Age-Restricted Sales Policy

Last updated: August 26, 2026

The Policy

We card. Every time we should, without exception, without apology, and without regard to who is in line behind you. An associate who sells an age-restricted product to a minor loses their job. An associate who refuses a sale in good faith is backed by ownership every single time, even when the customer is angry, even when the customer is a regular, and even when the customer turns out to have been old enough.

Tobacco & Nicotine — 21 and Over

Federal law (the Tobacco 21 provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as amended in 2019) and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 461 both prohibit the sale of tobacco, tobacco-related devices, electronic delivery devices and nicotine or lobelia delivery products to anyone under 21. That covers cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, smokeless and chewing tobacco, snus, hookah and shisha, rolling papers, pipes, vaping devices, e-liquid, and nicotine pouches, whether or not they contain tobacco.

• We verify photo ID for every purchaser who appears under 30, as required by federal regulation.
• Our point-of-sale system prompts an age check on every restricted item and requires the cashier to enter the date of birth from the ID. It cannot be bypassed.
• We do not sell single cigarettes, and we do not open a package to sell part of it.
• We do not sell flavored products where a local ordinance restricts them, and we follow every City of Maplewood and Ramsey County licensing condition.
• We do not sell tobacco or nicotine through any vending machine or self-service display. All product is behind the counter.
• Employees under 21 do not handle these sales.

Minnesota Lottery — 18 and Over

Minnesota law prohibits the sale of lottery tickets or pull-tabs to anyone under 18, and prohibits an adult from purchasing a ticket as a gift for a minor. We card anyone who appears under 30. We do not pay prizes to minors. As a licensed Minnesota Lottery retailer we follow every condition of that license, including the responsible-gaming materials posted at the counter. If gambling has stopped being fun, the Minnesota Problem Gambling Helpline is 1-800-333-HOPE (4673), free and confidential, 24 hours a day.

Alcohol

Where alcohol is offered under our municipal off-sale license, the minimum age is 21 with no exception, and the same carding standard applies. We do not sell to anyone who appears intoxicated, and refusing that sale is not negotiable. We observe all Minnesota and City of Maplewood restrictions on hours and days of off-sale. If we do not currently hold an off-sale license, we do not sell alcohol at all — ask at the counter.

Identification We Accept

Valid, unexpired, government-issued photo identification showing date of birth:

• A U.S. state driver’s license or state identification card
• A U.S. or foreign passport or passport card
• A U.S. military identification card
• A tribal identification card
• A U.S. Permanent Resident Card or other federal immigration photo ID

We do not accept expired identification, photocopies, photographs of an ID on a phone, school or work IDs, birth certificates, or an ID that has been altered, laminated over, punched, or is too damaged to verify. We use ID scanners and verification guides, and our associates are trained to check the physical security features on the card itself, not just the date.

When We Refuse the Sale

We will decline the transaction, and we are not required to explain further, if:

• You cannot produce acceptable ID, or the ID is expired, altered or does not match you.
• We reasonably believe the ID is not yours or is fraudulent. Under Minnesota law we may retain a fraudulent ID and turn it over to law enforcement.
• We reasonably believe you are buying on behalf of someone underage.
• You appear intoxicated, for an alcohol sale.
• Anything about the transaction makes the associate uncomfortable. Their judgment stands, and a manager will back it.

A refused sale is not a judgment about you. It protects a 19-year-old cashier from a criminal citation and protects this store’s license, which several families depend on.

Training & Enforcement

• Every associate completes documented age-verification and responsible-sales training before their first solo shift, signs an acknowledgment, and is retrained at least annually and after any failed check.
• We run our own unannounced secret-shopper compliance checks in addition to those conducted by the City of Maplewood, Ramsey County and the Minnesota Department of Revenue Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division.
• A confirmed sale to a minor is grounds for immediate termination. We do not issue warnings for this.
• Age-verification prompts and register logs are retained and audited, and are made available to licensing authorities on request.
• Required signage is posted at every register and at the product displays.

Proxy and Straw Purchases

Buying an age-restricted product and handing it to someone underage is a crime in Minnesota, including when the minor is your own child. We watch the parking lot and the doorway for hand-offs, we will refuse and void a transaction we believe is a proxy purchase, and we will report a pattern of it to law enforcement.

Report a Problem

If you believe one of our associates sold an age-restricted product to a minor, or failed to check ID when they should have, tell us and we will investigate immediately: [email protected] or (651) 227-8820, ask for ownership. You may report anonymously. You may also contact the City of Maplewood or Ramsey County licensing directly, and we will cooperate fully with any inquiry.