Off-Premise Alcohol Sales Policy for C2C RV Living LLC

Mission Statement

We recognize that it is a privilege to buy and sell alcoholic beverages in the State of Maine and with that privilege, realize that it is our legal and social responsibility to comply with all Maine laws, rules and regulations and follow best practices as they pertain to the service of alcoholic beverages. We are committed to the safe and responsible sale of all alcoholic beverages to only those patrons who are 21 years of age or older and to refuse service of alcoholic beverages to those individuals that are visibly intoxicated or, in those cases where we deem it necessary, to prevent a person from becoming visibly intoxicated. In order to achieve these goals, we have adopted the following policies:

General

All new employees will review, with a member of management, the laws, rules and regulations and best practices as described in the mission statement prior to making any sale of liquor or imitation liquor. Once trained, all employees will regularly review those laws, regulations and best practices with a member of management, asking for clarification on topics they don't understand and upon completion of the review, sign off that they understand and will comply with all of the premise policies governing the sale of liquor or imitation liquor.
Employees shall comply with all the Maine Liquor Laws and Rules and Regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Assessment

Cashiers will make verbal and visual contact with all customers purchasing liquor or imitation liquor.
When making visual contact, employees will make eye contact with the patron, paying special attention to the facial characteristics, as well as noting trendy clothing, behavior and young acquaintances that might indicate the purchaser is underage. The employee should make note of bloodshot or drooping eyes, disheveled clothing and any other signs that might indicate the patron is visibly intoxicated or there is a likelihood they will become intoxicated with the purchase of alcohol and should not be served.
When making verbal contact, employees will ask the patron a question that would invoke a response such as, 'How are you?', 'Did you find everything?', 'How is the weather?' Note any odor of liquor on the patron's breath and any signs of slurring.

Carding Practices

Maine law requires a licensee or licensee's employee or agent may not sell, furnish, give or deliver liquor or imitation liquor to a person under 27 years of age unless the licensee or licensee's employee or agent verifies the person is not a minor by means of reliable photographic identification containing that person's date of birth* (Title 28A-sec 706-2).
Cashier must ask for a reliable identification from anyone under 27 years of age every time they enter the store to purchase liquor or imitation liquor.
Our policy is to card anyone that orders liquor or imitation liquor and appears to be under the age of 30 in order to comply with Maine law.
No employee will accept an expired identification card.
The cashier will ask for a current, reliable and verifiable pictured identification containing the patron’s date of birth (acceptable are state driver’s license, state non-driver identification card or a Passport). All out of state driver’s licenses or identification cards will be verified with the Driver’s License Guide. If the patron appears to be under 21 years of age, the employee will ask for a secondary form of identification, such as a military ID, passport, credit/debit card, etc.
The cashier will request that the patron remove their ID from their wallet and take physical control of the identification, checking the back, then the front for signs of forgery such as:
Poor photo copy quality, blurred imagery or digitized lettering.
Disclaimers like 'non-government ID' or 'non transferable ID card'.
Statements of authenticity such as 'Genuine', 'Authentic', 'Secure', etc. (if it has to tell you it’s 'Genuine', it’s not).
Unusual thickness or unevenly cut edges or corners and bumpy surfaces indicate the card has been hand cut or the picture has been replaced.
The cashier will verify that the information and picture on the identification match the person presenting it, paying special attention to the date of birth in order to confirm that the individual is old enough to purchase and that the DOB has not been altered (are the numbers the same size, color, evenly spaced and level with one another?)
In the event any patron fails to show proper identification or if there is doubt by the cashier of the validity of an ID, the sale will be refused. All refusals for failure to meet the requirements of the identification policy are final.
When a patron displays an identification card that is obviously false, the cashier will refuse sale of liquor or imitation liquor and report it to a manager who will explain to the patron that they are going to retain the identification for the purpose of verifying their age. A premise representative will immediately call the police and surrender the identification to the authorities for that purpose. (Authority to retain Title 28-A Section 2516-2). Please note, licensee must advise individual why the ID is being retained.

Visibly Intoxicated Individuals

When a person appears to be visibly intoxicated the cashier will allow the individual to bring the alcohol to the checkout. The clerk will place the alcoholic beverage behind the register and, when possible, the clerk will double team with a member from management explaining to the patron in brief, but clear terms that Maine law and store policy prohibit them from making the sale. Clerks will not argue with a visibly intoxicated person.
All sale refusals because of a patron's visible intoxication are final with the exception of a patron advising the clerk that their appearance is due to a disability as defined under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) (for compliance, refer to your attorney or human resource officer).

Other

Employees will always be professional, friendly and polite with all patrons when complying with Maine law and/or store policy, explaining that when service is declined, it is because of Maine law and/or store policy.
A person may not consume liquor on the property of an off-premise licensee licensed under chapter 50 except as provided in section 1205.* (Title 28-A, section 1206)
No licensee shall permit or allow visibly intoxicated persons to remain on the licensed premises. No licensee shall show effects of, nor allow any of his employees, agents, or entertainers to consume or to show any effect of liquor while on duty or performing on the licensed premises* (Title 28-A, Rule 1.8).
All employees will report for work sober and will not have consumed any alcoholic beverage prior to arriving, or consume any alcohol while on duty.
All questionable incidents involving patrons will be written down in a store log, noting the date, time, name of employees involved and brief statement of facts of the incident. It will be the responsibility of the store manager or duty clerk to log these incidents.
No employee under 17 years of age may accept payment for the sale of malt liquor or wine at the checkout counter of an off-premise retail licensee's establishment* (Title 28-A, Section 1202).
An employee who is at least 17 years of age but less than 21 years of age may accept payment only in the presence of an employee who is at least 21 years of age and is in a supervisory capacity* (Title 28-A, Section 1202).
Persons who are at least 15 years old may stock coolers or bus tables, but may not sell, serve, or mix liquor* (Title 28-A rule 2.3).
No wholesale or retail licensee shall permit the direct handling of liquor on his licensed premises by any person under the age of 15 years* (Title 28-A rule 3.4).
All staff should use due diligence in watching for patrons or activities that are not consistent with this policy or Maine law and should report a breach of either to management immediately.