Old Navy T-Shirt Story Gets Mucho Media Coverage

When Oregon Partnership complained about Old Navy stores selling alcohol-related t-shirts to teen customers, the media noticed.

Four Portland TV stations, a Eugene TV station, and several Portland radio stations aired extensive coverage, and the reaction is pouring into Oregon Partnership.

Most of what we are hearing  is positive from our point of view but for those who believe parents are responsible for what their kids buy and that Old Navy shouldn’t be held accountable,  remember this:

 By selling t-shirts with messages such as “Beer Pressure, Give in to it,” Old Navy is telling parents that the company doesn’t care about them, their kids, or their community. So much for the “social responsibility” that Old Navy and its parent company GAP, Inc. talk about.

OP is asking that Old Navy prove that they don’t dispute what most parents are telling their teens about the dangers of underage drinking and stop selling those t-shirts that encourage underage drinking or at the very least, make light of it.

OREGON PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AIMED AT OLD NAVY STORES: STOP SELLING T-SHIRTS PROMOTING BINGE DRINKING TO TEEN CUSTOMERS!

(Portland, Oregon)  Oregon Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating alcohol and drug abuse, has called for Old Navy stores to discontinue the sale of t-shirts with binge drinking messages such as “Beer Pressure – Worth Giving In To!” and “Sloshball Champions – Staggerin Falls, Hi.”

In a letter to Glenn Murphy, CEO of Gap, Inc, Old Navy’s parent company headquartered in San Francisco, Oregon Partnership said the sale of such items to a young customer base is repugnant and goes against the company’s pledge of social responsibility.

“Oregon Partnership and other anti-drug coalitions around the country will not let go of this.” said Pete Schulberg, OP Communications Director. “Other retail chains have stopped the sale of these t-shirts because they know that promoting binge drinking to young people is something they DON’T want to be a part of.”

See attachment for photo of t-shirt.  OP has other examples of the shirts for photo opportunities.

In a written reply to OP’s request, Chris Wingenfield of Gap Customer Relations said “at Old Navy, we strive to offer merchandise that appeal to a wide range of interests….it is never our intention to offend our customers and we apologize for any concerns related to our product.”

But Oregon Partnership President/CEO Judy Cushing termed Gap’s response “wholly unsatisfying.”

“Oregon Partnership and other anti-drug coalitions are making inroads in informing parents, educators, and the business community about how alcohol use among adolescents is even more dangerous to their developing brains than previously believed,” said Cushing. “But for the culture to be changed, retailers such as Gap and Old Navy need to play their part.”

The price of the t-shirts was lowered to $5.00 on the weekend before the start of most public schools in the state.

“It is obvious to us that Old Navy is marketing the shirts to the back-to-school crowd, which is irresponsible and hypocritical,” said Schulberg. “These are shirts that public schools would not allow kids to wear.

During last year’s holiday season, the store prominently displayed t-shirts with a Christmas tree and the words “Let’s Get Lit.” Another has an elf drinking from a keg.

Several years ago, after Oregon Partnership criticized Macy’s and Bloomingdales for selling similar t-shirts, the retailers decided to take the items off their shelves.  Other national chains have discontinued the sale of drinking games and similar products.

About Oregon Partnership:
Oregon Partnership is a statewide nonprofit that has worked to promote healthy kids and communities for well over a decade by raising awareness about drug and alcohol issues, providing prevention education in classrooms, and 24-hour crisis lines for people needing help. To learn more, visit www.orpartnership.org.

Old Navy Stores Selling Beer T-Shirts to Young Customers

Old Navy just doesn’t seem to get it.  The stores continue to sell t-shirts promoting beer drinking with such slogans as “Beer Pressure: Worth Giving In To.”

With an under-21 clientele, Old Navy is making a joke out of its pledge of social responsibility, which it talks about on its website.

Oregon Partnership just sent a letter to Gap CEO Glenn Murphy (Gap is the parent company) and Old Navy President Tom Wyatt.

We’ve complained to these folks before without any results, but now we’re starting to get more complaints from Old Navy customers.   They know that with underage drinking practically an epidemic, promoting drinking to a young customer base is a rescipe for disaster.

Putting a Stop to Shoulder-Tapping

Take time to educate your kids about the dangers of asking adults to buy alcohol for them….

