Is it wrong for a restaurant or any retail store that sells alcohol make adult employees to taste samples?!
Answers: Should that be wrong to tell them that they should taste some samples at work if they are not comfortable with tasting wine or liquor samples in front of customers when they are at work?We should taste on our own time not at work.
Tasting doesn't mean consuming.
If you have ever tasted wine before you know there is always a spit bucket.
Taste and spit.
To be an effective salesperson you must have intimate knowledge of the product.
If they are forcing you to consume any amount of alcohol and it's not a specific function of your job then it is illegal.
Wow...sounds like an awful place to work...
=\
i would definately bring this one to the better business bureau, because that is illegal, unless you work at a bar
why would merely tasting something in public make you uncomfortable? it seems like a very minor issue. What are you afraid of? Now I'd agree if they said you had to get drunk in front of customers. That might be embarrassing, but just tasting? Seems like good education so you can speak intelligently about products you sell. Taking it home seems impractical - what, would you give everyone a whole bottle?
Yes it's wrong. What if an employee doesn't drink or is a recovering alcoholic? They should at least have the right to refuse to do this.
If you work at a bar or something and you're expected to know your product then I think it's right for them to suggest you try it, but they obviously can't force you to. There's a vast difference between sampling a drink and getting smashed on the clock. I don't think it's uncommon at all for bar and liquor store employees to drink in front of customers.
I worked at a beer store and we had tastings every payday so basically if you wanted your check you got suckered in to sticking around for the tasting. I had no objection to the tasting just the mandatory unpaid gathering. Whatever, whether I liked it or not I learned something for free.
Never do anything that you don't want to. report the place, that should be completely illegal...
I do not think people should be forced to drink.
However, if you work in a restaurant and selling alcohol is part of your job you should know how it tastes so you can tell the customers about it.
Just like when I cook a dish in my restaurant, I expect the servers as well as the Chef's to taste every dish on the menu. You can't properly make or sell a dish if you do not know what it tastes like.
Basically it is part of your job responsibilities. That is why most wine tastings have a spit bucket, it allows you to taste it without getting drunk.
I can’t give you’re the official ‘legal’ standpoint on this one, but if they are forcing a server to try everything or it’s their job, then yes it’s wrong. I understand the restaurant’s thinking here, how can someone sell something that they have never tried and have no opinion on? They can’t, at least not successfully. But the thought of forcing the server to taste everything comes across as wrong and would seem to be against U.S. employment laws.
That's ridiculous. If you work in a store that sells alcoholic beverages, you should taste your products. They're not asking you to tip a pint or do shots, rather taste the products so you can speak intelligently about them.
I would not want my employees to take it home. First, it's quite pricey for everyone to get their own bottle of everything. Second, tasting in a group setting with like-minded individuals sparks conversation about the products being tasted. Someone may point out something that you may not notice in the flavor, aroma, etc.
Plus, tasting in front of customers assures them that you are not simply talking out of your *** when trying to sell them a product; it shows you have some level of knowledge and understanding about what the product is all about.
Illegal? Give me a break.
Plus, no one's forcing you to work there. If you want to do your job well, you need to taste on the job with the other employees. If you don't agree with this practice, you're in the wrong line of work.
Cheers.
your drinking at work wats not good about that. they just want you to try it so you can related when people ask wat its like.
I don't think they can force you to do it.
Most restaurants that have an extensive wine list require their employees to know what they're selling though and have the distributors come in to give tastings. This is usually done on the clock and is considered job training and can be written off at tax time.
Sounds HORRIBLE.