Night Watch: in Russia, it was proposed to ban the operation of convenience stores
Convenience stores may be restricted in Russia. They want to grant the corresponding right to the regional authorities. The measure is aimed at combating the sale of alcohol at night. Experts, however, believe that, first of all, it is necessary not to ban the operation of retail outlets, but to conduct educational work with the public, explaining that buying alcohol in unidentified places is life-threatening. Whether the new initiative will allow to stop the sale of alcohol at night is in the Izvestia article.
A drastic measure
The operation of convenience stores in certain Russian regions may be restricted. This initiative was initiated by the Legislative Assembly of the Kirov region. The relevant bill has already been submitted to the State Duma. The measure is aimed at combating the illegal sale of alcohol at night.
"Small shops operating in the 24—hour format, contrary to the prohibitions established at the federal level, continue to carry out illegal sale of alcoholic beverages at night," the explanatory note to the draft law outlines the essence of the problem.
In the Kirov region, according to the authors of the initiative, the issue of such alcohol sales is very acute. Complaints from residents of the region continue to be received about round-the-clock retail outlets located in apartment buildings.
There are 141 convenience stores in the region. Violations of legal prohibitions and restrictions on the sale of alcoholic beverages, including at night, were recorded in 113 retail facilities. As a rule, such outlets do not have a license for the retail sale of alcohol and sell counterfeit products that do not have excise stamps.
The legislative assembly of the region believes that the sale of such products at night creates a criminal situation in the territory adjacent to the shops, as well as noise, which is the subject of the greatest public tension.
To solve the problem, the parliamentarians propose to assign to the subjects of the Russian Federation the right to establish additional restrictions related to the definition of the mode of operation of retail outlets operating at night.
Rosalokoltabakcontrol, commenting on the new initiative, reminded Izvestia that the sale of alcoholic beverages between 23:00 and 08:00 the next day is prohibited in Russia. An exception is made only for catering organizations, and they are not allowed to sell takeaways at night.
The press service of the supervisory authority recalled that the authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation may impose additional restrictions on temporary sales, including a complete ban on the retail sale of alcoholic beverages and catering if establishments are located in apartment buildings or adjacent territories.
— Alcohol purchased in circumvention of the listed requirements poses a real threat to the health and life of the consumer. It is at night that illegal products are usually sold," the department warned.
The editorial board of Izvestia sent a request to the Legislative Assembly of the Kirov region. No response has been received at the time of publication.
A common story
The problem with the illegal sale of alcohol at night is observed not only in the Kirov region. In October of this year, in the Nizhny Novgorod region alone, in the Sovetsky district, during a night raid to identify the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages, violations were found in several convenience stores at once. In total, eight facilities were checked, which had previously received complaints from residents. Of these, five stores violated the prohibition established by law.
In total, seven such raids have already taken place in the district since the beginning of the year, as a result of which eight protocols on administrative offenses have been drawn up.
In September, the owner of a store in Belogorsk, Amur region, was punished for selling alcoholic beverages after the time limit established by law. The violation during the raid was revealed by the city prosecutor's office. As a result, the entrepreneur was fined 40 thousand rubles.
In the same month, representatives of Just Russia succeeded in shutting down the Tomsk convenience store, which positioned itself as a bar. At the request of the deputies, the regional Department of Licensing and State Control conducted a control purchase, which showed that the establishment operates exclusively as a store, but sells alcohol at night. As a result, the outlet was stripped of its license to sell alcohol.
And in the first week of September, another raid was carried out in the Khabarovsk Territory. As a result, the illegal night sale of alcohol in one of the apartment buildings of the regional center was suppressed. In total, as part of the monitoring, seven residential buildings were checked, the residents of which complained of violations of the regime of silence and public order at night.
The facts of alcohol sales at night have been revealed for years. In particular, back in 2021, the independent research agency Zoom Market compiled a rating of cities where it is easiest to buy alcoholic beverages at night. The leaders were Moscow, Krasnodar and Ivanovo. The list also includes Chelyabinsk, Bryansk, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Omsk, Lipetsk and Perm.
A matter of survival
Formally, Russia has a ban on the retail sale of alcoholic beverages at night, but in most regions the police, Rospotrebnadzor and local governments regularly record violations of these rules, said Sean Betrozov, a lawyer at the Moscow Chamber of Lawyers and a member of the Russian Bar Association. Residents often complain about round-the-clock outlets near their homes, from which noisy companies come out with alcohol in their hands.
— In large cities, such facilities are concentrated in residential areas and near transport hubs. In small towns and villages, most often we are talking about several shops that all the locals know. From a legal point of view, their existence is a problem," the Izvestia source believes.
And it is systemic in nature, Oleg Pavlov, chairman of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor, head of the public organization Public Consumer Initiative, is convinced. The scale of the shadow sector, according to him, remains significant, and the overnight demand is stable.
— This can be seen from the stability of sales in the convenience store-bar segment in 2024 compared to the beginning of 2023. At the same time, the gap between official sales and real consumption is being closed by the shadow market," the expert points out.
However, it is difficult to say how widespread the sale of alcohol at night is, since alcohol trading is currently licensed by the subjects of the federation, said Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail information center.
— Cases of selling alcohol at night, of course, are possible. But network trading and large-scale retail are practically not working at this time. With rare exceptions, all federal retail facilities, even those specializing in alcohol, are being closed. Just to avoid the risks of selling products at night, — emphasizes the interlocutor of Izvestia.
