The Fall River Board of Health on Sept. 29 voted to waive a 7‑day suspension for Stop and Save at 101 Preston Avenue after a compliance check on Sept. 4 found a second sale of tobacco to a person under the minimum legal age, but the board ordered the store’s employees to complete online age‑verification training and warned that a subsequent violation could result in a mandatory 30‑day suspension.

The board’s action confirms penalties already assessed for the incident — a $2,000 fine and the 7‑day suspension — while substituting the suspension with mandatory training and a warning consistent with the board’s recent practice of waiving brief suspensions for second offenses if the retailer agrees to corrective steps.

At the hearing, a board staff member identified the compliance check as occurring about 2:38 p.m. on Sept. 4. The youth used for the check attempted several purchases and ultimately bought a pack of Sonoma cigarettes; the seller did not check age and charged $7 for an item normally sold at $8.99, the presenter said. The board record shows this was a second violation within 36 months; the first cited date was Oct. 3, 2024. The presenter also noted an FDA compliance check listed on Jan. 23, 2024 as a prior sale.

Store owner Misal Khan told the board he has operated the location for 26 years and said the sale was an unintentional mistake by a new employee. "My intention is always not to sell to underage," Khan said. He told the board he will enroll employees in state online training, add an electronic register scanner and the FDA Age Verifier app, and install an NRS system so sales cannot be completed without ID verification.

A staff member confirmed the state online training is free and offered to provide the link. Board members present — Thomas Corey, Michael Coughlin and Dr. Steven Gagliardi — voted to approve the waiver with the training condition. The board’s stated practice, reiterated during the hearing, is to waive the suspension for a second violation if the retailer completes training but to impose a 30‑day suspension for any subsequent full violation.

The board advised the owner to have all tobacco‑selling employees complete the training promptly and said city staff would follow up. No further disciplinary action was taken at the meeting.

Details from the record: the compliance check occurred Sept. 4 at about 2:38 p.m.; the assessed penalty package included a $2,000 fine and 7‑day suspension; the prior violation date listed in the record is Oct. 3, 2024; the FDA had a noted sale on Jan. 23, 2024. The board emphasized its zero‑tolerance direction going forward: a third full violation within the enforcement period would result in a 30‑day suspension.