Who owns The BARS Program?

The BARS Program is privately held and independently operated. It has been independently owned since 1997.

How big is the BARS team?

The BARS team includes full-time operations, regulatory tracking, account management, and engineering staff in the United States, plus a national network of vetted independent BARS Checkers who cover every market our clients operate in.

How can I work for BARS?

Open roles are posted on the Careers page. BARS hires for both office-based roles and field-based BARS Checker positions across the U.S. and Canada.

About The BARS Program

What BARS stands for

BARS stands for Being a Responsible Store/Server. The BARS Program strengthens the bond between retailers and the communities they serve. Every shopping trip should be safe and handled with integrity. BARS does that one register at a time. A Checker brings an age-restricted product to the counter. The associate asks for ID, or they don't. No money changes hands, and nothing is bought. Either way, the associate walks away with a card: a Green Card, or a Red Card and a coaching moment.

Our mission

The Bars Program strengthens the bond between retailers and the communities they serve. We believe every shopping experience should be safe, responsible, and built on integrity. Through education, compliance, and quality assurance, we help businesses raise their standards while protecting what matters most.

Our vision

To raise the bar of retail for every company, community, and individual.

What we value

Four values guide the work, in store and in the office.

Initiative. We act before pressured, not after a failed state sting forces the conversation.
Accountability. We own our work, including the visits that go wrong and the calls we get wrong.
Integrity. We tell the truth usefully, not flatteringly. A Red Card is a Red Card.
Service. We serve the people behind the paperwork: cashiers, managers, compliance directors, license holders.

Independent, and what that means

BARS is owned and operated independently of any retailer, manufacturer, training provider, or trade association. No client or partner can adjust a check result after the fact. The procedures have not changed since 1997 either, and that is the quieter advantage. A check run this month measures the same behavior a check run twenty years ago measured, so a multi-year trend line means something. BARS Compliance Check Procedures reinforce the retailer's own Company Carding Policy. We do not hand you a rule. We tell you whether the rule you already wrote is holding at the counter.

How we work with partners

The BARS Program works alongside the leading training and category responsibility partners in the industry, including We Card for tobacco and vape and ServSafe Alcohol for server training through the National Restaurant Association. Those partnerships make the training stronger. The independence keeps the measurement honest.