‘Over reaction’ says SRC to calls to end alcohol sales at self-service tills
Fiona Moriarty, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium has responded to calls in Scotland to restrict the sale of alcohol at self-service tills
Moriarty said,”Our members are committed to selling alcohol responsibly but the current calls to ban alcohol sales at self-service tills in Scotland are a complete over-reaction to a non-existent problem.
“The SNP’s Stewart Maxwell clearly doesn’t understand that, when an age-restricted product is swiped at a self-service till, the system freezes until a member of staff sanctions the sale. If the customer looks under 25 they will be asked to prove they are over 18. If they can’t the sale will be refused.
“This is as rigorous as the approach that applies at staffed checkouts – the approach that has given supermarkets an enviable record on preventing underage sales.
“Banning alcohol sales at self-service tills wouldn’t achieve anything except unnecessary confusion and extra delays. People who are perfectly entitled to buy alcohol, and who appreciate the speed and convenience of serving themselves, would find they had to join queues for regular tills.”
