Skip to main content

Official State of Iowa Website

Here's how you know Agencies A-Z Programs & Services

Standard Liquor

The following is an outline for the procedure that will apply to ALL Class E Licensees and Iowa ABD Drivers.

  1. Gifts and Soliciting
    • Division staff members are State of Iowa employees and cannot accept gifts of ANY kind from anyone including, but not limited to, licensees, brokers, suppliers or contractors per the State of Iowa code section 123.44.
    • Employees shall not engage in unauthorized solicitation of funds or donations for any purpose on state time including, but not limited to, political, charity or personal gain. Employees shall not solicit funds or donations from clients and shall not sell items or services to clients at any time unless as part of an organized activity and approved by the appointing authority.
  2. Store Delivery
    • Iowa ABD drivers are required to deliver the liquor order into the Licensed Premises, out of the way of customer flow and NOT in front of the cash register.
    • Iowa ABD drivers will drop the order at the Class "E" licensee's designated dock area or in a designated location adjoining the dock area.
    • In some cases, driver may ask manager to watch product left outside when unloading for safety and security reasons.
    • Iowa ABD drivers will NOT transport freight through the store or to display areas. Drivers will also NOT put products behind counters due to a liability for ABD.
    • Licensees must provide adequate space for the delivery and counting of the order. Iowa ABD drivers will NOT move or rearrange goods, fixtures, or materials preventing the normal described liquor delivery process.
    • As currently practiced, drivers are not to wait more than 15 minutes to make deliveries after contacting store employees. At the conclusion of 10 minutes, the driver will call the Fleet Manager/Supervisor to inform them of the problem and then the decision will be made to continue on with the rest of the route. Arrangements may have to be made to pick up the order at the state liquor warehouse in Ankeny, Iowa.
  3. Product Count
    • Iowa ABD drivers AND licensees will participate in a bottle and case count inside the store. At the conclusion of the count the licensees will sign and agree of the count.
    • In the event the count indicates a product overage or shortage, the driver will document the over or short. The driver then will get the store representative to sign the invoice acknowledging the short or over and the driver will continue on with the rest of the route. The licensee will determine the products that are in error and go to Shop Iowa ABD under RETURNS and fill out the appropriate information of the error and submit with in 72hrs.
    • Drivers are not to wait for licensees to itemize orders after making a delivery
    • If the count is correct but the licensee later discovers a miss-pick (wrong product), the licensee will determine the products that are in error and go to Shop Iowa ABD under RETURNS and fill out the appropriate information of the error and submit it with in 72hrs.
    • Corrective action will be handled by the Iowa ABD staff. The Iowa ABD guarantees corrective action provided the driver AND licensees agree on the case and bottle count.
  4. Return Policy
    • On rare occasions, a case ships from the factory with a missing or broken bottle or a bottle is broken between the ABD warehouse and the licensed premises. If this happens, the product must be returned with its original packaging along with the case box; this includes boxes used to transport split cases.
    • ABD cannot issue credit for products that have been marked for sale or that have been purchased, left the property and then returned to the store for refund.
    • No special order products are to be returned without approval from ABD management.
    • ABD cannot allow credit on products broken or damaged on the licensed premises if damaged by store manager, store customer, or store employee.
    • Unsalable products, along with merchandise transfers that are to be credited, must be ready for return in the receiving area prior to the Iowa ABD driver's arrival.
    • Please visit Shop Iowa ABD to review the updated Returns Policy
    • ABD will give credit ONLY on reasons stated above.
  5. Hazardous Conditions
    • Inclement weather and other such road hazards may cause delays in delivery schedules. Every effort will be made to inform licensees of such delays.
    • Licensees are responsible for providing a safe work environment for liquor delivery. Adequate ice and snow removal, absence of safety hazards in the delivery area, and sufficient aid in counting are examples of components of an ideal safe work environment.
  6. Holiday/Inventory Orders & Delivery Schedules
    • Interruptions of service may occur throughout the year for many reasons, system issues, high volume/short staffing, inventory, and holidays.
    • The following holidays may affect order and delivery schedules for licensees and transportation drivers: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
    • Two warehouse inventories are conducted each year. (Typically in January and June.) These may also alter order and delivery schedules.
    • Prior notice on how schedules will be affected will be given to licensees when possible in the monthly newsletter and online at shop.IowaABD.com.