ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WWJ) -- With students returning to college towns across the state this fall, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission says it's launching a "Mystery Shoppers" pilot program to help curtail the sale of alcohol to minors.
Starting with Ann Arbor and East Lansing -- the homes of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, respectively -- the MLCC's pilot program will send out young, legal-age "mystery shoppers" to see whether cashiers are properly checking IDs.
The mystery shoppers will provide "on the spot feedback on whether staff are correctly verifying age and the authenticity of IDs."
Rather than receiving fines, the MLCC says it's taking a proactive approach, as owners and managers of stores will receive confidential follow-up reports and assistance in doing a better job at banning under-age sales and preventing alcohol abuse.
It was not clear whether the MLCC plans to eventually bring the program to other college towns like Ypsilanti (Eastern Michigan University), Mt. Pleasant (Central Michigan University), Kalamazoo (Western Michigan University) or other smaller college towns across the state.
Officials say the Michigan Alcohol Responsibility Program (MI ARP) will "serve to enhance the MLCC's own highly successful Controlled Buy Operation Program to curtail the sale of alcohol to minors." The MI ARP is sponsored by the MLCC through a funding grant from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA)* of which the MLCC is a member as a state regulator. The program is being administered by the Responsible Retailing Forum (RRForum)
"As parents, educators, businesspeople and those in law enforcement, we all have a vested interest in preventing underage drinking," MLCC Chair Pat Gagliardi said in a press release. "We must continue to be vigilant and engaged in our collective efforts toward keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors by cracking down on the use of fake IDs and promoting the legal sale of alcohol by licensees in our university and college communities."
Officials will ultimately issue reports that summarize the aggregate "Mystery Shopper" results for each "town & gown" community. These reports will be shared with the MLCC, local law enforcement, public safety, health, and prevention agencies from the colleges/universities and their host communities to foster a cooperative, problem-solving approach to address underage alcohol access and alcohol abuse.
