Retail Minister urges businesses to strengthen age-verification checks
The 'Show Me I.D. – Be Age OK' campaign is encouraging retailers and hospitality businesses to ensure staff are confident in preventing underage sales of age-restricted products
Print14 October 2026
Retail Minister Alan Dillon has urged businesses to remain vigilant when selling age-restricted products, emphasising the importance of robust age-verification checks to help prevent underage sales.
The Minister was speaking at the launch of the latest ‘Show Me I.D. – Be Age OK’ campaign at Mulroy’s Londis on the Moneen Road Roundabout in Castlebar, Co. Mayo.
The campaign highlights the important role retailers and their employees play in preventing young people from accessing age-restricted products, including alcohol, tobacco, vapes, nicotine pouches and lotto products.
Free training supports responsible retailing
The free ‘Show Me I.D.’ programme provides practical guidance for retail and hospitality staff on age verification and the responsible sale of age-restricted products.
Its online training module helps employees recognise when identification should be requested, identify acceptable forms of ID and manage situations where there is uncertainty about a customer’s age.
Available on computers, tablets and smartphones, the training allows staff to refresh their knowledge at any time and build confidence in carrying out age checks.
More than 2,000 retail and hospitality staff completed the training module in 2025.
Minister warns against complacency
With colleges and universities now back after the summer break, the campaign is also highlighting the importance of continued vigilance in communities with large student populations.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Retail and Mayo TD Alan Dillon stressed that businesses must remain consistent in their approach to age verification.
“Retailers and their staff have an important responsibility when it comes to preventing young people from accessing age-restricted products. Robust age checks are one of the most practical ways businesses can help prevent underage sales and ensure these products are sold responsibly,” he said.
The Minister added that staff should feel confident about when to request identification, which forms of ID are acceptable and how to handle situations where there is doubt about a customer’s age.
He encouraged retailers to make use of the free ‘Show Me I.D.’ training to support their teams and reinforce responsible selling practices.
Training helps staff handle difficult interactions
Alan Mulroy, store manager at Mulroy’s Londis, said checking identification was an important part of responsible retailing and that staff needed to be confident and consistent when dealing with age-restricted sales.
He acknowledged that asking customers for ID could sometimes be an uncomfortable interaction, particularly when customers believed they were clearly above the required age.
Clear guidance and training, he said, helped employees make the right decisions and refuse sales where necessary.
Mulroy also encouraged other retailers to take advantage of the ‘Show Me I.D.’ training as a practical resource for both businesses and their staff.
Retailers encouraged to access free resources
The ‘Show Me I.D. – Be Age OK’ campaign is encouraging retailers and hospitality businesses to ensure their teams understand best practice in age verification and are equipped to deal confidently with age-restricted sales.
Retailers and hospitality staff can access the free online training module and find further information about the campaign here.
Read more: Show Me I.D. completions surpass 2,000
© 2026, ShelfLife by Patryk Goron
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