Fair Markets Colorado - Case Studies

At the neighborhood Safeway in Littleton, Colorado, shoppers can pick up items on the usual shopping list: spaghetti, pasta sauce, fresh parmesan cheese, and French bread. But busy shoppers – such as a mom in a hurry to get dinner on the table – can also select something unique: a bottle of Colorado-produced wine to pair with the meal.

Current Colorado liquor laws allow only one location of a grocery store to apply for and operate with a full liquor license. The Littleton store is the only Safeway with this type of liquor license in Colorado. The way this store manages its liquor department provides a unique opportunity to look into the future and see what it might look like if more grocery stores in Colorado were able to provide beer, wine and spirits to their customers.

Like all departments, the liquor department is monitored by security and through video cameras. When a customer finishes his or her shopping and approaches the checkout register, additional safety measures are in place. First, every checker attends training each month about how to handle liquor purchases. Next, checkers are trained to check the bottom rack of grocery carts for additional items that the customer may have forgotten to place on the counter for scanning. Then, the computer does not allow the checker to complete a transaction involving a liquor product until he or she asks to see an ID card and enters an acceptable date of birth. Bright yellow signs at each register announce to customers purchasing alcohol that every customer will be carded – regardless of perceived age.

Since opening in 2007, the Safeway in the community of Littleton has adjusted its inventory based on shopper feedback. For example, the department proudly features 18 Colorado wines and more than 30 craft beers!

Since Coloradans are not used to seeing liquor for sale in a grocery store, here are a few common questions and answers.

How does the Littleton Safeway help prevent under-age drinking?

In addition to a security guard monitoring the area for under-aged shoppers, the same safety features that allow for continuous monitoring throughout the store also watch the liquor department. Video cameras and undercover guards help ensure a safe environment.

The store’s clerks attend specialized training every month—which exceeds the industry standard of quarterly training—that teaches them to identify fake ID cards, carefully input birth dates, and match the photo to the card holderIn the unlikely situation that someone under age were to pick up a liquor product, he or she would not be able to purchase the item because of additional security features at the checkout that cause the register to lock-down until a trained clerk examines the customers ID and gives approval.

Safeway District Manager Eric Lucero emphasizes the point: “No ID, no purchase. If we have somebody [making a liquor purchase] who is 55 and they don’t have an ID, we unfortunately have to turn that purchase away.”

What happens when a customer uses the self-checkout system to purchase liquor?

“Customers like the self-check isle. Here there are even more security alerts,” says Eric Lucero, the store’s district manager. Every register in the grocery store is programmed to require the approval of a trained checker before liquor can be purchased—even at a self-checkout counter.

When the shopper scans a liquor product, a warning on the screen indicates that they will need the assistance of a checker before they can finish and pay. A red light goes off above the computer station and, at the same time, a warning appears on the screen of the checker who is monitoring the self-checkout to inform them that a customer is trying to purchase liquor. The checker will approach the customer, ask to see a valid ID, and enter his or her employee number into the computer followed by the customer’s date-of-birth. In the event that the date on the ID indicates that the customer is not 21 years old, the transaction will be cancelled and the checker will take control of the liquor.

At any Safeway, self-checkout registers are attended by a checker.

What’s this store’s safety record?

The safety record of all business that hold liquor licenses (restaurants, bars, liquor stores, etc.) is public information. The Littleton Safeway store featured in this case study is proud of its record. Safeway District Manager, Eric Lucero, says, “This store opened in 2007 and I am happy to report we have had no liquor violations.”

This strong safety record is due in part to the standard security measures that all grocery stores use and also the monthly alcohol training every checker is required to attend. Because the staff training is so thorough, managers enforce severe consequences if there is a failure to follow the rules at checkout.

A display of craft beer greets customers at the Safeway in Littleton.

Safety is a high priority in the grocery's liquor department, as their zero-violation record demonstrates.

Fair Markets Colorado is a coalition that supports safe, fair and common sense liquor laws. Read more about the legislation we support.