In Pennsylvania some grocery stores can now sell beer/wine, but they have to scan your driver’s license for the sale to go through. The first time I bought beer from a grocery store I did not know this and was a little put off. It has since become automatic.
They don’t scan. Not that I’m aware of. As a matter of fact I hardly ever see anyone buying alcohol there anymore. This could be due to the ID policy or the fact that there’s a regular government run store further up the road where people are treated like adults - no questions unless a person obviously looks underage. People can get the same product cheaper at the regular beer/liquor outlet.
The alternative is putting their cashiers into the position of being expected to guess peoples’ ages, and having some of the customers angry at them because they were guessed as being possibly too young and other customers get angry at them because they were guessed as definitely being too old.
I’m 70. If I get carded, I get carded. What’s the big deal?
I remember many, many years ago being asked for ID by the cashier. I told her, “Wait, wait, let me get my kids.” Dragging my two kids to the register I said, “Do it again, watch this kids.” She asked for my ID again. I felt a little happier the rest of the day.
While we are on getting ID’ed stories, here’s another one. Long ago I was in Colorado and stopped to buy a quart of beer at a liquor store. (This was when only 3.2 beer could be sold in grocery stores and convenience stores in Colorado.) The young lady asked for ID and I presented my Arkansas driver’s license. She looked at it and looked at it and then asked, “Arkansas, is that in Texas?” I had to explain to her why Arkansas was not in Texas.
Every other establishment that sells alcohol, including pubs etc. seem to have been managing for years without significant issue. Granted some customers may be offended, but overall it seems to have worked. The point is, cashiers have had one more burden placed on them, on top of the BS they already have to deal with. Not to mention that to question someone that’s clearly old (not borderline old, but old) is nothing short of asinine.
The other point is, where does it end? I’m talking about the intrusiveness. The questions, the requests, the tracking. It’s reached the point whereby computers of any kind are nothing more than tracking devices. Sure a lot of this can be turned off, but tech companies don’t make it easy. Much of the population wouldn’t have a clue how to turn off trackers. In your phone, in your computer software, all social media, companies wanting a load of personal information for no apparent reason. And as ‘kayaker’ points out a couple posts up, to buy a can of beer. It’s out of control.
It’s just stupid. I’m 61, I look every minute of it, there is zero chance that anyone could believe I’m under 21.
There’s a 24-hour drugstore conveniently located between my subway stop and my home. If I want to grab anything on the way home, say some milk, various baby stuff (diapers, etc.), it’s super-convenient.
And sometimes I’d pick up some beer there. And yes, the same cashier must see my ID, every time. I mean, she knows me by name. It’s truly idiotic.
But when they started scanning my license, I stopped buying beer there. There’s absolutely no legitimate reason for them to do that. The law doesn’t require it (the law doesn’t even require them to ask for ID). And I don’t believe that they won’t keep and make use of their scan of my license.
I just wave my hand, Obi-Wan style, and say “You don’t need to see my telephone number.”
Kidding about the hand-wave, but dead serious about telling them point-blank that they don’t need my number.
There will probably come a day when someone will push back and explain why they do need it, and it will probably be an acceptable reason, and I’ll listen. But until that day… Jedi mind trick. And it works!
Last week, I picked up a prescription at my local CVS. I don’t usually get my prescriptions, or my family’s prescriptions, filled at chain drugstores. I much prefer my local independently-owned pharmacy, owned by the same pharmacist who fills the prescriptions, who is aware of all drugs I’m taking, and can advise about interactions, or make sure my prescribing doc knows about other drugs, etc.
But in this case, he didn’t have the medication, said it would take him a few days to get it. And I needed the med now. So I got the doc to call in the prescription to CVS. And he (or more likely his receptionist) gave my cell phone number to the pharmacy so they could call me when it was ready.
So far, no problem.
But it turns out that CVS puts the phone number into their system, and uses it to send promotional texts. Endless promotional texts. And there’s no way to opt out. So I went back to the pharmacy, and they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, get me out of the system. All they could do was give me a printed sheet of instructions on how to opt out. And it’s pretty much impossible. The instructions appear to be outdated, and refer to web pages and menus that either don’t exist or are impossible to get to.
So I blocked the number from which the promotional texts were coming. Which means, should I ever get a prescription filled there again (which I won’t), I wouldn’t get a text or call saying that my prescription was ready.
I think taking a phone number supplied to a business for the purpose of completing an order, and turning it over to the marketing department for promotional use, annoying promotional use, is the same as obtaining my phone number by deception, and is pretty much an invasion of my privacy.
Not pretty much. It is. Plain & simple. It gets worse day by day by hour by hour. Directions come from on high. Those that never have to see or hear those they are so thoughtlessly offending for their own greed. They’re so wrapped up in their own arrogance that they are oblivious to the numbers of people they are turning away. These are the companies that one day will fail, and then wonder why. Kind of like the old fashioned dept. stores that went out of business not so much thanks to online purchasing, because that was barely in it’s infancy at the time, but because of their refusal to hire an appropriate amount of staff to look after customers and what staff was on the floor was either ill trained or not trained at all. It took some time but now these stores are history. It takes a lot of effort to fuck up a business that’s been around for years & years, but they were able to persist, and go out of business they eventually did. No one to blame but their own ownership/management.
