On November 20 a non-descript male entered Rogers Wines and Spirits, made a quick walk through and left, apparently not finding the titillating item or price point he was seeking.  

He was the first potential customer of the day and the professional (homage to Daryl Rosen) noticed the vehicle he was driving as he left the parking lot.  

She had made a quick perusal of the shelves prior to starting her day so it was apparent to her that prior to his stealthy departure our "friend and customer" had gotten a really great five finger discount on a E&J VSOP traveler.

The following day Kim (we'll call her Kim since that's her name) approached me in the back room to explain the occurrence of the previous day.

She asked me to search the previous day's video in an attempt to capture a clear image of our discount shopper so his heavenly visage could be distributed amongst the staff for obvious reasons.  

We then walked back out to the showroom floor - Kim to the counter to assist the newly arriving consumer and me to my office.  

Imagine our mutual surprise when we learned the first customer of the previous day had returned to "shop" again!  

He was still in the entry, making a quick exit when Karen (we'll call her Karen since that's her name) informed us another bottle of E&J VSOP was missing!

Events such as this remind me that municipal liquor isn't all about the money.  

Our insurance providers recognize this and award us with lower rates for higher levels of coverage.  

More law enforcement agencies recognize this and increasingly include us as partners.  

The Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome recognizes this and respects our intentions.  

Our legislators recognize this and listen when we speak.

My staff recognized that customer service does not begin and end at the "point of purchase." (If you're not familiar with this concept, you may need a server training. Call me.)  

Kim was observant and noticed the customer, the vehicle and the theft. On the subsequent day this information proved itself to be invaluable!  

The well stocked shelves were an obvious indicator that something was missing and the night staff should be commended for that.  

Kim communicated the previous day's events to Karen via an incident log, which alerted Karen to check the shelf on the second attempted theft.

The story ended this way....

The customer was stopped in the parking lot, returned the bottle, parked his pickup and was apprehended by the Roger's Police.  

He was homeless, had no money to pay for the previous day's theft and was charged with second degree DWI. This was his third DWI in ten years and he registered a respectable .26!  

Due to an alert, professional staff we protected a city asset and removed a serious threat from our highways.

Represent your city proudly! You are a community asset.

Gary Buysse

Rogers Wine & Spirits

Beverage Alcohol Training

Two youth organizations will donate $73,000 to the city of Elk River to pay for lighting an athletic field.

The Elk River Youth Football Association will donate $45,000 and the Elk River Youth Lacrosse Association will give $28,000.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $135,000.  

The city intends to pay the balance - $62,000 - with liquor store profits. The city owns and operates Northbound and Westbound liquor stores.