It may still feel like the height of summer but we are just a few short weeks away from the delights of Halloween and Bonfire Night.
I say delights but these festivals can quickly turn into nightmares for retailers who sell products to children which they are legally deemed too young to buy.
Fireworks are the obvious one here. Youngsters have to be 18 to buy ‘adult’ fireworks, of course, and the penalties for flouting the law range from on-the-spot fines to a £5,000 fine and up to six months in prison.
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Young people will be looking to party on October 31 and November 5 so the need to be extra vigilant when it comes to selling alcohol, cigarettes and other tobacco products will be heightened during this period.
It is absolutely essential everyone who works in a retail operation is aware of the dangers when it comes to the sale of age restricted products.
And the best way to show due diligence is training and, more specifically, taking an HABC Award in Underage Sales Prevention.
Staff will learn about the legislation as it applies to the selling of items such as fireworks, alcohol, knives, aerosols, lottery tickets, cigarettes and tobacco. They will also be made aware of the serious implications of non-compliance.
This qualification supports local alcohol and crime disorder initiatives like Best Bar None and Fixed Penalty Waiver schemes.
The course can also be taken in lieu of a fixed penalty fine of £90 for retailers who have failed a police and local authority test purchase exercise.
Taught courses are available at venues throughout England and Wales but the qualification can also be studied online as an E-Award for Underage Sales Prevention, at home or at work.
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The penalties for serving alcohol to underage customers are also severe, of course, and bar staff need to be trained to ensure all the protocols are in place to prevent breaking the law, using the correct techniques to rigorously check IDs of those suspected of being too young to drink.
When you book a place on an abv Training course in the prevention of sales of age restricted products there are discounts available for multiple bookings. Call 0800 0612981 for details.
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