A 14-year-old boy who can easily buy a bottle of vodka in a grocery store? In Upper Austria this is a rather unlikely scenario. This is the pleasing result of the alcohol and tobacco test purchases that the state carried out last year together with the Addiction Prevention Institute of pro mente Upper Austria.
“Young people between the ages of 14 and 15 try to buy distilled spirits and cigarettes,” says State Councilor Birgit Gerstorfer (SP), who is responsible for youth protection. According to the Youth Protection Act, these products are only available to people over the age of 18. The aim is to sensitize companies and their employees to the protection of minors.
A total of 1179 test purchases were made in grocery stores, gas station shops, tobacco shops and in the catering trade. More than three quarters – a total of 902 – of the companies tested comply with the legal regulations, only 277 companies sold the products to young people. The sales rate fell by 5.1 percent compared to the previous year, with improvements particularly in the catering trade and in tobacco purchases. “The test purchases have proven to be an effective youth protection measure,” says project manager Dietmar Krenmayr from the Addiction Prevention Institute.
Stress as a stumbling block
What is remarkable for Krenmayr, however, is that 44 percent of the charges were made despite an ID check. He suspects “stress due to the high number of customers in the food trade and a lack of technical aids” as the cause. The staff would simply miscalculate. Own checkout software, mobile phone apps or age hubs could have a supportive effect. According to Gerstorfer, there are already talks with the Chamber of Commerce in this regard. In addition, companies must continue to sensitize their staff to the issue of youth protection.
A follow-up test was carried out in those establishments that had a negative result in the test purchase. Here there were only 66 who violated the provisions again. In such cases, there is a risk of being reported under the trade regulations – and penalties of up to 7,000 euros as a result.
Source: Nachrichten
