Store sorry after drunk bought wine

NO SALES: Alcohol is off the shopping list at Countdown Tikipunga for three days after a worker sold a three litre cask of wine to an intoxicated woman. PHOTO/JOHN STONE

A Whangarei supermarket is apologising after selling wine to a woman so drunk a concerned member of the public phoned for an ambulance.

Countdown Tikipunga has been prohibited from selling alcohol from 7am on Monday to 7am Thursday next week by the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA), after the store sold a three litre cask of wine to a visibly intoxicated woman on August 20 last year.

A member of the public who witnessed the sale and inebriated state of the woman was so concerned they phoned police, St John and Whangarei District Council licensing inspectors, Whangarei police alcohol harm reduction officer Sergeant Howard Clement said.

According to the December 3 ARLA ruling, CCTV footage showed that the woman was swaying at the checkout while making the purchase, before she went into a nearby pharmacy and attempted to drink straight from the wine cask.

Countdown Tikipunga store manager Snow Tane has apologised to customers for "letting them down" and for "any inconvenience while we are unable to sell beer and wine at this time of year".

"We care very much about our Tikipunga customers and on this occasion not all of our processes were followed. We have a strong record here with comprehensive staff training in place, which we've taken the opportunity to reiterate with our team."

All checkout staff and supervisors are trained in the store's alcohol policies and the laws relating to the responsible sale of alcohol, a national Countdown spokesperson said. Countdown would not say how much the ban would cost in terms of lost sales.

"There is a limited window in which to observe each customer in a supermarket environment and there are a number of things our team are trained to look for. We are absolutely committed to training our team to do the very best we can every time and meet our obligations under the law," the spokesman said.

Mr Clement was pleased with the ARLA ruling - which he described as an "expected result" - and the fact the incident was reported by a member of the public.

"They did the right thing and have to be commended for it."

The ban comes hot on the heels of a High Court decision prohibiting Countdown Takapuna in Auckland from selling alcohol for a week, after the supermarket sold beer in August 2012 to a man so drunk he could barely stand up.