reported until an unfortunate incident has occurred, bringing the full story to light.
Once a teen has been able to sneak liquor out or consume in store, the word can spread very quickly. Friends tell other friends and soon it becomes common knowledge that there is a lack of effective liquor bottle security to prevent underage drinking. As more and more teens try to get away with this unauthorized consumption; the risk of more serious side effects takes place.
A liquor store found guilty of allowing underage drinking will be faced with criminal and or civil litigation, fines, fees, and the potential to completely loose their liquor license.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase EASy Bottle bottle locks by Alpha Security and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system.
For more information on Alpha Security, Bottle Lock, Bottle locks, Bottle Security, EASy Bottle or Liquor Bottle Security and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
