Shoulder tap

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Shoulder tap (Yonkyō) is also the name of an Aikido move.

A Shoulder tap is an act, whereby, a minor asks an adult to purchase alcohol for him or her. Typically, the minor will loiter around a convenience store and solicit help from a passing adult stranger.

This is also commonly known as a "Hey Mister".

In 2001, a Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter conducted a small unscientific study in Massachusetts, in which teens stood in front of 15 stores and asked 100 adults apparently over the age of 21 to buy them alcohol. Eighty-three of the 100 adults refused but the rest agreed.^[1]

Communities seeking to curb the illegal avenue to underage alcohol use federal and state grants to conduct police sting operations to deter adult assistance. The programs may begin with underage decoys in front of stores asking adults to buy alcohol and depending upon the answer, the decoy may give a green "thank you" card to adults who refuse and a red reprimand card to those who agree. Later stings in the area can involve arrests and prosecution for furnishing alcohol to minors, an offense punished usually by probation or a fine.