One can only hope the companies that have been screwing us and using covid as an excuse suffer the same fate.
Doesn’t the Red Cross do this when you give blood, and they want your cell number to let you know when it’s your turn? They then text you for decades, hoping to guilt you into donating again and again.
I actually don’t mind that policy. As stated by Thorny, it ensures cashiers don’t have to first guess whether or not the person is 21 (or 35) and then ask for their ID. If you want alcohol, produce your ID, BFD. At my megamart, if I have alcohol in my cart, I’ll have my ID in my hand as well.
But it also helps to protect them. If someone gets a fake ID past them and the cops catch the person walking out, the store might get in trouble for ‘allowing’ someone to use a fake ID, but they won’t get in trouble for not carding people. And, if it’s on camera, even better.
A bar by my college did the same thing. No one gets past the bouncer without an ID. young, old, doesn’t matter. If (when) the cops would show up to check for underage drinkers, the bar can state that they checked every single person’s ID on the way in. Under aged kids can throw their fake IDs out, but the bar can still truthfully state that no one entered without one (and if cops look around, they might find the ones people tossed).
I know it only helps to a point, but it takes the guesswork out of it.
Yeah, more and more places have “No Judgement Calls At The Register” policies.
So NEVER hassle the cashier! They could lose their job on the spot for skipping your ID just because you’re old (and crotchety ).
I was in the checkout line at Walgreen’s and the teenage surfer dude behind the register said to the long line of customers “So, apparently I could be ‘’’[airquotes] reviewed down’’’ if I don’t point out this Candy Bar of The Week. So look! I’m pointing at them! That is all, don’t thank me, thank Walgreen’s management.”
.
eta: When I got up to the register, I punched in my Walgreen’s Rewards cell phone number… the one I’d made up on the spot a decade ago when I needed one to enroll, and I’ve used everywhere ever since whenever someone “needs” my number. I should really call it and apologize if they’ve gotten marketing calls/texts.
I don’t hassle the cashiers. I totally understand that they have to abide by some stupid store policy. The cashier who’s seen me a couple of times a week for maybe five years now, and who knows me by name, and who knows by now that I am SIXTY-ONE YEARS OLD, for God’s sake, still has to ask for my ID.
It’s not her fault.
This one I have a partial answer for: it’s not always the fault of management.
For example, one year the dipwads down in our state capital apparently failed to proof-read a bill (or the religious temperate types sneaked it in) and the result was a state law mandating that absolutely everyone every time had to show ID. Everyone. That was not fun for anyone. It was six months before anyone in the capital got up off their ass and did something about that.
Also, if someone at the store was caught selling alcohol to someone they should not have sold it to then
- the person is fired
- in this state the offending cashier is fined $1,000
- they might get up to 180 days in jail
- their employer is heavily fined
- and for some time afterward every cashier has to card absolutely everybody every damn time. We just went through this AGAIN where I work this quarter.
We have been required to at least attempt to scan every license this quarter since my former co-worker screwed up. Meaning, it has to be visible on the register video tape that we at least attempted to scan it. We have been told that if the customer refuses to let us scan it then call a manager and let the manager deal with it. I’m not sure if this was imposed on us as a legal matter for the former co-worker screwing up or what, but again, this is OUT OF THE CONTROL OF THE CASHIER. Please do not vent your ire upon the cashier. Please take your ire to either the store management or the law makers in your state as appropriate.
Meanwhile, at least 3/4 of the time our machines fail to get anything out of the scan, meaning really, really truly your info is NOT going into our computers. Except we then have to hand enter your date of birth (again, this had better be on the transaction video tape).
Actually, it might - it depends on the state. And whether or not your store has recently been in legal hot water because a couple of dickhead high school kids wanted to buy beer with a bogus ID. Ha, ha, such a laugh - mom and dad picked them up and took them home, meanwhile the former co-worker was fired and taken away in handcuffs. Yeah, sometimes law enforcement gets real serious about this shit.
Since I consider my definite loss of job, a fine, and potential arrest, and as much as a half a year in jail a HELL of a lot more inconvenient then you presenting your ID I’ll continue to do as asked by the store in order to keep the job that pays my rent, food, utilities, etc. Even when it seems stupid to you.
More and more stores are doing it, though.
Because I have on a couple occasions had to drill into the raw data saved on transactions while investigating problems with tills (I work part time in the store cash office) I can comfortably state that my store really does NOT keep anything from that information other than your date of birth (when the bar code scanning works at all). Of course, other stores may have different ideas.
I completely agree.
Or we just won’t sell you any alcohol. Which is PERFECTLY legal, by the way - we can deny you alcohol for just about any reason. We usually don’t, because we’re there to sell stuff after all, but we can. If I ask you for ID and you refuse to provide it I am required to deny the sale. Go ahead, call the manager, scream all you want - management and corporate at my store will back the cashiers every time.