It is important to understand that small businesses are usually open at night from grocery retail, complementing merchants. These are independent, non—network retail facilities for which working around the clock or extended hours is the only way to compete with large retailers.
— Federal players have completely different purchase prices and performance indicators. And when a small store wants to earn some more money without the influence of competitors, it starts functioning around the clock," the expert explains.
Illegal trade
One of the schemes for selling alcohol at night implies that convenience stores that have an alcohol department sell bottles for cash, and in the morning cashiers punch the goods at the allowed time of sale, Alexander Stavtsev points out.
"But these are cases when the human factor is more likely to turn on, and a person sells alcohol at night to relatives or acquaintances," he is convinced.
At the same time, the seller can also break through alcohol in advance, before the time of the sale ban, says Sean Betrozov.
"For example, a person buys alcohol at 23:30, and the time on the receipt is 15:30," the lawyer explains.
In addition, digital distribution through Telegram bots under the guise of a "courier service" or an agency agreement with separate payment for alcohol and delivery, as well as fake deals with the sale of alcohol under the guise of "souvenir products," Oleg Pavlov lists.
The scheme with the remote sale of alcohol works like this: a catalog is published in messengers, where only snacks and soft drinks are indicated in plain text, and alcohol is used as an unspoken attachment to the order, adds Betrozov.
— There is no formal word "vodka" or "wine" on the website or in the application, but regular customers know which items to choose so that alcohol is delivered to them at night along with a package of products, — the Izvestia interlocutor draws attention.
There are more sophisticated schemes, he clarifies. In some cities, there are "interest clubs" where alcohol sales are covered up by a system of membership fees — a person pays for snacks, and alcohol is supposedly given to him as a gift.
In addition, there are outlets that sell counterfeit goods, Stavtsev admits. But they are mostly not licensed stores.
— They actually sell alcohol there just "out of the window." Officially, such facilities do not seem to exist," the expert emphasizes.
According to Rospotrebnadzor, 407,910 cases of acute alcohol poisoning were registered in the Russian Federation from 2015 to 2024, Pavlov cites statistics. Of these, 111,381 resulted in death.
It is worth noting, however, that the latest high-profile cases of alcohol poisoning have occurred during the daytime, Stavtsev notes.
— These may be products purchased during the day at some markets or non-stationary facilities. A striking example is also the story of the "Mr. Cider" made from methanol, in the case of which the counterfeit generally entered legal retail, the expert explains.
This is not to say that any alcohol sold at night is necessarily a surrogate, Betrozov agrees. But those who knowingly trade without a license, ignoring accounting and reporting requirements, often sell counterfeit goods.
— These are products without excise stamps or with counterfeit stamps, alcohol-containing liquids that are not intended for consumption. The health risks in such cases are many times higher," the lawyer is sure.
By itself, the sale of alcohol at night indicates the willingness of an entrepreneur to break the law, the Izvestia interlocutor believes.
— If the store owner calmly ignores the federal time ban, the likelihood that he will also easily violate sanitary standards, storage rules, or age restrictions is objectively higher. Therefore, consumers are more likely to encounter a less protected environment at night, even if a particular bottle is not formally counterfeit, he believes.
An integrated approach
Any alcohol that is sold through illegal channels carries huge risks, because no one knows exactly what kind of product it is, Alexander Stavtsev emphasizes.
— But this is already a question of a certain literacy of the population. Conventionally, if a person buys vodka in a doorway, he must understand that he is taking a risk. And this literacy of the population as a whole is much higher now — any adult in our country knows that alcohol should have a special federal brand, the expert is sure.
It is educational work among people that needs to be continued, explaining to them that buying alcohol in unidentified places is life-threatening, he is convinced.
"This is much more effective than closing convenience stores, which are already found in small numbers, depriving people of the opportunity to buy food at any time,— Stavtsev urges.
The risk lies in the fact that pharmacies, gas station shops and points near train stations where people buy water, basic necessities and baby food at night may also fall under a regional ban, warns Sean Betrozov.
"If such facilities are forcibly closed, the region will receive not only a reduction in alcohol sales, but also a decrease in the availability of basic goods for residents," the lawyer explains.
In addition, the proposed restrictions can reduce spontaneous consumption and street crime, but the effect will be limited without a set of other measures, because the market is adapting, moving into new forms, Oleg Pavlov believes.
— If at the same time we do not strengthen control over illegal delivery, pseudo-theft and counterfeit trafficking, part of the demand will go to underground formats. Then an honest business will lose revenue, and the number of illegal sales will not decrease as much as the authors of the initiative expect," warns Betrozov.
Vyacheslav Plahotniuc, Advisor to the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and Doctor of Law at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, confirms that it is necessary to combat illegal night-time alcohol trafficking, including low-quality alcohol, not by closing stores, but by ensuring that they comply with the law.
— We don't ban cars just because someone violates the rules of the road. Violators are identified, fined, and even deprived of their rights. Trading in a surrogate is a criminal offense and no additional regulation is required here, but the current law must be strictly observed," the Izvestia interlocutor emphasizes.
The idea of bringing order to the sale of alcohol at night is understandable, Betrozov believes. But its implementation requires careful integration.
— We need clear criteria for facilities that are subject to restrictions, reasonable exceptions and parallel strengthening of control over real illegal trafficking, and not just changing the operating mode of the "round the clock" sign, — the lawyer summarizes.
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