A liquor store’s success can be lucrative if managed well. The challenge is to keep their license to sell tobacco, alcohol, and lottery tickets in good health and maintain a reputable standing in the community. However, businesses face obstacles. Liquor stores must abide by strict regulations in the sale of age sensitive products to minors and protect their liability exposure.
Did you know?
As per a report, 646,000 young people aged 12 to 20 engaged in binge drinking for five or more days in the last 30 days.
If a liquor store accidentally sells an alcoholic product to an underage person, liquor stores can face severe legal and financial consequences, including fines, court and lawyer fees, suspension, and even license revocation.
This can cause great monetary loss for the business and cut profits. Fines and suspension can be a big setback, but at its worst, such legal blowback could cause the business to shut down.
The Rise of Fake ID Cards
One of the major reasons why liquor stores face a more complex problem today is that advances in technology make it easier for minors to acquire fake IDs.
False identification cards have been around for ages. But with the use of photo editing software and even security features being replicated, it can pass a visual check. It is a crime for the underage patron to use a fake ID. However, as a business owner, it is still your responsibility to verify and check IDs with reasonable care and not be negligent. As a result, many liquor store owners are resorting to an effective ID checking tool like an ID Scanner for driver’s license scanning.
Using an ID Scanner as part of your ID Checking policy provides a critical a layer of security to check the encoded data. Upon recognition, the age and expiration date is calculated and displayed instantly avoiding any errors. It will also free up your employee’s’ attention so they can check other aspects of the ID checking process such as asking questions or feeling the ID card.
Eliminate Human Error
The most common reason liquor stores fail sting operations is not due to fake IDs as most would believe. The majority fail due to human error in calculating the age and expiration status.
Additionally, it can be quite challenging to differentiate between a fake ID card and a real one when an employee is busy calculating the date of birth and expiration status. By having this step automated, they can pay attention to the person presenting the card and use their judgment.
Having an ID Scanner automate and verify the age and ID info also increases employee efficiency and helps speed up the line during busy rushes. Manual ID verification, on the other hand, would create longer queues at the check-out counter, and could cause an employee to get flustered and make more errors.
During a busy rush, employees often feel overwhelmed and easily contribute to a lack of focus and thereby create more errors. This is a significant risk for liquor stores as even a single mistake is all it takes to sell to a minor or fail a undercover sting operation.
This is why liquor stores nationwide are installing ID scanners and driver's license scanners at the point of sale. This eliminates the risk of human error, which is the leading risk to liquor stores in the form of fines, suspension, and simply losing profit.
Moreover, employees can now check IDs smarter, not harder.
The Benefits of Installing ID Scanners for Liquor Stores
Retailers selling age-restricted products like alcohol and tobacco are now investing in ID scanners or driver's license scanners. Liquor stores, convenience stores, and even smoke shops are some such establishments. Sales from alcohol, tobacco, and lottery sales can determine the success or failure of a business so risking the health of your license is not an option. Fines and suspension can be avoided by implementing an ID checking policy which includes employee training and tools like an ID Scanner for driver’s license scanning.
Some of the major advantages of installing a Liquor Store ID scanner are:
- Improve Efficiency: If you want your liquor store to operate efficiently, then a liquor store ID scanner is a great investment to make. This is because these ID scanners can help in quick verification of age and expiration status in a matter of seconds. This will prevent the formation of long queues at the POS and increase customer satisfaction as well.
- Cost-Effective Solution: Purchasing a good quality ID scanner for liquor stores is cost-effective, as these are simple to use, which eliminates extensive staff training costs and ensures you pass every sting operation.
- Reliable Source of Proof: It’s not humanly possible to remember each ID transaction. In such a situation an ID scanner can come in handy. In the event of any legal dispute, it will be your words against theirs. In such situations, an ID scanner can act as evidence, providing ID scan information along with a timestamp of the scan.
- Build Trust and Reputation: Having an ID scanner on your premises will also enhance the reputation of your store. Your customers can be secure in the knowledge that you are running a reputable operation and abiding by the laws of the state. It will improve your reputation in the neighborhood and build trust among the regular customers of your store.
Key Characteristics of High-Quality Liquor Store ID Scanner
- Easy to Use: A good quality ID scanner aims to improve the efficiency of your business. Therefore, it should be easy to use and intuitive so employees can’t go without it.
- Budget-Friendly and Low-Maintenance: When buying an ID scanner for your liquor store, check that the ID scanner doesn’t come with expensive contracts or updates. There are ID scanners available that don’t charge any such fees for operation or updates.
- Portable: An essential feature of a top liquor store ID scanner is portability. A portable ID scanner gives flexibility and can be used by staff to check ID cards on the move - curbside pick-up or delivery service. It can also be placed on the countertop and shared by dual registers.
- Documentation Support: Keeping a record of ID scans is critical as it can be very important during legal situations. It helps protect yourself in court, whether it is for security purposes or liability exposure.
Final Thoughts
Running a liquor store has its challenges. With the easy availability of fake ID cards and human error always a risk, liquor store owners can no longer depend on visual verification alone to determine the age and expiration status of customers. Rather than risk dealing with fines, court fees, and suspension, reduce the risk and get the assistance of an ID checking tool necessary for liquor stores. Get the accuracy and speed to check IDs so employees can work smarter not harder.
We have listed some of the main reasons why liquor stores need to buy and install ID verification machines and ID scanners. This device will help protect your livelihood by safeguarding your liquor, tobacco, and lottery license. Additionally, it will limit your business liability exposure and equip your employees with tools to do their job faster, smarter, and more efficiently. Finally, using an ID scanner can enhance your business standing within your community and with law enforcement. Although there is no panacea to eliminate all risk, an ID Scanner is a valuable tool and an easy first step to protect your business remain profitable.
