Forecourt retailers are catching up with supermarkets in enforcing ID checks for cigarettes and alcohol, a survey seen exclusively by The Grocer reveals.
Figures from Serve Legal, which carries out test purchases of age-restricted products across thousands of stores, show pass rates have risen to 76%, up significantly from last year’s 68%. Convenience stores achieved a pass rate of 78%, building on last year’s 77%.
The improvements in convenience and forecourt stores bring the sectors closer to supermarkets, which have an average pass rate of 80%.
Serve Legal director Charlie Mowat said the boost had come at a good time as trading standards officers were currently ramping up sting operations at c-store and forecourt retailers.
“There was once a perception that convenience operators were not as sophisticated when it came to retailing compared with supermarkets and other retail sectors. That is definitely not the case anymore,” Mowat added.
Serve Legal found a range of factors affected whether shop assistants passed. Servers aged 19 or under continued to have the lowest pass rates. Pass rates also fell if the server was working alone. “This may be due to the server feeling they have no support if conflict arises,” Mowat said.
Serve Legal uses “younglooking” 18 or 19-year-olds who should be asked for ID to test stores’ enforcement of checks on age-restricted products.
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