Underage Liquor Sales at Fresh & Easy Tied to Store’s Refusal to Comply with Ban on Sale of Alcohol Through Self-Checkout Machines
Despite the enactment of a state ban on the sale of alcohol through self-checkout machines at the beginning of the year, grocery stores like Fresh & Easy are still being cited for selling alcohol to minors through these registers. On Wednesday, elected officials, members of the clergy, and concerned community members will held a press conference to call on Fresh & Easy to comply with the ban and do their part to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors and intoxicated persons.
Fresh & Easy stores have been cited multiple times for selling alcohol to minors through their self-checkout machines, including a citation at the Manhattan Beach store after the ban went into effect. Fresh & Easy has been a vocal opponent of this law, and their lobby group, the California Grocers Association, filed a lawsuit that has postponed the law’s enforcement.
State Senator Ted Lieu and Assemblywoman Betsy Butler are calling on Fresh & Easy to do their part in preventing underage drinking by obeying the law. Alcohol Justice and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) affiliates in Los Angeles and San Francisco have gathered over 6,000 signatures of local residents to petition Fresh & Easy to obey this common-sense public safety measure. The petition was delivered to Fresh & Easy at a press conference in Manhattan Beach.