Tobacco Sales Age-Verification Compliance: Time for Retailers to Improve
The sale of tobacco products has experienced a significant boost over the years, with cigarettes, shishas, and other products now being packaged attractively. Unfortunately, age-verification compliance by retailers has not kept up with these advancements. This is according to data recently released by Serve Legal, covering audits conducted between May 2021 and February 2023 in the UK.
The audits revealed lower ‘pass rates’ for tobacco sales in the evening, particularly after 6 pm when footfall is higher, and staff may be distracted. The compliance rate for online sales of tobacco through rapid delivery providers was also discovered to be significantly lower than in-store purchases (50% compared to 79%, respectively).
Although UK regulations stipulate that no one aged below 18 can buy or view tobacco products, Serve Legal’s data shows a gap between these regulations and their compliance level. While retailers are more stringent in-store, checks often fall short regarding age-verification compliance. This issue gets compounded by the increasing gap between staff and customers, a result of the improving retail technology which poses an increased risk of delivering harmful goods to young people.
The audit also revealed compliance variations across different store types. Supermarkets and convenience stores had a relatively high compliance rate at 80% and 81%, respectively, while forecourts and motorway service stations had lower rates of 65% and 70%, respectively. With their transient customer base, it may be challenging for forecourts and motorway stations to establish adequate policies and designate protocols for age verification.
Retailers and delivery companies have a responsibility to improve their age-verification procedures to ensure that no restricted items are sold to youngsters without proper identification. They can implement staff training and performance measures that include regular assessments and independent audits to identify areas for improvement. It is also necessary to create customer education that includes age verification signs and reminders prominently placed near point of sale.
The Serve Legal audits reveal that 21% of young people still have access to age-restricted tobacco products without adequate verification checks in place. This accessibility poses significant risks to these youngsters and underscores the essential need for heightened age-verification measures by retailers and delivery firms.
It is imperative to prioritize age-verification in every interaction that involves age-restricted products and to ensure that robust measures are implemented and observed in retail environments. Retailers and delivery companies can comply readily with these measures and protect young people.
