Area businesses pass compliance check

Every month the Vermont Department of Liquor Control conducts compliance checks at businesses and restaurants that sell or serve liquor throughout the state.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/area-businesses-pass-compliance-check

Area Businesses Pass Compliance Check Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 03/31/2015 - 12:36pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper SPRINGFILED, VT -Every month the Vermont Department of Liquor Control conducts compliance checks at businesses and restaurants that sell or serve liquor throughout the state. During the month of January, two businesses and one restaurant in Springfield passed their compliance checks. Joe’s Discount Beverage on River Street, Shaws Supermarket and KJ’s Place all passed their tobacco compliance checks for the year. According to Courtney Hillhouse, who is a Community Prevention Coordinator through Mount Ascutney Prevention Partnership (MAPP), there are three types of compliance checks in Vermont. “There are three categories: Alcohol First Class, Alcohol Second Class and Tobacco,” she said. “One of my roles through Windsor County Prevention Partners or WCPP is to check the compliance checks for retailers in Windsor County. For the month of January, there were three retailers in Springfield who passed the tobacco compliance checks: Joe’s Discount Beverage, K.J.’s Place and Shaw’s Beer and Wine.” On Wednesday, March 18, Hillhouse, along with Springfield Prevention Coalition member Chuck Gregory presented Joe’s Discount Beverage Owner Joe Cerniglia with a certificate and letter recognizing his businesses’ achievement. “I work with different area coalitions to give out the certificates and letters that recognize passing the compliance checks,” Hillhouse said. “A lot of businesses in Windsor County passed their compliance checks in January and in February, which is great.” Chuck Gregory said that he feels these compliance checks are important because it reminds clerks that sell alcohol and tobacco to be mindful of underage people trying to purchase these products. “These checks help keep clerks from getting into trouble,” he said. “If the people that sell tobacco and alcohol products know that the egg hits the fan when you sell to someone that’s underage, they will be more likely to pay attention to the people that purchase these products.” Gregory said that he became involved with the Springfield Prevention Coalition because of the marketing tendencies of big corporations that sell tobacco and alcohol. “People don’t realize that these big corporations treat the public like cattle and manipulate us into buying their products,” he said. “So, that’s why I think it’s important that area businesses pass these checks, because it’s up to them not to sell these products to minors.” According to Joe’s Discount Beverage Owner Joe Cerniglia, the state conducts three different checks a year at his business. Cerniglia said that the checks are not scheduled, and are conducted almost like a sting operation. “An underage person comes in with someone from the state, and tries to purchase either alcohol or tobacco,” he said. “If we refuse to sell to them, we pass the check. Over the course of 33 years in business, we’ve had 99 compliance checks, and have passed almost all of them. If a business doesn’t pass, there are varying degrees of disciplinary action.” Cerniglia said that his business has never failed an alcohol compliance check, but that there may have been one or two tobacco compliance checks that his store did not pass. According to Cerniglia, there is a fine for failing a tobacco compliance check, and there are escalating penalties if a business were to fail all three checks. Joe’s Discount Beverage, however, doesn’t need to worry because the business passed all three compliance checks within the last year. “After a compliance check is complete, the state asks you to attend a seminar every two years to work towards more certification,” he said. “There is a fine if you don’t go to the training, and we require all our employees to attend. After you complete the seminar, you get a certificate, and that shows that everything is up to date.” Cerniglia said that his business first began as a farm stand, but began selling alcohol after obtaining a liquor license in 1988. Since then, Cerniglia said that the business has grown and expanded and has done a great job of working hard to pass compliance checks. “We really make an effort not to sell to underage people by asking for ID,” he said. “All the employees are trained, and we have done well carding people during the compliance check but at all other times as well.” During the month of February, Circle-K, K-B Ventures and Mina Mart all passed tobacco compliance checks in Springfield.