On Oct. 7th TABC conducted 15 undercover minor sting operations in San Angelo. Out of the 15 retailers, unfortunately 6 employees sold to minors. This 40% failure rate was much higher than the state average in Texas. If you are criminally negligent when selling or serving a miner, you could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor and could be held criminally liable for any damages or injuries caused by the minor.
We try our best at our TABC Certification Online Training at www.mytabc.com and our live classes in Austin / Central Texas through the Dram Shop School to instruct employees and business owners on TABC compliance checks. Most bartenders, servers, and store clerks I believe, do not intend to sell to minors. They get real busy or they get distracted by other things. Even so, there is zero tolerance in Texas for selling alcohol to those younger than 21 years old. Get TABC Certification Here Fast
Remember in a minor sting operation, 2 TABC law officers along with a young looking minor will check to see if businesses will sell illegally to minors. The minor has permission from their parents or guardian to work with TABC or local police to conduct the stings. The minor goes into a business with the 2 agents making sure of the minor’s safety. The minor will either show their real actual ID or say they do not have one. The minor can not lie about their age or try to coerce the employee.
If you ask the minor’s age, they have to be truthful. However, we all know that minors who are not working with TABC or the police will lie about their age. So even if the customer says they are old enough to purchase, you still have to inspect their ID carefully. Ask yourself is that customer worth a huge fine and jail time. Need TABC & Food Handlers Certification?
Halloween and other holidays are coming up so please be careful. If you are not TABC certified please get your certification. If you are in Austin, you can come to our Live TABC Class. If not, you can get certified Here. Be safe!
