OAR 845-013-0010: Substantial Gratuities

(1) ORS 471.398(1) prohibits a manufacturer or wholesaler from providing a substantial gratuity to a retailer. This rule lists the only gratuities a manufacturer or wholesaler may give to a retailer and not violate ORS 471.398(1). (2) Food and Beverages. A manufacturer or wholesaler may give a retailer food and beverages for immediate consumption: (a) At a meeting at which the primary purpose is the discussion of business; (b) At a convention when the food and beverages are offered to all participants; (c) At a sports or entertainment event that the manufacturer or wholesaler attends with the retailer. See section (4) of this rule. (3) Items at a Convention. A manufacturer or wholesaler may give item(s) to retailers who are participants at a convention as long as the manufacturer or wholesaler offers the item(s) to all the convention participants. (4) Tickets/Admission Fees: (a) A manufacturer or wholesaler may pay for a retailers ticket or admission fee including green, court and lane fees for a sports or entertainment event; (b) Payment is allowed as long as the manufacturer or wholesaler accompanies the retailer to the event and does not pay associated costs like the retailers airfare and costs of a similar type. (5) Campaigns for Responsible Use. A manufacturer or wholesaler may: (a) Give a retailer inexpensive items that function only to promote responsible use of alcoholic beverages. These items may be for retailer use on the premises or for customer use. They may include an inconspicuous reference to a manufacturer or wholesaler but no reference to the retailer. Examples of allowable items: buttons, posters and static-cling stickers. Examples of non-allowable items: glasses, T-shirts and coasters; (b) Provide a person as a part of a campaign to promote responsible use of alcoholic beverages on a retailers premises as long as: (A) Neither the manufacturer/wholesaler or retailer advertise or promote the persons presence at the premises; (B) If a celebrity or performer is involved, the celebrity or performer does only a brief performance, if any: (C) The manufacturer or wholesaler provides no alcoholic beverages to the retailers customers; (D) The manufacturer or wholesaler does a promotion no more than once per year per retail premises. (6) Gifts. A manufacturer or wholesaler may give a retailer a gift to acknowledge a grand opening, personal or business anniversary, death in the family, birthday, holiday or similar special occasion. The value of all gifts given to a retailer during any calendar year must not exceed $30 fair market value. Gifts may not include cash or anything else that ORS 471.398 and OAR 845, division 013 regulate. For example, 845-013-0050 limits exterior point of sale material to a 630 square inch maximum. A manufacturer or wholesaler may not use this gift section to expand allowable point of sale material in order to give a retailer a larger exterior sign. (7) Winery or Brew-Pub Festivals for the Public Held on a Retailers Premises: (a) With a Special Events Winery License, one or more wineries may hold and promote a wine-tasting festival (the Timberline Wine Festival, for example) or similar event on a retailers premises. With a Temporary Sales License, one or more brewery-public houses (Brew-Pubs) may hold and promote a malt beverage tasting festival or similar event on a retailers premises; (b) The purpose of this section is to allow wineries and brew pubs, not retailers, to make any allowable sales of alcoholic beverages at the festival. To accomplish this, the requirements for these festivals are: (A) Space is all the retailer provides; (B) At the festival, only the winery(s) or brew-pub(s), not the retailer, makes all the sales, if any, of the products offered for tasting; (C) A winery or brew-pub participates in no more than two festivals per calendar year per licensed retail premises; (D) Anyone who sells or serves alcoholic beverages at these tastings must have a service permit except the Special Events Winery or Temporary Sales licensee. (8) Holding Conventions. Like other businesses, a manufacturer or wholesaler may want to hold and promote a convention or similar function. A manufacturer or wholesaler may use a retailers facility for a convention under the following conditions: (a) The manufacturer or wholesaler holds no more than one convention per calendar year per retail license premises; (b) The manufacturer or wholesaler pays a reasonable fee for rental of the retailers facility and anything else the retailer provides. (c) The manufacturer or wholesaler may include the retailers name and location in any advertising only as necessary to give directions to the event. The retailer must not pay or receive payment from the manufacturer or wholesaler for any part of the advertising cost. (9) Donations of Prizes: A manufacturer or wholesaler may donate prize money or prizes to an organization for a public event, at which a retailer licensee sells or serves alcoholic beverages. He/she may do this only under the following conditions: (a) The organization must not exist solely for the benefit of a single retailer; (b) The manufacturers or wholesalers donation must go to the participants in the events; (c) The retailer must make all alcoholic beverages usually sold on the premises readily available and at the comparable prices charged on non-event days; (d) The retailer must not solicit donations; and (e) An individual manufacturer or wholesaler may donate to only one event per retailers premises each calendar year. The donation does not exceed $2,000. The event lasts no longer than seven consecutive calendar days. The Commission may extend the limitations in this subsection if the manufacturer or wholesaler shows that the retailer will not receive a direct or indirect substantial benefit as a result of the donation or if the facility is the only one available that can reasonably accommodate the event.