A guy in his mid-20s pulls into a convenience store parking lot and is approached by two teenage girls, who nervously ask him to buy alcoholic lemonade for them. The man obliges, emerging from the store a few minutes later with a couple of six-packs he hands to the kids.

Unfortunately, the scene is all too real, because most kids who consume alcohol – about 30 percent of 8th-graders and nearly half of 11th-graders say they have in the past month, according to a survey of Oregon schoolchildren – get it from adults, who either knowingly or unknowingly supply it.

That makes underage drinking an adult problem, with adult solutions.

Maybe you’ve heard the terms. Sometimes it’s called “shoulder-tapping.” Other times it’s referred to as “Hey, mister.” Whatever the term, teens asking people, often strangers, older than 21 to buy alcohol for them is troubling. And organizations such as the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the state agency that promotes responsible alcohol sales and service, and Oregon Partnership, a statewide nonprofit that works to end alcohol and other drug abuse, are seeking to prevent it.

For adolescents and teens, the mere act of drinking alcohol poses health and safety risks, from physical injuries to damage to the young, developing brain. And let’s face it: too many kids who drink do it to get drunk. In Oregon, one in every four 11th-graders say they have binged on alcohol in the past 30 days, consuming five or more drinks in a couple of hours.

Pile on top of that the potential dangers inherent when kids approach adults who are strangers and ask them to buy alcohol and the picture becomes even more alarming.

Consider one study of shoulder-tapping by University of Minnesota School of Public Health researchers, who found that almost 20 percent of young males were willing to purchase alcohol for underage youth when approached outside an alcohol establishment. The study, published in 2007, found that one in five young males older than 21 was willing to buy alcohol for youth who appeared to be underage when shoulder-tapped outside of a convenience or liquor store. In contrast, 8 percent of the general adult population entering alcohol establishments was willing to purchase alcohol. The odds of adults providing alcohol in urban areas were about nine times greater than in suburban areas.

Furnishing alcohol to a minor is illegal. In Oregon, a furnisher faces possible fines for a first violation of as much as $6,250 and up to one year in jail – penalties designed to deter and, ultimately, keep kids safe. That’s something we can all get behind.

In fact, all of us have a role in preventing youth alcohol use. For parents, one of the most effective steps to keep kids safe and alcohol free is to talk with them about the harms of drinking at a young age. Consider it an ongoing conversation rather than the big “drug talk.” Share the safety risks, from riding in a car with a teenage driver who has been drinking to alcohol-related injuries, and emphasize the compelling research that points to the fact that regular drinking can harm the developing brain. We simply know more today than we did in the past about the health risks when kids and alcohol mix.

And be clear about your rules and consequences. For example, establish a family rule against your child asking anyone to supply alcohol to them, and weave this rule into your “stranger danger” conversation. Many kids don’t realize how dangerous shoulder-tapping can be. That’s why it’s important to establish firm boundaries and monitor their behavior. Stress that, at their age, drinking is illegal, and adults who furnish it to youngsters are breaking the law.

If you suspect your son or daughter has shoulder-tapped, talk with them to determine whether it’s true. Take time to gather your emotions first, and if you confirm it’s happening, explore what’s behind their behavior by asking open-ended questions. It’s a prime opportunity to turn a negative situation into a learning opportunity.

Whether or not you’re a parent, consider taking the conversation about shoulder-tapping to a broader audience. The reality is that too many adolescents and teens drink, adults are complicit and it makes your neighborhood less safe. Talk with neighbors and parents about your concerns and work together to raise awareness about the problem. Seek out the manager or owner of the local convenience or grocery store, share your concerns and ask what steps they are taking to prevent it. Also, consider contacting a substance abuse prevention organization and/or the OLCC. The agency works with convenience, grocery and liquor store owners to prevent alcohol furnishing.

And keep a consistent eye out for shoulder-tapping around your community and the stores you frequent – a kind of broader Neighborhood Watch concept. Remember that an adult buyer can be a complete stranger in a store parking lot, or the person who lives down the block or in the nearby building complex that you see around from time to time.

Education, awareness and action are keys to prevention, and it starts with you.

Teen Weighs in on “Shoulder Tapping”

The following was written by Arunee SengChanh as part of an awareness campaign by Oregon Partnership and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission regarding “shoulder tapping.”  It’s a term used when teens ask adults to buy them alcohol.

