IN SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA,
AND EVERY DAY, HE DEALS WITH A PROBLEM
THAT HAS VEXED LIQUOR STORE OWNERS FOR YEARS.
- WE ALWAYS HAVE TEENAGER
TRYING TO COME AND BUY ALCOHOL.
WE ALWAYS REFUSE THE SALE.
- AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED,
NO BUSINESS SHOULD EVER HAVE TO TURN AWAY A PAYING CUSTOMER,
SO I PAID NABIL A VISIT TO HELP HIM OUT.
EVERY TIME YOU TURN AWAY A TEENAGER
WHO'S TRYING TO BUY ALCOHOL, YOU'RE LOSING A SALE.
- YES, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE LAW IS.
- MM-HMM. SO, FROM NOW ON, YOU ALLOW THEM TO PURCHASE IT,
BUT THEY JUST CAN'T TAKE IT HOME UNTIL THEY'RE 21.
THE MAIN REASON TEENAGERS WANT BOOZE
IS TO LOOK COOL TO THEIR FRIENDS,
SO IF NABIL LET MINORS PURCHASE ALCOHOL,
BUT THEN HELD IT IN A STORAGE LOCKER
UNTIL THEIR 21ST BIRTHDAY, BOUQUET PLAZA LIQUOR WOULD GAIN
A TON OF NEW UNDERAGE CUSTOMERS, WHO COULD THEN
BRAG TO THEIR FRIENDS THAT THEY OWN BOOZE.
THE PLAN, INCREASE BUSINESS BY SELLING ALCOHOL TO MINORS.
- COULD BE POSSIBLE, BUT WHEN YOU GET CLOSE TO THAT AGE,
DEFINITELY, YOU DON'T WANT A VOUCHER THAT SAYS,
"OH, YES, I OWN COUPLE BOTTLE OF LIQUOR,"
BUT WHERE THEY ARE? SO THEY WANT TO HAVE IT.
- WELL, NO OFFENSE, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M A BIT CLOSER
TO MY TEENAGE YEARS THAN YOU ARE,
SO I THINK I KNOW WHAT YOUTH THESE DAYS WANT.
- IF THEY GET THE HAPPINESS OF "YES, I HAVE IT,"
THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
- WITH NABIL ON BOARD, I CREATED SOME TAGS
THAT WOULD WORK LIKE A COAT CHECK SYSTEM FOR ALCOHOL.
SO MINORS COULD RECLAIM THEIR BOOZE FROM STORAGE
ONCE THEY TURN 21.
NEXT, I HAD TO GET THE WORD OUT TO YOUNG PEOPLE,
SO I ARRANGED A MEETING
WITH THE CHAIR OF A LOCAL YOUTH LITTLE LEAGUE
IN THE HOPES OF LANDING A SPONSORSHIP DEAL.
- YOU SERIOUSLY ARE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING A BANNER
THAT SAYS, "WE SELL LIQUOR TO MINORS"?
- THESE MINORS DON'T ACTUALLY GET TO TAKE HOME
THE ALCOHOL TILL THEY'RE 21.
- WELL, I DO UNDERSTAND IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT I AGREE
WITH TYING THAT UP TO OUR LITTLE LEAGUE.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING?
- I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HELPS IN ANY WAY,
BUT WE'D ALSO BE WILLING TO OFFER A FREE BOTTLE OF GIN
TO EVERY KID IN THE LEAGUE.
- NO, I'M SORRY.
- THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, THEN.
- WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR OFFER.
- YEAH. - I'M SURE IT'LL WORK OUT.
OH, NO. - WHAT?
- WHAT IS THIS FOR? - THIS--
- WHAT IS THIS FOR?
- [muttering] - OH, NO, NO, NO.
NO, NO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, THOUGH.
- ARE YOU-- - LET ME SHOW YOU OUT.
- NO, NO, ARE YOU SURE? - YEAH, YEAH. WE'RE DONE.
- WITH SPONSORSHIP OFF THE TABLE,
I NEEDED A DIFFERENT WAY TO REACH THE YOUTH MARKET,
SO I HIRED A TEEN ACTOR TO POSE AS A STUDENT
TO GET THE WORD SPREADING AT A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL.
SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT, YOU KNOW, BEFORE YOU TALK
ABOUT THE LIQUOR STORE OR ANYTHING,
YOU GOT TO ESTABLISH A RAPPORT
SO THE TEENS YOU'RE TALKING TO THINK YOU'RE COOL.
- OKAY. - SO MAYBE TALK ABOUT
HOW SCHOOL SUCKS, YOU KNOW, OR A BIT
ABOUT HOW THE INTERNET'S AWESOME OR SOMETHING.
AND THROW IN SOME SWEAR WORDS TOO.
SO TRY THAT.
- HEY, MAN, WHAT'S UP?
HEY, DUDE, THAT INTERNET THESE DAYS IS SO DOPE.
MAN, SCHOOL SUCKS, DUDE.
YOU CAN JUST GO ON THE STINKING INTERNET.
- WITH CONNOR TRAINED, I GAVE HIM A BACKWARDS HAT
AND SUNGLASSES SO HE WOULD LOOK COOLER.
THEN I SENT HIM ONTO SCHOOL PROPERTY
TO BEGIN SPREADING THE WORD.
