ScanLicense

Boston Stepping Up Compliance Checks; the Long Tail; Boston Police have a Blog!

Sorry for the protracted absence; we've been busy with work, home stuff and travel and haven't had the time or energy we should to devote to the blog.  Funny how these things work though, no matter how long you leave the blog, people still find you.  Yes, they find stagnant, boring stuff that's been sitting around for too long, but they find it.  That's called "the Long Tail" effect, and it's made possible by the Web in all its glory. 

The Long Tail is an economic theory devised by Chris Andersen, editor of Wired magazine.  The Long Tail says that there are infinitely more people interested in niche information than people interested in what might be the most "popular" subjects at any given time.  This creates interesting opportunities for companies.  Because of the Web's reach, the Long Tail says it's possible to sell more niche products (or services) to a wider audience via the Web than it is to sell the most popular products/services to a narrow market in a traditional "brick and mortar" establishment.  Graphic from Chris' Long Tail blog:

 

So the Web creates opportunities down the Tail, which means even though we've been neglecting the blog and not doing much to promote the business of selling ID scanners here, people have still been finding us through Web search engines.  Search engines love sites like this one, which is actually a blog.

But we digress.  This is a site about ID scanners, checking IDs, how to spot fake IDs, compliance, underage drinking and anything else which has to do with the sale of restricted products to minors.  We sell nationally, but are based in Boston so a lot of the content you see here is local market news. Don't let that fool you though, Boston is notorious for its compliance enforcement and tough underage drinking laws.  Some of the toughest in the nation.

Just a few days ago the Boston Police Department issued a press release (which we can't find ANYWHERE on the Web) but was written about in the Boston University Newspaper The Daily Free Press, detailing the BPD's plans for more vigorous spot or, "Minimum Age Purchase Law compliance" checks [their language] going forward.  No start or end date was given, although if the department issued a press release about it then the good money says the initiative has already started.

As always, we invite anyone (not just Boston-area) establishments selling liquor, beer, wine, etc. or tobacco to contact us at 617-312-5942 to learn more about the most effective and inexpensive ID scanners available.  Don't let the thought of saving a couple of bucks (and it's really minimal, folks) keep you from protecting your livelihood.  How much would it cost you to be shut down for two or three days over a weekend?  That's a first-offense scenario.  The cost of our scanners is comparable to about an hour's worth of sales on a Thursday night.   

Last point: the BPD has a cool blog! According to their archives, the BDPNews.com site has been up since late 2005.  Embarrassingly we've just discovered it, which reads kind of like a cool, text-based episode of "COPS."  Check it out if you've got a penchant for voyeurism. 

Call Us for ID Scanners

We're experts in proactive compliance for age restricted products (alcohol/tobacco).  Please contact us if you're with a bar, nightclub restaurant, convenience or package store and you need a way to verify IDs to stay in compliance with state and local laws governing such products. 

barbeverage2003@yahoo.com; 617-312-5942.

Rumors, other Clubs Face the Music

Boston's Theater District is facing some tough competition: itself.  It's inability to control underage drinking gives Boston's licensing board little choice but to clamp down on offenders, and it looks as though some will be made examples of to the rest of the club community. 

Since January, there have been no less than 20 incidents at 16 different locations in Boston's famed "Theater District," which was once notoriously also known as the city's "red light" district but has since shed that image.  Instead, the area plays host to the city's college party goers and young professionals.  Incidents involving alcohol have grown, though, renewing the call for more regulation of the clubs and police on the streets at 2:00 a.m., the city's closing time.

One club in particular, Rumors, has drawn most of the Licensing Board's ire:

Referring to several violations at Rumors, [Board chairman] Pokaski recommended the Board suspend the license for anywhere between two weeks and a month.

"We've had it with this premises," he said.

On Feb. 2, an intoxicated female with a fake Massachusetts driver's license told officers she had been drinking at Rumor. On Feb. 22, officers had to help the club's staff coerce a crowd trying to enter the club off of Warrenton Street because it was blocking traffic.

That night, officers who entered the club reported underage drinking and people dancing on raised platforms, said Boston Police Department detective Daniel O'Neill. Some club patrons had also used fake out-of-country driver's licenses and photocopied passports to enter the club, he said.

Representatives from Rumor did not dispute the violations. 

