Toronto Star in bed with TBS?

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:23 am

Slightly nauseating puff piece in the Star today by a reporter "embedded" at TBS to report on the wonderful job they do checking IDs. Practically an advertorial. Why would they do that?

Sorry, I've tried to add a link but can't do it for some reason - it blanks out my entire post.

grub · Post by **grub** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:03 am

I believe this is what you are referring to?

my favourite stat is buried toward the end: TBS challenged 3.5 million times and refused 67k, comapred to the LCBO challenging 6.3 million times and refusing 290k times = 1.8x more challenges translating to 4.3x more refusals... so the beer stores refusal rate is under 2% and the LCBO is almost 5%. one of them is missing something...

edit: corrected the first stat to TBS - had both saying LCBO...

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:13 am

Yes - thanks for posting.

Bytowner · Post by **Bytowner** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 11:30 am

My training as a beer salesperson begins with the one-hour course at the keyboard, covering everything from the half-dozen types of photo ID considered acceptable proof of age in Ontario, to the most common signs that a customer may be underage. Sales staff must observe things like facial hair, fashion trends, whether someone makes eye contact, mumbles or appears nervous. I learn some phrases to use when asking for ID or refusing a sale to someone who doesn’t produce it

Oh for fuck's sake.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 1:27 pm

the Star's always sucked the Ontario Liberals' cock. so nauseating.
Wynne probably called the Star and requested this article to be run due to the pushback TBS and the government are getting from their idiotic relationship.

I'm more surprised some of you actually read the Star.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:06 pm

Sometimes with gritted teeth, to be sure. Good sports section, they've led the Ford coverage, I like a couple columnists (and despise a couple). So there's good and bad, like most papers.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:08 pm

midlife crisis wrote:Sometimes with gritted teeth, to be sure. Good sports section, they've led the Ford coverage, I like a couple columnists (and despise a couple). So there's good and bad, like most papers.

the Sun has a better sports section, IMO.
the Ford thing started off pathetically, but they have moved into the rightish area.
but they are Liberal govt apologists to the T

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 2:18 pm

You're right about the Sun's sports, though Cathal Kelly in the Star is without a doubt the best young sportswriter in Canada. The rest of the Sun is just too much of a joke for me though. They are all imperfect choices. The relentlessly pro-Liberal outlook of the Star bugs me sometimes too. Though good for Martin Regg Cohn in being one of the leaders on the anti-TBS thing, which is what we started talking about.

grub · Post by **grub** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:07 pm

i don't read either - just got curious and went looking for the article in question...

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:09 pm

grub wrote:i don't read either - just got curious and went looking for the article in question...

liar.
found some Stars and Now Magazines lining the bottom of your kegerator.

grub · Post by **grub** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:34 pm

atomeyes wrote:liar.
found some Stars and Now Magazines lining the bottom of your kegerator.

haha, why would i want newspaper in my kegerator? seems like an invitation for mold if there's any moisture....

anytime i get a newspaper of any kind it's free and they go straight into the pile for the fireplace.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:40 pm

Bytowner wrote:
the most common signs that a customer may be underage. Sales staff must observe things like facial hair, fashion trends, whether someone makes eye contact, mumbles or appears nervous.
Oh for fuck's sake.

"Any sign of hesitation." I also like how the article unwittingly explains how to pass the scrutiny tests with flying colors, and avoid being carded. Don't minors read english too?

groulxsome · Post by **groulxsome** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 4:04 pm

One thing I noticed when I was last in the states, both places I bought beer (Consumers and Premier in Buffalo) I got carded, which is something that never happens to me in Ontario. I mean, I'm in my late twenties and have a beard, so I'm not exactly passing for a highschool student or even really under 25. But when I was carded, not only did they check my picture, but they also scanned the barcode thing on the back of it which surprisingly worked considering it's an almost expired Newfoundland licence.

It's seriously not that hard to check an ID, scan it to make sure it's legit and the age is actually correct, and then sell a person beer. Like, really not that hard. I don't quite get how this is supposedly something anyone couldn't do very, very easily.

Edit: also, normally the cash automatically freezes out the customer if the card fails to scan (fake or underage). So, um, the person really only needs to be able to match a face to a picture and put a card in a place, no need for complex literacy!

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 4:17 pm

Yes. If the typical TBS employee can do it, then anyone can do it. She makes it sound like they are Customs agents or something.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Thu Feb 13, 2014 5:14 pm

grub wrote:
atomeyes wrote:liar.
found some Stars and Now Magazines lining the bottom of your kegerator.
haha, why would i want newspaper in my kegerator? seems like an invitation for mold if there's any moisture....

anytime i get a newspaper of any kind it's free and they go straight into the pile for the fireplace.

cuz they make your quads supertasty?