Independent · monthly · in store
Compliance checks, done independently
We send independent Checkers into your stores every month to verify that your team asks for ID on age-restricted sales. The associate is handed a Green Card or a Red Card right there at the register, and the report reaches your home office the next business day.
94%average client pass rate when the state runs a sting
A compliance check is the independent measurement of whether your team follows your own Company Carding Policy at the register.
Verify your team complies with your own Company Carding Policy by checking the way the state will check it. Failure on a BARS check is a teaching moment rather than a costly fine.
How a BARS compliance check works
Five steps in every store, every month. BARS keeps it simple to ensure consistency and trustworthy data.
A Checker walks in like any other customer.
Your team knows the BARS program runs every month, but not which day or which shopper. A Checker verified to be 21 to 25 walks in during normal business hours, unannounced.
They pick a product matched to the month's check type.
Alcohol, tobacco, vape, nicotine pouches, or lottery tickets. Check types rotate month to month so no single category drifts out of practice.
The associate asks for ID, or does not.
Nobody prompts the associate, and nobody argues if the ID gets requested.
The check stops at the register.
Nothing is purchased and no money changes hands. The product goes back on the shelf. This is a check, not a sting.
The card goes straight into the associate's hand.
Green cards are handed out when the ID is checked, Red cards to associates who fail to verify age. The result is posted to your report the next business day.
Why an outside check beats an inside one
Internal spot checks get predictable fast. A disclosed program with an anonymous Checker fixes that. The standard has to hold on all 30 days, because any customer could be the check.
- Your team knows the checks happen, and never knows which customer is the check
- Rotated across markets and dayparts, so no one can time it
- Checkers verified to be aged 21 to 25, the group your carding policy is built around
- Results that track with what happens when the state runs a sting
The Green Card and Red Card system
Every check ends with a card in the associate's hand, at the register, in the moment. Results then show up in your reporting to give you a complete view of all of your stores.
You carded. Way to go.
A Green Card thanks the associate by name for asking for ID. It reinforces the behavior for the next customer, and it shows the store that good carding gets noticed, not only the misses.
Not carded. Let's cover it.
A Red Card names the missed ID check and gives the shift manager a coaching conversation to have before the next shift starts. It's meant to be corrective, not punitive.
What you get every month
One service on a predictable monthly schedule, delivered to your designated representative. Other services can be added to the same visit: Store Operation feedback on cleanliness, service, and merchandising, and Reporting and Trend Analysis.
Two independent checks per location
Rotated by check type across your age-restricted categories.
Verified Checker ages
Every Checker confirmed to be aged 21 to 25.
A Green Card or Red Card in hand
Handed to the associate at the register, then documented in your report.
Next business day reporting
Location, time, associate, product category, and outcome.
A monthly Visit Summary
Delivered to your designated representative, ready to share.
Confidential record-keeping
Organized by store number and date of check.
The results you can expect
By the numbers
fewer failed government stings once a client holds the 95% threshold for two straight months, whatever the agency, state, or check type.
Drawn from 7,500,000+ compliance checks since 1997, roughly 40,000 a month.
We have been partners with the BARS group for over 12 years for our 500+ Holiday C-Stores. We believe that BARS is the industry leader in this service category.
See what a BARS report looks like for a chain your size.
A 30-minute demo walks your team through a real sample report and the check itself, with names redacted.
Common questions
How are BARS Checkers selected?
Does a BARS check involve buying the product?
Do my employees know the program is running?
Does BARS report failed checks to regulators?
See it for yourself
Find out what your pass rate actually is.
A 30-minute demo walks your team through a real sample report and the Green Card and Red Card system in action. Pricing is scoped to your store count and how often you want checks run.