Responsible Use

As a responsible retailer, we are dedicated to ensuring our customers are well educated about how to enjoy products safely. Our initiatives include monthly in-store campaign raising awareness on responsible use topics, producing materials to provide more information about the risks of alcohol and pregnancy, and offering a Get Home Safe program for consumer events.

Each month, we create awareness on all major areas of responsible use, from risks in using alcohol during pregnancy to consequences of drinking and driving. Creative collateral is produced and strategically displayed in stores to raise customers' awareness about the risks when beverage alcohol is not used responsibly.

To see our current in-store awareness campaign [2] and to download our previous campaigns, click on the In-Store Campaigns [2] link to the left.

As part of our commitment to public safety and the responsible use of alcohol, the Liquor Distribution Branch actively educates employees and the public about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy. In addition to a yearly in-store campaign targeted at Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder awareness, the LDB has developed — in consultation with the BC Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society, and endorsed by the doctors, nurses and midwives of B.C. — a brochure and poster containing valuable information about alcohol and pregnancy. These materials are available to BC Liquor Stores customers and health care workers throughout the province. For more information about this initiative, please click on the Alcohol & Pregnancy [3] link on the left.

[4]Our store staff is trained to provide service to those who can legally consume alcohol. Customers are asked for two pieces of identification if they appear to be under the age of 25 years. Acceptable identification include: a primary ID that is government-issued with your name, signature, picture and birth date such as a driver's licence or passport; and secondary ID that includes an imprint of your name and your signature or picture, such as a credit card. Our staff is also able to refuse service to those who appear intoxicated or are suspected of purchasing for those who are intoxicated or underaged. These are the measures we take to ensure that beverage alcohol is sold to those who consume it legally and responsibly. 

Wine and beer festivals are popular events and great fundraising opportunities. To ensure the event runs smoothly, our organization will help festival organizers implement a Get Home Safe program for festival patrons.

The program, which was successfully launched at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival in 1997, gives festival organizers the opportunity to distribute free public transit tickets to festival patrons.

School-aged children in BC are playing a colourful role in sending their own alcohol awareness message through the BC Liquor Stores bag-decorating program. To participate, teachers or community organizers simply send a request to BC Liquor Stores Marketing department. Participants then decorate bags with alcohol awareness messages or illustrations/drawings of themselves and the bags are returned for use at a local BC Liquor Store. This is just one way we're creatively raising awareness of responsible use in our communities.

For more information about the Think Of Me Bag Decorating Program [5], please click on the Bag Decorating Program [5] link to the left.

Every year, during February or March, our stores actively raise funds to support non-alcohol high-school graduation (dry grad) celebrations in the community. The reason for this is to help promote zero tolerance of alcohol use by minors. During Support Dry Grad, customers are invited to support high schools in their community organize alcohol-free graduations by donating $1. In recognition of their generous donation, customers receive a token of our appreciation (e.g. a wrapped piece of fine chocolate).

For more information about the current BC Liquor Stores Support Dry Grad campaign [6], please visit the Support Dry Grad [6] page or click here [6].