Fake licenses are the bane of any club, restaurant or liquor store.  Rumors is no different:

Rumor representatives said the club has had its hands full with underage patrons trying to gain entry into the club since January, when Boston banned 19-plus nights at several clubs in an effort to curb violence. Now, more patrons are resorting to fake IDs to get into the club in the first place, when they previously had only used the IDs to illegally obtain alcohol once inside, they said.

A hand held ID scanner at the door would alleviate many of the problems Rumors is experiencing.  The cost? A one time $1295.00.  Not much to pay for peace of mind and it's CERTAINLY cheaper than having to stop selling liquor for two weeks!  (if Rumors gets off easy). 

Good luck!  Call us if we can give you a demo of the ID scanner!  (617-312-5942)  Or, write: barbeverage2003@yahoo.com.

Williamstown, MA Slapped with 6 Day Liquor Suspension

Six whole days.  That's how much lost alcohol revenue Williamstown, MA restaurant Chopsticks will loose because it failed to verify the ID of a patron who ordered a beer. 

Think that's fair?  No.  Is it the law?  Yep.  Three other restaurants and a liquor store got caught in the same sting.

It's amazing to us to see licensees pass on a $1295.00 ID scanner to save a couple of bucks.  It's a one-time fee; a minor expense when one considers the expense of loosing a license for six days.  Hell, even one day is too long if you ask most license holders.  Especially in college towns like Williamstown, MA (UMASS has a campus near by).   

Talk to us about affordable ID Scanners that help you verify IDs, spot fake IDs and will KEEP A PERMANENT RECORD of everyone you scan so that you can prove compliance.  Proving compliance--doing everything you can to verify the validity of an ID--WILL HELP KEEP YOU OUT OF TROUBLE with state and local authorities.  Find out how by contacting us at: barbeverage2003@yahoo.com and/or 617-312-5942

ViAGE ID Scanners for Sale

Aside from reporting on bars, liquor stores, restaurants and other establishments selling alcohol to minors here on ScanLicense, I also sell ViAGE scanners and consult on methods vendors use to reduce their exposure from underage drinkers.

Contact me at 617-312-5942 for more information and ViAGE ID scanner pricing. 

Amherst, MA ABCC Sting nets Bars, Liquor Stores and Restaurants

"Although facing persistent legal challenge from licenses, these sting operations as conducted by the ABCC Investigators have, thus far, survived challenge."
-- Massachusetts ABCC

for all the Massachusetts licensees who feel that they're doing just fine without the help of some kind of electronic ID verification device, I give you the above words straight from the ABCC. 

Sure, having the ABCC send in underage kids to buy from your place may feel like dirty pool, but no one so far has said the practice is illegal.  If you haven't been the target of one of a sting yet, take this as a warning: they're not going away anytime soon.  It's just a matter of time--will you be ready when that kid comes into your place?

Punishment for serving minors (even the first offense) isn't cheap, either.  Take for example four of the latest sting targets--two bars, a  liquor store and a restaurant--in Amherst, MA (home to the University of Massachusetts).  For ONE COUNT of serving a person under 21 restaurant Arigato Sushi can't sell for four days (two days held in abeyance). Delano's bar will have its license suspended for six days for one count of "possession of an alcoholic beverage to an intoxicated person."  University Liquors will have its license suspended for eight days for "sale or delivery of an alcoholic beverage to a person under 21 years old."

What do you suppose the cost of just one lost day of sales is for these places?  Is it worth skipping the peace of mind that comes with an ID scanner? 

Not for some of the establishments in Amherst, MA.  What's your plan?   The full story of the stings in Amherst is here.  

Williamstown Liquor STING!

Police in Williamstown, MA just executed a liquor sting.  Only three establishments in the town passed.  If these places had ID Scanners from us, this would never have happened (especially for the repeat offenders). 

 

The story is here.  Call Bar BeverAGE Controls at 617-312-5942 and we'll set you up with portable or counter-mounted scanners to protect your whole establishment.  They scan and save the data from every ID so you can prove your compliance.  They show you when you've been presented with a fake id, and help end arguments over the validity of IDs at the counter. 