Also if you appear drunk or in any way impaired we are in fact legally required to deny the sale and if we don’t we can get the same penalties as if you were 15 and using a fake ID. None of us want to lose our jobs, be fined, or spend time in jail because some is all pissy about having to show their ID.
Other winners have included parents that went to sit down and then had their under-age kids supervise the shopping, then the kid goes to swipe the card on a cart load that included alcohol. Nope. No can do. Shut the fuck up bitchy lady, no, I can’t allow that no matter how “obvious” it is to you that she’s doing the buying for you. On tape it sure as hell looks like an obvious minor buying alcohol. No fucking way. Not doing it. Bitch all you want, scream, yell, call me foul names - it’s still less inconvenient then (join me in the chorus now) losing my job, a $1,000 fine, an arrest, and up to six months in jail. Fuck you, bitch. And that one man who tried the same shit with his son. He’s bitch, too.
Uh, yeah, that kind of got dark there.
But, honestly, if things go south the cashier is more heavily penalized than the people on the other side of the counter.
That’s actually the easier position for their employees to be in. Otherwise, the cashier has to start making value judgments and dealing with “don’t I look old enough?” “you let her buy without ID, why can’t I?” and of course stings when government shows up to try to take away your license to sell. Instead a blanket “it’s store policy. take it up with them.” is a lot easier. Also, IME, everywhere does this. All bars and pubs card everyone without making guesses. Where do you drink that’s so willing to risk their liquor license?
I haven’t gotten carded anywhere in thirty years or so - except baseball stadiums and theme parks. Where I’ve seen people who were clearly over 70 get carded. No one is carding 58 year old me or my 80 year old mother because they are afraid of losing their license - even if one of us looks 30 years younger than we really are, we are still over 21. They are doing it because they don’t want an argument with the person behind me who could be anywhere from 17-25. The places that don’t card me - bars, pubs, restaurants, casinos, supermarkets, liquor stores - don’t have an issue with these potential arguments. Either the establishment doesn’t attract people who argue, or they simply refuse to serve anyone who argues or … . I don’t know which it is - but they have clearly chosen not to deal with this issue by IDing every single person no matter what.
If the store has a policy of IDing everyone, that’s fine, it’s not the cashier’s fault and any arguments should ultimately be taken up with the level of management that put the policy into place - but no one is going to lose their license simply because they didn’t card an 80 year old.
I too had to provide a cell phone number for a vaccine appointment, even though they also, on their website asked for an email. The email was not required the phone number was. I did see there was a way to stop receiving promotional messages on my phone so I did that right away, but I sure was tempted to try to find another place for the vaccine if I had not found that they were unavailable elsewhere already.
And coming close to a government agency wanting more information than I want to give USPS now requires a cell phone for you to confirm a mail hold. This after forcing you to create an account to allow you to create a hold request. I saw there was an option for simply requesting the hold at the post office, no phone number required for that, so I went ahead and drove there. In the past I had been able to request the hold online, but I guess, not anymore, at least for me anyway.
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I don’t “vent [my] ire upon the cashier.” Please see my post above:
And tone down the all caps shouting stuff. I don’t hassle the cashiers. I know what the situation is.
Maybe that’s true at your store. Given the way the world works these days, I don’t trust anyone who wants to scan my ID documents not to store and use that information.
True. I’m talking about my state, in which the law does not require production of ID for every purchase of alcohol, and where no one, except this chain drugstore, demands proof of age. At the supermarket, I can buy beer without producing ID. At the liquor store, I can buy a bottle of whiskey without producing ID. At my local bar, I can sit at the bar and order whatever I want, without having to show ID. For good reason – I am obviously decades past the legal drinking age.
It seems stupid to me because it is stupid.
Sure (or maybe, anyway, in my state). And I’ll shop somewhere else. Some retailer wants to get puritanical about my alcohol purchases? This is the big city. There are about a million places happy to take my money.
This is the one thing on which I agree with you.
I guess you missed my earlier post where I stated that for several months it was state law that we card EVERYONE, no exceptions. Specifically in 2010. It ended in May of that year. Good riddance, that was stupid, but while it was in effect yes we very much were carding little old ladies and old men using walkers because that was the legal requirement.
And in my state, should you visit my store, if you look as old as you claim I won’t ask you for ID. Unless you’re like the gent who comes in with hat, mask, sunglasses, hoodie, gloves… we can’t tell if he’s old enough for booze or a space cockroach wearing an Edgar suit. With covid it all just became more complicated.
I don’t know what state you’re in, and I’m just complaining about the stupid policy of a chain (not a state) where I live, and their habit of scanning my license. And I’m saying that I don’t believe them when or if they claim that information won’t be stored and used.
And, one more time, you were wrong to imply that I was venting my ire upon the cashier, since I quite specifically said that I didn’t blame the cashier. You were wrong.
Demanding ID from people beyond obviously decades past the legal drinking age is bullshit. I believe that this chain is doing it to harvest information.
Do you have information that contradicts my belief? Present it.