Shoulder tapping. This is a term I learned during middle school and, sadly, later became a term that I would witness my peers demonstrate.

Attempting to recollect the memories of my adolescent years, it feels as if it were yesterday that my friends and I were arguing over who was going to go to a store and shoulder tap customers as they walked in. This strategy of getting alcohol was kind of hit or miss. Either the adult bought the alcohol, or they didn’t. We also had to build a list in our mind of characteristics of adults who looked like they would buy us alcohol. After shoulder tapping a certain number of times, we became pretty good at judging which adults would buy us alcohol and which ones wouldn’t. I think that out of the many times my friends and I did this, about 40 percent of the adults we asked would buy the alcohol for us.

So what’s the big deal with buying alcohol for kids? Well, for one, it’s illegal. Second, it’s morally wrong. Growing up, I knew it was wrong to consume alcohol before the legal age of 21, but the age limit certainly wasn’t going to stop me, or any other kid I knew. It’s a scary thought that a kid, with the offer of a couple of extra dollars, could coax an adult to buy the alcoholic beverage that the kid wants.

Many adults I’ve encountered who buy alcoholic beverages for underage drinkers think that it’s OK for teenagers to drink every once in awhile, that teenagers are just being teenagers, and it’s a phase everyone goes through. Truth is, it’s not a phase all teenagers go through, and certainly doesn’t have to be. In today’s society, it’s already hard enough to not give in to peer pressure to drink or use drugs, but when adults think it’s harmless fun for teenagers to drink, it makes it so much harder because they are enabling us to drink. Even if an adult is supervising the underage drinkers, it makes the situation even more ridiculous because we as teenagers are not held accountable for our mistakes because there was an adult in the picture.

I have seen the many devastating effects alcohol has had in many people’s lives, including my own. It has torn families apart, created unnecessary crimes and resulted in avoidable deaths. Which makes me think, “Why would you inflict that kind of damage on adolescents?” I’m not sure if it’s that adults these days are not well informed about the effects of alcohol on the human body, or if it’s simply that they don’t care, but buying alcohol for underage drinkers is illegal and wrong. Alcohol, along with many other harmful substances, is destroying more and more of today’s youth – bit by bit. What many people think is harmless fun can result in lifelong consequences.

So adults, next time an underage drinker asks you to purchase alcohol for them, just refuse to do it. You’ll not only be doing that young person a favor, but yourself, too. If your conscience doesn’t get to you, the law will.

Arunee SengChanh is a college student and volunteer with Oregon Partnership (OP), a statewide nonprofit that exists to end alcohol and drug abuse and suicide. OP, together with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association and the Face it, Parents underage drinking prevention campaign , has kicked off a summer public awareness initiative to prevent “shoulder tapping.”

Alcohol Sales to Minors Show Drop

 The Oregon Liquor Control Commission performed alcohol sales checks to minors in Portland, Gresham and Troutdale on May 19 and 22, and the results were encouraging.

The compliance rate averaged 90 percent for both operations, which is well above the 2008 statewide average of 78 percent. 

“Binge drinking before turning 21 can cause damage to a teen’s still developing brain,” said Carl Lewis, Regional Enforcement Manager.  “Oregon’s store clerks and servers play a critical role in keeping alcohol out of minors’ hands.”

• Eastern Multnomah County (Portland, Gresham, Troutdale) had an 86 percent compliance rate on May 19 with 26 out of 30 businesses passing.  The compliance check was performed by OLCC and Gresham Police Department.
• Portland had a 94 percent compliance rate on May 22 with 15 out of 16 businesses passing.  OLCC performed the minor sales check.

The commission performs the minor sales checks in an effort to reduce drinking by minors, which is a serious problem throughout the state.  The OLCC tests about 1,800 licensed liquor businesses each year.  Licensees or their employees can be held liable for alcohol-related damages and injuries if they serve or sell alcohol to a minor.

Under Oregon law, businesses in cities with a population of 20,000 or more have an equal chance of being randomly selected for a minor decoy compliance check.  A business can also be selected for a compliance check if there is a documented complaint of sales to minors.  Businesses in cities with a population under 20,000 and unincorporated areas in counties are not subject to these selection requirements. 

