Gilroy – Squinting, the cashier studied the ID. Across the
counter, a fresh-faced teen waited, holding a five-dollar bill and
a beer. The date on his driver’s license read ‘1987’, making
19-year-old Ash a few years short of legal, and the tall silver can
he held contraband.
Gilroy – Squinting, the cashier studied the ID. Across the counter, a fresh-faced teen waited, holding a five-dollar bill and a beer. The date on his driver’s license read ‘1987’, making 19-year-old Ash a few years short of legal, and the tall silver can he held contraband.
But the cashier didn’t blink. Handing him his ID, she sold him the beer and sent him out the door, carrying a brown paper bag.
On any other night, that would be the end of it. But Ash was no ordinary teen: the college student volunteers his time as a decoy, under the supervision of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Friday night, wired with a microphone, he walked into corner stores and liquor shops across Gilroy, offering his real, underage ID. When Ash walked out, beer in hand, ABC investigators stepped in, issuing citations and photographing an ordinary crime scene: Ash, the beer can, the brown paper bag, and a sheepish cashier.
“It’s kind of exciting, and kind of sad, as you stand at the register,” said Ash, who preferred not to give his last name. “You know it’s going to ruin this person’s day [if they sell to you], but it’s for a good cause.”
The cashiers that sold face $250 fines; the stores they work for could face warning letters, suspended or revoked liquor licenses, or additional fines ranging from $750 to $3,000.
Out of 31 Gilroy stores tested, four sold to Ash and other ABC decoys: Gavilan Market/Qwik Mart at 8110 Westwood Dr., Suite A; Del Sol Market at 435 First St.; and two of Gilroy’s three 7-11 stores, located at 691 First St. and 370 Leavesley Road. The operation focused on off-site liquor sales, shops that sell alcohol to be consumed off the premises.
Overall, roughly 87 percent of Gilroy stores tested refused to sell to the teen: a good compliance rate, said ABC spokesman John Carr. Some went the extra mile to stop teen drinking: at M&M Liquors on Westwood Drive, a clerk asked for Ash’s ID the minute he walked through the door. Statewide, roughly 80 percent of licensees are in compliance.
“Every day, somewhere in the state, we’re running a [decoy] operation,” said Carr. “The decoys deserve all the credit – we can’t run these operations without them. In the old days, our investigators had to sit outside [a store] and observe, and say, ‘Does that person look 21?’ ”
The decoys aren’t allowed to lie about their age, if asked, or to present fake IDs. ABC opts for young-looking decoys, recruited from colleges, high schools and police and sheriff training programs. Some walk straight in, and try to buy alcohol; others, in the Shoulder Tap Program, walk up to adults standing outside liquor stores, and ask them to buy liquor for them.
“Once, a decoy caught another 19-year-old,” recalled Carr. “The clerk refused to sell to our decoy, then sold to the 19-year-old who [the decoy] asked to buy alcohol for him!”
Ash isn’t paid for his work. Sometimes, he gets an earful from clerks, who lecture him about teen drinking; others have threatened to call the police. Not every college student would opt to spend their Friday night walking into one convenience store after another, wired and supervised by ABC agents. But then, Ash doesn’t follow the crowd.
“I’m tired of seeing all the people my age drinking,” he said. “You see alcohol poisoning and stupid decisions. I’m doing this because when minors drink, they do dangerous things.”
