WSLCB unannounced inspection — the first 60 seconds

Most of the work happens before anyone shows up. The on-shift lead should know where the materials live and what to surface in the first conversation. None of this is exotic; it just has to be reachable in 60 seconds, not 60 minutes.

• **Current license + posted at register.** WSLCB cares that the license is current AND visible. Re-up date in the calendar; printout above the register.
• **Audit log accessible to manager-on-duty.** Surveillance retention summary, manager-PIN override log, sale-to-minor block log — all pullable in 30 seconds. (See the v0.40 WSLCB compliance guide for what gets coded into the gates.)
• **Manager-on-duty roster.** Who’s the manager-on-duty right now? The system should know; the lead should be able to point to it without thinking.
• **WSLCB liaison contact.** If something escalates, who do you call? Write the number on the SOP binder cover. Don’t fumble for it.
• **Inspection log book.** Date / officer / scope / outcome / signature. Every prior inspection on one shelf. Officers like seeing this exists.

1. 1**Greet + acknowledge.** ‘Hi, welcome — I’m [Name], on-shift lead. Manager-on-duty is [Name]; I’ll get them now.’ Tone is professional, not deferential. You’re a licensee, they’re a regulator; you’re both doing your jobs.
2. 2**Page the manager-on-duty immediately.** Don’t make the officer wait while you go find them. Page over the headset; if the manager isn’t on premise, call the owner.
3. 3**Identify the officer + the scope.** Ask for the badge + the inspection’s scope. ‘What are you here to look at today?’ is professional + on-the-record. The scope tells you what they’re actually checking — sale-to-minor follow-up, surveillance retention, advertising compliance, etc.
4. 4**Don’t volunteer information beyond the scope.** They asked about surveillance retention; don’t walk them through the cash-discipline ladder. Stay narrow. If they ask about something you don’t know, say ‘I’ll need to check; one moment.’ Don’t guess.
5. 5**Stop sales operations if asked.** If the inspection involves a transaction-side question, the officer may want the register paused. Comply immediately + log the time. Don’t argue; the worst-case time impact is 30 minutes.

• **‘I’m sure we’re fine.’** Speculation in front of a regulator becomes a position they hold you to.
• **‘The other store does it differently.’** Even if true, it volunteers information about a separate licensee. Stay focused on this store.
• **‘That was the previous manager / a former employee’s mistake.’** Externalizing reads as deflection. State the facts; don’t assign blame in the first 60 seconds.
• **‘Let me explain why we did it that way.’** If they haven’t asked for an explanation, don’t volunteer one. Officers ask follow-up questions; let them lead.
• **Anything off-the-cuff.** If you don’t know an answer, ‘I’ll need to check’ is always safe. Guessing isn’t.

The materials below should be either physical (binder, posted on wall) or in a system the manager-on-duty can pull in 30 seconds. The officer asks; you produce.

1. 1**Log the visit immediately.** Officer name, badge ID, scope, time-in / time-out, materials produced, outcome (verbal pass / pending / finding). Inspection log book gets the entry that day.
2. 2**Email the owner + WSLCB liaison** with the same summary. Don’t wait until Monday.
3. 3**Address any verbal feedback within 24 hours.** If the officer noted something corrective, fix it + email confirmation back. Officers remember the operators who close the loop quickly.
4. 4**File any formal findings + corrective-action plan within the WSLCB window** (usually 14-30 days). The on-platform manager-write-up assistant captures the response if relevant; the formal CAP is a paperwork-side filing per WSLCB IL.
5. 5**Debrief with on-shift staff.** What went well, what got asked, what to prepare for next time. Treat every inspection as a rehearsal for the next one.