The OLCC offers a free training course on how to check ID’s.  Participants learn how to identify false identification and the laws regarding minors and alcohol.  Additional training opportunities are available including classes for store clerks and service permit holders.  Interested persons can call the local OLCC office to schedule a training session.

During the sales checks, a minor volunteer attempts to purchase alcohol from a licensed business to see if staff are checking ID’s correctly and refusing to sell alcohol to anyone under 21.  Commission inspectors or other law enforcement officers supervise the minor volunteers.  The volunteers carry their own legal ID and do not disguise their age or lie to encourage the sale of alcohol.

Changing Oregon’s Underage Drinking Culture

The best story I’ve ever heard about preventing underage drinking has to do with a cigarette. It was told to me by a Portland area woman wanting to prove a point with her teenage son and a couple of his buddies.

While having lunch at a restaurant, the conversation turned to alcohol with the guys griping that it should be legal for them to be able to have a beer or two. In Europe, they argued, teens can drink.

Just then, mom lit up a cigarette. And the guys practically jumped out of their chairs, loudly admonishing her because what she was doing was against the law and besides, how embarrassing for THEM!

The woman proceeded to explain how not very long ago, smoking a cigarette in a restaurant was part of the culture – not only legal, but accepted. Hazardous to your health and a major killer? Nobody really knew that yet or chose to ignore it.

The story has a strong parallel to what is going on in our state with underage drinking. Based on the annual Oregon Healthy Teen Survey, a third of our 8th-graders have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. If you’re wondering, that’s almost double the national average. Almost half of Oregon 11th-graders drink.

We can sit around and theorize about why this is happening — the rain? Beer ads on TV? Cuts in prevention programs? More stress and peer pressure?

Whatever the reasons, there is no doubt that the culture can be changed, like it was for cigarette smoking (which continues to decline in this country). Look no further than information, education and, above all, parenting.

The prime focus of the statewide “Face It, Parents” campaign is to get into parents’ heads that we have learned more about the workings of the adolescent brain and that we need to teach our kids what we now know.

Thanks to advances in brain scanning technology, we’ve learned that the teenage brain is “under construction” and that alcohol and drugs have more serious and longer-lasting effects. Researchers say that the sooner and more often teens drink, the more likely they will become addicted and have alcohol problems in adulthood.

And those familiar refrains of “Oh, it’s a rite of passage” and “I did it, too” ring dangerously hollow. Our grandparents said the same thing about cigarettes.

Researchers in alcohol and drug prevention also say that parents have more influence on their kids than anyone. But not enough of us are talking early and often to our children about what alcohol and drugs do to their bodies.

Maybe it’s because we think “not my child.” That’s what we hear a lot from parents whose teens — who have never been in trouble before — are arrested for DUII, end up in the hospital, or worse.

And that argument that teens in Europe can drink? European countries continue to deal with a worsening underage drinking epidemic by debating whether to raise the drinking age.

Pete Schulberg, Oregon Partnership

Chicago Mom To Pay $2.5 mil For Underage Drinking Party

Parents: Hosting underage drinking is NOT OK!

A former high school student, paralyzed in a car collision after a 2006 teenage drinking party, will receive a $2.5 million settlement from the mother of the party’s hosts.

George Baldwin, now 22 and paralyzed from the chest down, sued Lauralee Pfeifer after the Nov. 19, 2006, party at their Lake Forest home in Chicago’s North Shore area.

Her daughters, then 16 and 17, threw the underage bash. Baldwin left the party with a friend, who crashed his car into a utility box on an Illinois highway. Both men were hurt, Baldwin more seriously.

Recently, a Lake County judge approved the settlement against Lauralee Pfeifer for the maximum $2.5 million covered by her homeowner’s insurance, said Patrick Salvi, Baldwin’s attorney. “We were not suing her as a social host but in her role as a parent,” Salvi said. “It was her duty to supervise her children.”

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Home Furnishing Takes on Whole New Meaning: Alcohol Available To Underage Drinkers

 

New Messages From the “Face It, Parents” Campaign

A new effort to educate adults about the dangers of furnishing alcohol to minors is underway, thanks to a combined effort by Oregon Partnership and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

New products, materials and posters are being rolled out at various liquor stores around the state, in hopes that parents get the message loud and clear: That most teens who obtain hard liquor, get it from home.

