# Some Passing Thoughts about Showing ID to Buy Alcohol **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [August 27, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588 "2026-08-27T03:16:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/101 "2026-08-31T14:45:33Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > “Land of the free”? Yeah it a constant source of amazement to me that in this country that allegedly venerates personal freedom from government interference, I need to take my “ausweis” with me at all times and have it inspected whenever I buy a beer, despite being clearly _many_ decades older than 21. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/102 "2026-08-31T14:53:14Z")
A couple of decades ago I was at a convenience store in Springfield, Illinois, and inside were two German tourists who were having a devil of a time convincing the cashier that German passports were valid forms of ID to buy beer. She kept insisting she needed to see a driver’s license. In fairness, a) while Springfield gets its share of foreign tourists, few venture to that side of town, where there’s nothing touristy, so she probably did not expect foreign tourists trying to buy beer with passports as ID; b) her manager had probably trained her to get customers to show driver’s licenses, and never mentioned passports, because the manager never expected it to come up. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/103 "2026-08-31T15:18:09Z")
A friend once went out to dinner with his mother. He was in his 50s. In an attempt to flatter his mother, the waiter asked for id when she ordered a glass of wine. She didn’t have any on her, my friend had done the driving. The waiter apologized, and said that while he hadn’t been required to ask, once she refused to show id he wasn’t allowed to serve her. My friend made a fuss, and argued that he had ID and she was his mother, so she had to be at least that old. Eventually the manager was called, and he decided it was okay to waive the rule and the little old lady got her drink. (While laws vary by state, they generally only require that you ask people who “look young”, and i don’t think it’s at all common to prosecute over the requesting of id, just the actual sale of liquor. And of course, it’s legal to sell a drink to a woman in her 80s. Yes, the supermarket clerk might be fired for failing to follow whatever rules their company set. The manager has a little more leeway.) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/104 "2026-08-31T16:35:50Z")
To be fair, it’s often not really the law. In my state , the law doesn’t actually require anyone to be proofed - no one gets in trouble for not asking for proof of age. The State Liquor Authority " strongly encourages licensees to ask for proof of age." but does not require it. They get into trouble for actually selling to anyone under 21. That’s why the undercover decoys are always under 21 - because it’s not illegal to sell to a 25 year old, even if they weren’t asked for proof. But it’s not only customers who have freedom - the store owners and managers are free to impose additional requirements . The law absolutely didn’t require Citifield to proof my 80 year old mother or 60 year old me - that was the vendor or venue exercising their freedom to require ID from anyone. Apparently, [Utah](https://abs.utah.gov/new-id-law-2026/) is the only state with a 100% ID requirement- and that started in 2026. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/105 "2026-08-31T16:40:17Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Yeah it a constant source of amazement to me that in this country that allegedly venerates personal freedom from government interference, I need to take my “ausweis” with me at all times and have it inspected whenever I buy a beer, despite being clearly _many_ decades older than 21. That is one stupid and offensive false equivalency. It’s not Federal law. The owners of private businesses have the personal freedom to set their own policies. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/106 "2026-08-31T16:47:31Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > The owners of private businesses have the personal freedom to set their own policies. Oh yes of course. It’s purely a cultural thing, pub landlords in the US **really** love paying people to check 50 year old’s IDs, and so freely choose to spend their money and time doing so, and not that the state will take away their license to serve alcohol if they don’t 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/107 "2026-08-31T16:50:59Z")
What percent of pubs in the US have that policy? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/108 "2026-08-31T16:58:35Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > and so freely choose to spend their money and time doing so, and not that the state will take away their license to serve alcohol if they don’t As mentioned above, most states don’t require ID checks. What is illegal and would get your liquor license revoked is serving someone who is under 21. If it’s blindingly obvious that a person is over 21, the state doesn’t have an interest in them getting carded. What’s driving this is lawyers and insurance people wanting to remove any personal discretion on the parts of bartenders, servers, and cashiers. By making carding mandatory there’s no chance the cashier will let someone who looks 21 but is actually 19 slip through the cracks. Somewhat softer are policies that say anyone who looks under 30 or some other date will get carded. That eliminates the gray haired granny getting carded but still has a subjective component that might cause a problem. Yes, they’re afraid of losing their liquor license but the gov’t (except Utah, apparently) doesn’t the dictate the way companies enforce the drinking age. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/109 "2026-08-31T17:05:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Oh yes of course. It’s purely a cultural thing, pub landlords in the US **really** love paying people to check 50 year old’s IDs, and so freely choose to spend their money and time doing so, and not that the state will take away their license to serve alcohol if they don’t 🙄 🙄 back at you. I can’t remember the last time I have had my ID checked when ordering a beer in a bar/restaurant or buying a six-pack in a store. This is in NYC. Also have never had my ID checked when ordering a beer in LA as well. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/110 "2026-08-31T17:09:59Z")
