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Responsible RetailingResponsible Retailer Award In partnership with Sheffield Health Action Zone, Sheffield Trading Standards is running Sheffield's response to the issue of underage sales - The Responsible Retailer Award Scheme. 
The scheme, launched by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 2001, aims to reduce problems such as underage smoking, drinking and solvent abuse by denying young people access to these dangerous products. The award scheme is aimed at retailers and businesses and provides education and staff training to make retailers aware of their responsibilities in avoiding illegal sales and support them in upholding the law. Retailers who prove themselves diligent in demanding proof of age from their young shoppers, train their staff in the relevant legislation, meet various basic criteria and are approved by the police, receive certificates of responsibility and merit at specially organised award ceremonies. Retailers can benefit from a Responsible Retailer Award in many ways. Firstly it provides basic staff training which itself helps to ensure against accidental underage sales and can help to prove due diligence in court. Secondly the scheme recognises positive behaviour. Retailers who are doing a good job in difficult circumstances deserve to be rewarded. Thirdly, the scheme aims to discourage children from even attempting to purchase age restricted products illegally. In areas where the scheme has been running for several years, a survey of retailers who succeeded in gaining an award showed that the number of requests from children under the legal age of sales had declined. For conditions of membership of the scheme, see the attached pdf document
(this will open in a separate page) Proof of Age CardsDo you look young for your age? Does it annoy you when you get asked for proof of age even when you are old enough to buy a product? Make your life easier by getting a proof of age card. They are very easy to apply for. You can pick up application forms in your local off licence, pub or supermarket, and most just require some identification and a couple of passport size photos. You may even already have some identification that you can use. If something has your photograph and date of birth on it, it is proof of age. Something like a National Insurance Card or Birth Certificate cannot be used because they have no photograph, there is not proof that they belong to you. Identification you can use:
For details of how to obtain a card, contact Trading Standards (see below for details). Information Sheets (for Retail Training)The following information sheets are available for you, as responsible retailers, to print and use in conjunction with staff training for all aspects of under-age sales legislation. You can distribute the sheets to your staff and keep a record of training given regarding under-age sales. Used in conjunction with the refusal sheets (also included below) will help to buld up 'due dilligence' profiles. Please note that in order for you to print reasonable quality copies, some of these documents are quite large and if you are using a 'dial-up' connection they may take a while to down-load. All are pdf documents, and will open in a new window. If you would like more information about any aspects of the scheme or if you know of any businesses that might be selling illegally to underage children, you can contact Sheffield Trading Standards, anonymously if you prefer: Tel: 0114 273 6241 or 0114 273 6286 South Yorkshire NewsletterWe publish a news letter bi-annually, which we will endeavour to make available here as they are produced. Back issues, along with the most recently published, are available in pdf format. Please be aware that if using a dial-up connection these files may take some time to load. the newsletters will open in a separate window, so to return here, simply close the window. Summer 2006 Newsletter (pdf file 710 KB) Responsible Retailer Newsletters Responsible Retailer Award Scheme Newsletter, Winter 2010 (pdf file 259 KB) Sheffield City Council Trading Standards,
2-10 Carbrook Hall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 2DB |