Among the items are bottle hangers featuring peal-off stickers that parents can put on their home alcohol supply that say, “At your age, drinking is dangerous.  So are really angry parents.”

“Preventing alcohol sales to minors is a top priority for the commission,” says Rudy Williams, OLCC Deputy Director. “Being a partner in this campaign strengthens our mission to promote the responsible sales and service of alcohol.”

The National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association awarded a $10,000 grant to fund the anti-furnishing campaign.

Posters are also being displayed, supporting the campaign theme, “Home Furnishing Takes on a Whole New Meaning.”  Other campaign posters featuring several messages are being developed, including alcohol’s impact on the adolescent brain.

Refrigerator magnets will also be distributed to local prevention and coalition coordinators around the state.  Among the magnet messages:

“Parental disapproval is the #1 reason kids don’t drink”

“Set clear rules against underage drinking”

“Know where your kids are and what they’re doing”

“Kids get alcohol from home.  Lock your liquor cabinet”

“It’s a startling new trend that our kids now prefer hard liquor over beer as their drink of choice,” says Pam Erickson of Oregon Partnership.  “Often, kids get their alcohol from home. Parents should tell their children that underage drinking is not permitted in their home or elsewhere.”

Public Service Announcements aired on radio stations in July and August boosted awareness of the campaign.  The ten and thirty-second PSA’s are expected to air again during November and December.

According to Erickson, parents need to maintain control of alcohol in their home and talk to their children about “house rules” against underage drinking.

Researchers say those who start drinking under the age of 15 have four times the chance of having problems with alcohol when they reach adulthood.

The most recent Oregon Healthy Teens Survey shows that about a third of 8th graders in the state have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days and about half of 11th graders. The Survey also shows that 31 percent of 8th grade drinkers and 37 percent of 11th grade drinkers prefer liquor.

 “Face it, Parents” is an Oregon Department of Human Services prevention campaign managed by Oregon Partnership and designed to reduce underage drinking by targeting parents. 

For more about “Face It, Parents,” visit www. faceitparents.com.

To learn more about keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors, visit http://oregon.gov/OLCC/alcohol_and_minors.shtml

Home Furnishing Takes on Whole New Meaning

New Products Available From the “Face It, Parents” Campaign

 A new campaign to educate adults about the dangers of furnishing alcohol to minors is underway, thanks to a combined effort by Oregon Partnership and the Oregon Liquor Control Mission.

New products, materials and posters are available at various liquor stores around the state, in hopes that parents get the message loud and clear: That most teens who obtain hard liquor, get it from home.

Among the items are bottle hangers featuring peal-off stickers that parents can put on their home alcohol supply that say, “At your age, drinking is dangerous.  So are really angry parents.”

Posters are also being displayed, supporting the campaign theme, “Home Furnishing Takes on a Whole New Meaning.”  Other campaign posters featuring several messages are being developed, including alcohol’s impact on the adolescent brain.

Refrigerator magnets will also be distributed to local prevention and coalition coordinators around the state.  Among the magnet messages:

“Parental disapproval is the #1 reason kids don’t drink”
“Set clear rules against underage drinking”
“Know where your kids are and what they’re doing”
“Kids get alcohol from homes.  Lock your liquor cabinet”

“It’s a startling new trend that our kids now prefer hard liquor over beer as their drink of choice,” says Pam Erickson of Oregon Partnership.  “Often, kids get their alcohol from home. Parents should tell their children that underage drinking is not permitted in their home of elsewhere.”

According to Erickson, parents need to maintain control of alcohol in their home and talk to their children about “house rules” against underage drinking.

According to researchers, those who start drinking under the age of 15 have four times the chance of having problems with alcohol when they reach adulthood.

The most recent Oregon Healthy Teens Survey shows that about a third of 8th graders in the state have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days and about half of 11th graders. The Survey also shows that 31 percent of 8th grade drinkers and 37 percent of 11th grade drinkers prefer liquor.

 “Face it, Parents” is an Oregon Department of Human Services prevention campaign managed by Oregon Partnership and designed to reduce underage drinking by targeting parents. 

For more about “Face It, Parents,” visit www. faceitparents.com.