"You're Not a Cop, Right?" How Tobacco Retailers Navigate Underage Tobacco Purchases at the Point of Sale: A Qualitative Analysis of Underage Buyers' Comments from Three U.S. states.

Purpose: Despite the passage of federal Tobacco 21 (T21) policies, underage tobacco use remains a problem. Retailers play a critical role in enforcing T21 policies as they control access to tobacco products at the point of sale. Given the importance of retailer compliance in the success of T21 policies, this study aimed to investigate how clerks navigate situations when underage buyers attempt to purchase tobacco products by using comments captured during underage purchase attempts in a multi-state study.

Methods: Comments (n = 1157) from underage buyers (n = 58) were captured from August 2019 to September 2023. We used a thematic coding approach to develop themes.

Results: Three primary themes emerged: (1) "Are you old enough to smoke?" - Age Verification Procedures, (2) "Okay, you're almost [21]. Close enough." - Evading Minimum Age of Sale Policies, and (3) "Not for you." - Enforcement of T21 Policies. Many clerks complied with and enforced T21 policies at the point of sale; however, themes showed how some clerks evaded these policies to complete sales to underage buyers.

Conclusion: Findings reveal a need to strengthen T21 enforcement and increase retailer education for T21 policies.