- SO HOW ABOUT THAT INTERNET, MAN? WHAT'S UP?
OH, THE TEACHER SUCKS, BUT THE INTERNET RULES, YOU KNOW?
SO, ANYWAYS, I GOT THIS COOL TIP.
THERE'S THIS LIQUOR STORE DOWN THE BLOCK.
IT'S CALLED BOUQUET PLAZA LIQUOR STORE,
AND IT SELLS ALCOHOL TO MINORS.
OKAY, I GOT TO GO BACK TO SKIPPING CLASS.
- WITH CONNOR WORKING THE SCHOOL,
I HEADED BACK TO BOUQUET PLAZA,
READY TO RECEIVE OUR UNDERAGE CUSTOMERS,
AND WITHIN MINUTES, THEY BEGAN TO ARRIVE.
- DID YOU READ THE SIGN OUTSIDE?
THAT'S--DID YOU-- - THAT'S REAL?
- YEAH. - YEAH, YEAH. YOU CAN
GO GRAB SOME IF YOU WANT. - YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD
AND GRAB YOURSELF SOME ALCOHOL OR SOMETHING?
- [laughs]
I MEAN, I GUESS SO. [laughs]
- LOOK WHAT YOU GOT, HUH? - LOOK AT THAT.
- 40 OUNCE. - OH, THAT'S HUGE, BUDDY.
- HIGH LIFE, AWESOME. - YOU'RE GONNA START HEAVY,
DON'T YOU? - YEAH.
[laughter]
- SO YOU OWN THIS NOW. - YEAH, IT'S TIGHT.
- PRETTY SWEET. AH, AH, NOT SO CLOSE.
YOU GET A CLAIM CHECK, SO YOU'RE ALLOWED TO COME BACK
AND CLAIM IT WHEN YOU'RE 21.
- YEAH, BUT-- [laughs]
I WANT IT FOR RIGHT NOW. I DON'T WANT IT TWO YEARS LATER.
- WITH NO REFUNDS ALLOWED, THE MINORS HAD NO OTHER OPTION
BUT TO FILL OUT THE CLAIM CHECK, ALLOWING THEM TO OWN ALCOHOL
WITHOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF CONSUMING IT.
- WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS WEAK. THAT SUCKS.
- IT'S COOL AND LEGAL.
BREAKING THE LAW IS NEVER COOL.
- SEEMS LIKE A WASTE OF MONEY TO ME.
- MY PLAN WAS WORKING, AND NABIL WAS NOW ABLE
TO SELL TO A WHOLE NEW TYPE OF CUSTOMER.
- WHY DID I EVEN JUST PAY FOR THIS?
- BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO OWN THE ALCOHOL.
- OKAY, WELL, I DON'T WANT TO OWN THE ALCOHOL.
I WANT THE ALCOHOL.
- KNOWING THAT SOME TEENS WOULDN'T BE SATISFIED
LEAVING EMPTY-HANDED, I HAD A CORNER OF NABIL'S STORE
CONVERTED TO LOOK LIKE A COOL BASEMENT
SO MINORS COULD TAKE PHOTOS WITH THEIR ALCOHOL,
BEFORE IT GOES INTO STORAGE,
THAT WOULD HELP THEM BRAG TO THEIR FRIENDS.
IT FELT GREAT TO MAKE YOUNG PEOPLE HAPPY
WHILE TEACHING THEM ABOUT RESPONSIBLE DRINKING.
SO AFTER CLOSING UP FOR THE NIGHT,
IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I HAD TO GIVE NABIL
SOME TERRIBLE NEWS.
I LOOKED INTO IT, AND IT TURNS OUT
THAT WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS EXTREMELY ILLEGAL,
AND YOU KNOW, I GOT TO LOOK OUT FOR MYSELF.
I'M SORRY.
- GOOD EVENING, SIR.
- YES? - ARE YOU THE OWNER
OF THIS BUSINESS? - YES, SIR. HI.
- I'M AFRAID I'M GONNA HAVE TO PLACE YOU UNDER ARREST.
- WHY? WHAT'S GOING ON, SIR? HOW AM I--
- FOR DOING GOOD BUSINESS!
[dance music]
[laughs]
♪
- YOU'RE NOT IN TROUBLE AT ALL, I WAS JOKING.
- SO REALLY? IT DOES WORK OUT?
- YEAH, IT'S NOT ILLEGAL.
- OKAY. - I MEAN, HE'S NOT A REAL COP,
HE'S A STRIPPER, YEAH. - THAT'S OKAY.
BUT TO BRING A STRIPPER TO A BUSINESSMAN,
IT'S NOT A REALLY GOOD IDEA, NO.
- OH, YOU DON'T LIKE IT?
[music stops] - NOT AT ALL. LIKE, OKAY--
- WELL, IT WAS A JOKE, YOU KNOW,
LIKE, YOU THOUGHT HE WAS A COP. YOU KNOW?
- THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING, EVEN IF IT'S GONNA BE A JOKE,
NATHAN, TO BRING A BUSINESSMAN, BRING HIM, LIKE, STRIPPER--
A GUY STRIPPER, IT'S NOT REALLY GONNA BE THE COOL THING TO HAVE.
- ALL RIGHT.