 

Technorati Tags : abcc+sting, underage+drinking, fake+ID, ID+scanner, Under+21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Massachusetts Votes "No" on Question 1

Ballot Initiative Would Have Allowed Wine Sales at Food Stores; Increased Competition for Package Store Industry 

 

In a stunning come-from-behind victory, the Package Store lobby engineered a victory in yesterday's voting over a ballot initiative which if passed, would have allowed the sale of wine in food stores and doubling the number of liquor sales licenses in the state.  Question 1 on the Massachusetts' ballot sparked the costliest campaign of any initiative in Massachusetts' history. 

 

Backers of the question, including supermarkets and consumer rights advocates, cited the Package store lobby's "scare campaign," which turned the question into a referendum on public safety by raising the specter of increased drunk driving, underage drinking and other social ills if wine were to be sold in food stores.  The food industry had said throughout the campaign that there was little evidence to support the sales of wine in food stores put the public at risk and offered examples from states that do allow the sale of alcohol in supermarkets.

 

Boston Globe coverage here.    

 

Technorati Tags : no+on+1, Question+1, Wine+in+Food+Stores, ABCC, Consumer, Fake+ID, Underage+drinking, Spot+Fake+ids

Fort-Worth Texas Underage Drinking Hotline

Fort Worth Texas has a program in place that lets people call a special hot line to report underage drinking.  The hot line goes straight to the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverages Control) who send out agents to investigate.  If agents can't get to the scene quickly enough the TABC alerts local police to investigate the report. 

 

Community self-policing is an interesting idea.  Bars and other establishments with liquor licences might be more wary of serving underage drinkers if they felt the immediate community was watching for violations.  The use of handhold ID scanners to ferret out fake IDs and underage drinkers helps to keep minors from trying to buy alcohol in the first place.  

 

Call Bar BeverAGE controls for more information and sales of affordable ID scanners.  We ship anywhere in the U.S. and offer full support.  617-312-5942.     

 

Technorati Tags : Fort+Worth+Texas, Star+Telegram, Underage+Drinking, Fake+ID, Fake+License, ID+Scaner

Massachusetts Top Alcohol Cops Urge "No on Question One"

Yesterday we posted about the debate going on in Massachusetts as to whether or not grocery and convenience stores should be allowed to sell wine.  Question One on November's ballot deals with the issue and it's hotly contested, both camps are spending buckets of money on television, print and radio ads.

 

Now the state's top alcohol cops, the Chairman and Chief Investigator of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission have publicly come out against the question.  Which isn't much of a surprise. The measure, if passed, would create 2800 new licenses to sell alcohol while not delivering any more money to Massachusetts' alcohol policy enforcement arm. 

 

There has to be a balance.  People should enjoy the convenience of buying wine while they shop for food.  And liquor stores that feel threatened by this prospect ought to see an opportunity to distinguish themselves on variety, service or other niche areas where large chains can't compete.

Update:

The declaration by ABCC's two top officials that they're coming down on the side of the package stores and urging a NO vote on Question One is drawing fire.  The supermarkets are (predictably) calling foul, saying state agencies ought not to be heard on matters before the voters. 

But, what's new and interesting about this fight is a revelation made today in this article by the Boston Herald about state Treasurer Tim Cahill who oversees the ABCC:

   Question 1 backers added that state Treasurer Tim Cahill, who oversees the ABCC, has gotten $43,000 in campaign contributions from liquor firms since 2005.

    Cahill conceded yesterday that he received such funds but denied that’s why ABCC brass - and he himself - oppose Question 1.
    “I’m taking a position (against the measure) based on public-safety issues,” Cahill said, noting that the ABCC has only 14 agents to police alcohol sales statewide.

Now this is more like it: politics as usual in Massachusetts.  Before today the fight would have been won or lost simply by whoever spent the most money.  Now there's a skunk in the works and unfortunately, that's par.   

However this issue gets resolved in November, one thing is certain: age verification will always be important.  Liquor stores (many of which have been recently slapped hard with fines by the ABCC for serving minors) will still have to prove compliance by checking IDs.  If the grocery stores win, then they'll all need to have ID verification systems to check IDs, weed out the fake IDs, and keep a record of their compliance.

Representatives from both sides are encouraged to call Bar BeverAGE Controls at 617-312-5942 to get more information and pricing for the industry's most affordable and accurate ID scanner system. 

Technorati Tags : no+on+one, yes+on+one, Wine+in+grocery+stores, Massachusetts+Question+1, tim+cahill, Massachusetts+abcc, Underage+drinking+enforcement