No alcohol can be bought at Pak N Save Hawera for five days in November.

Buying wine or beer with the groceries won't be possible in Hawera, when both the Taranaki town's supermarkets are banned from selling alcohol for five days.

Between 7am on Saturday 12 and 7am on Thursday 17th, neither Hawera Countdown or Pak 'n Save Hawera can sell alcohol, so people will have to shop at one of the town's four liquor stores or head out of town.

The bans follow a police sting on June 11, when an underage volunteer was able to buy alcohol at both supermarkets. Morriesons Cafe and Bar gets a 48-hour suspension.

Catherine Groenestein Countdown Hawera is banned from selling alcohol for five days in November.

All three were caught in a joint police, Taranaki District Health Board and South Taranaki District Council sting that targeted 11 outlets.

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None of the three who failed had asked the underage volunteers to produce ID, Hawera police prevention manager Sergeant Andrew Russ​ said.

Catherine Groenestein Morriesons Cafe Bar in Hawera will not serve alcohol for 48 hours in November.

It was unusual to have three outlets fail in one operation.

The supermarkets would share the same dates for the suspension, he said.

"If it was at different times then both businesses would benefit from it. This way is fairer for all parties and a good reward for the standalone liquor stores that passed the CPO."

Black Bull High St manager Daljeet Bains said he expected business would be brisk while the ban was in place.

He said his staff always asked anyone they didn't know for ID before a sale.

Pak 'n Save owner operator Ally Bell said this was the first time the store had failed a CPO and she was incredibly disappointed.

"We have robust systems in place and in this instance human error meant that the sale wrongly went ahead. All of our staff have received additional training around the sale of all age prohibited goods including alcohol, tobacco and Lotto to ensure such an oversight does not happen again."

"As local business owners we take our obligations around the sale of liquor very seriously. We would like to apologise to our customers for the inconvenience this suspension will cause and we appreciate your understanding."

Countdown spokesperson James Walker said the company was extremely disappointed about the failed CPO, the only one it had failed in New Zealand this year.

"We apologise to our Hawera community for letting them down and for the inconvenience while our licence is suspended in mid-November."

He said the company took its responsibilities regarding the sale of alcohol very seriously.

Morriesons Cafe and Bar will also be banned from selling alcohol for 48 hours from 8am on Saturday, November 12 til Monday morning.

Morriesons manager Neha Chuchra was hoping the cafe's meal trade might offset some of the impact of not selling alcohol.

​Since the sting, staff had received extra training to increase their awareness of laws around alcohol sales, she said.

Russ said all three businesses were first time offenders, and all had been easy to deal with.

"To be fair to all three managers, they had all been very remorseful and cooperated fully, admitted their failings under the sale of liquor act."

"It will have an impact on the community, for these five days they will have to go elsewhere to buy alcohol."

Russ said more operations were planned throughout the South Taranaki District in the lead up to Christmas, covering liquor outlets from Rahotu to Patea.

Hawera Salvation Army envoy Gillian Smith said she was saddened by the news, but the ban was a necessary consequence of breaking the law.

She felt the issues with alcohol in the community went beyond it being sold in supermarkets and included parents who allowed young people to drink at home, and the number of outlets opening in town.