'I can spot them a mile off': Community shopkeepers' experience of alcohol test-purchasing. (June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Forsyth, Alasdair J. M.; Davidson, Neil; Ellaway, Anne
• Is Part Of: Drugs. Volume 21:Number 3(2014:Jun.)
• Page Start: 221
• Page End: 224
• Publication Date: 2014-06
• Subjects: Health education -- Periodicals; Medical policy -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Éducation sanitaire -- Périodiques; Politique sanitaire -- Périodiques; Polytoxicomanie -- Périodiques; 362.291705
• DOI: 10.3109/09687637.2013.860953
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0968-7637

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p> <italic>Aims</italic>: Test-purchasing (using volunteers to attempt an apparent under-age purchase) can be used as an enforcement intervention against retailers who sell alcohol to minors. This article will investigate whether community shopkeepers, familiar with alcohol test-purchasing protocols, are able to distinguish volunteers from genuine under-age customers.</p> <p> <italic>Methods</italic>: Thirty-six qualitative interviews were conducted with community shopkeepers, the retailers most often associated with under-age sales, working in convenience stores located in socially-contrasting areas of Glasgow, Scotland, 24 of which were licensed to sell alcohol.</p> <p> <italic>Findings</italic>: Interviewees provided details of the strategies they used to prevent under-age sales. Robust age-verification, set 7.5 above legal-age of purchase, was felt to be particularly effective. Although, they were apprehensive of test-purchases, experienced retailers reported that they always knew when one was taking place in their shop, because volunteers were not sourced locally and, in contrast to real under-age customers, they were honest and compliant.</p> <p> <italic>Conclusions</italic>: Although making retailers more aware of their responsibilities, increased familiarity with the protocols of test-purchasing can allow vendors to be certain who real under-age customers are, potentially making low-risk sales to minors possible. Test-purchasing protocols (e.g. volunteers ages) should be re-oriented to keep pace with more robust age-verification checks.</p> </abstract>