Same. I travel a lot, and restaurants and bars never card me. Except in Utah. I was in a room that was technically the hotel bar, and i ordered a (non-alcoholic) bowl of soup, because I’d missed supper, and the waiter carded me, and i wasn’t carrying id. I had to go back to my room and find it. Because in Utah underage people can’t be in the same room where they pour alcohol or something. A friend said to me, “you know, puzzlegal, you look young, but you _don’t_ look under 21.” I agreed with him. But the waiter insisted, and i was hungry. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/111 "2026-08-31T17:11:18Z")
No , actually they do it to avoid problems from the 25 year old who gets mad when his ID is checked and the 80 year old’s isn’t and also to avoid the server being wrong when they think the person is over 21. Because in many, if not most, states , serving someone who is actually under 21 will result in a fine even if that person looks 30. But it’s still their choice - there’s no fine for not asking for ID in and of itself. I live in NYC and the only places I’ve ever been proofed after 21 are venues of some sort and a casino in New Orleans. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/112 "2026-08-31T17:13:28Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > What’s driving this is lawyers and insurance people wanting to remove any personal discretion on the parts of bartenders, servers, and cashiers. I doubt it’s actually insurance companies and lawyers. My guess is it’s just managers, because it’s easier to enforce a “card everyone” rule, and it probably results in less pushback from customers. That latter probably matters a lot, as i observe it’s mostly places where there’s little time for an interpersonal interaction (like the supermarket) that have that rule. (Mostly ninja’d by doreen) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/113 "2026-08-31T17:17:00Z")
The only time I ever get “carded” at this point (I’m 61) is when I’m buying beer or wine at a self-service checkout kiosk at the grocery store – it requires an override/check by a store clerk, but they nearly always just look at me and enter a date which indicates I’m over 21, rather than actually asking to see my driver’s license to verify my age. When buying liquor at a checkout lane with a cashier, or at a bar or restaurant, I haven’t been asked to show ID in years. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/114 "2026-08-31T17:48:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > My guess is it’s just managers, because it’s easier to enforce a “card everyone” rule, and it probably results in less pushback from customers. Good point, I’m sure that’s a big factor in the policy. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/115 "2026-08-31T18:11:44Z")
Yeah, “i need to do this or they will fire me” is pretty much a conversation ender. Whether it not or makes sense, yadda yadda, is obviously not going to be a productive line of discussion. Rational shoppers will say, “okay”, and either pull out ID or decide not to purchase that item. I once had a security guard pull that line on me when i wanted to enter a political thing in a hotel ballroom while carrying a really tiny folding knife (less than an inch in its longest dimension, perhaps a ¼ inch in the next largest dimension, and not very sharp) and he was even willing to agree that it was obviously not a weapon, but i went to the front desk of the hotel it was in and asked them to hold it for me. It was a stupid rule, but a really easy rule to state and enforce. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/116 "2026-08-31T18:59:19Z")
That’s another good example of it’s easier for a low level employee to have a blanket rule to follow than to have make executive decisions and get in arguments with customers over what’s a weapon or not. It’s especially reasonable if there is an easy accommodation like leaving it at the front desk. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/117 "2026-08-31T19:07:49Z")
Yes. I’m still a little pissy about it, but i see the logic from the perspective of the rule-maker. And at a supermarket, except in a few major cities, everyone drove there and is supposed to be carrying ID. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/118 "2026-08-31T19:48:32Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > That’s why the undercover decoys are always under 21 But … it’s illegal for those under 21 to try and purchase alcohol, too. Why is it OK to break the law? ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/119 "2026-08-31T19:50:56Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Back in the late 1960’s, when I got my California license, if you were under 21, your picture was a profile. You could face the camera when you turned 21. Same in 1980’s in Washington state. I didn’t bother changing mine at 21, as I knew I would get a new one at 22 with a new name, and I didn’t really care about being able to buy alcohol. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The only time I ever get “carded” at this point (I’m 61) is when I’m buying beer or wine at a self-service checkout kiosk at the grocery store – it requires an override/check by a store clerk, but they nearly always just look at me and enter a date which indicates I’m over 21, rather than actually asking to see my driver’s license to verify my age. I’ve had this happen at the grocery store as well. And there is only one cashier who is at a register and has to watch over two self-checkouts, so I always end up having to wait for the cashier, so I might as well go through the normal checkout. I just have to remember to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/120 "2026-08-31T20:06:55Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > But … it’s illegal for those under 21 to try and purchase alcohol, too. Why is it OK to break the law? There are exceptions for underage patrons operating under the direct supervision of law enforcement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588.md?page=7)