# 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:** 7
**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, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/121 "2026-08-31T20:15:36Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There are exceptions for underage patrons operating under the direct supervision of law enforcement. Ah, the old “It’s OK when we do it” clause? ---
**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, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/122 "2026-08-31T20:24:58Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Ah, the old “It’s OK when we do it” clause? It’s kinda the basis for all undercover law enforcement sting operations. ---
**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, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/123 "2026-08-31T20:32:56Z")
I believe that technically, they aren’t trying to buy alcohol, or sell sex, or whatever. As soon as they get to the point where they provably _could_, they stop the transaction. ---
**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, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/124 "2026-08-31T20:41:02Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > > [@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? Because it obviously isn’t breaking the law. They are pretending to try to break the law in an undercover sting. FYI, actors don’t break the law either when they pretend to assault someone. ---
**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, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/125 "2026-08-31T21:03:08Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > As soon as they get to the point where they provably _could_, they stop the transaction. Nope, they can and will complete the purchase, take the alcohol out of the store and hand it over to the waiting policy. I’m sure different jurisdictions do it differently, but by completing the transaction there’s no way to deny it happened. Here’s a link to guidelines for Framingham MA police for conducting underage alcohol stings. [https://www.framinghamma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/916/Guidelines?bidId=](https://www.framinghamma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/916/Guidelines?bidId=) ---
**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, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/126 "2026-08-31T21:08:19Z")
Huh. TIL. Also, I’m surprised they are allowed to use fake ID “to gain access” but not to purchase. Does that mean that bars can’t rely on checking the age of people when they enter? Why have i been issued countless annoying “bracelets” upon showing id at the entry to a venue? ---
**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:** [September 1, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/127 "2026-09-01T17:03:32Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s kinda the basis for all undercover law enforcement sting operations aka “entrapment”. Kinda ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/128 "2026-09-01T17:49:08Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > aka “entrapment”. Kinda No, it’s not entrapment. No one is being manipulated into doing something they weren’t pre-disposed to do - the clerk/bartender who sells alcohol to the underaged decoy would have done the same even if the undercover wasn’t working for the police. And it isn’t always illegal for someone underage to try to purchase alcohol. In [New York](https://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/underage-drinking/state-profiles/new-york/84) it’s only illegal if they try to use fake ID. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/129 "2026-09-01T18:02:23Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > aka “entrapment”. Kinda Not at all. At least educate yourself before the next moving of the goal posts. Entrapment would be a different undercover saying, “I’ll give you $100 to not card the next person who walks in here”. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/130 "2026-09-01T18:23:09Z")
Under the Framingham guidelines, the kid doesn’t even claim to be old enough, and looks “their age”. That’s not entrapment. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/131 "2026-09-01T20:05:52Z")
> [@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. Other than those assholes at Target, I am never carded. > [@hajario](#): > > 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. Right. > [@Telemark](#): > > 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. Correct. Note that bars in other nations also check ID. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/132 "2026-09-01T23:45:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Note that bars in other nations also check ID. They check the ID of people who _could be underage_! The concept of a clearly middle aged person being asked for their “ausweis” to buy a beer does not exist anywhere else in the world. The closest that I’ve encountered or heard of is the “sin passports” some Muslim countries issue to non-muslim visitors ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/133 "2026-09-02T00:14:12Z")
ISTM the problem is managers terrified of “liability”. And a culture where low level workers dare not push back against the boss-god. For sure if the law on alcohol purchases made the buyer be at greater risk of harm than the seller it’d go a long way to stopping underage drinking. Assuming of course that’s a problem that actually needs stopping. But the USA’s longstanding tradition of outsourcing police work to private businesses stands in the way. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/134 "2026-09-02T00:30:54Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > They check the ID of people who _could be underage_! Just like in America. > [@griffin1977](#): > > The concept of a clearly middle aged person being asked for their “ausweis” to buy a beer does not exist anywhere else in the world. Sweden- > **[Karolina Pikus | Life in Sweden 🇸🇪 for Internationals on Instagram: "🔴 Can I...](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFDIUgaiFqD/?hl=en)** > > 443 likes, 17 comments - likeswedencom on January 20, 2025: "🔴 Can I see your ID, please? > > Swedish policy regarding alcohol is strict and there are no jokes. > > You can purchase alcoholic beverages with more than 3,5% alcohol by volume only in... And also some very high end international clubs, or so Google says. Note that I have _never_ been asked (since my 30th) to show ID in any bar or restaurant. So- American is a big place- about the size of Europe, with in effect 50 different “nations” and millions of different bars and places to but booze. They all have different rules. But- in no part of American do the LAWS require IDs to be checked if someone is very clearly older. (Okay- Maybe Utah?) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/135 "2026-09-02T01:58:38Z")
Yes, you have to be 18 to buy a drink in a bar in Sweden, and some clubs will not let teenagers in at all. What does that have to do with middle-aged persons? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/136 "2026-09-02T02:09:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sweden- Having purchased beer in Sweden when I was in my early 20s I can confirm they do not ask for ID, and they certainly wouldn’t once you are visibly much older than 18 (though they do price it prohibitively high and the police have absolutely no tolerance of public drunkenness ) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/137 "2026-09-02T02:10:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Just like in America. No in the US they check the ID of people who could be underage **and people who could not possibly be underage**. Nowhere else in the world does that! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/138 "2026-09-02T02:22:50Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > The concept of a clearly middle aged person being asked for their “ausweis” to buy a beer does not exist anywhere else in the world. Dude. You already got called out for the offensive allusion to Nazism and thus downplaying the actual horrors Jewish people (and other targets) went through. Why would you do it again? It’s a minor annoyance that happens for practical reasons, which people have already told you about. Not a war crime. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/139 "2026-09-02T02:36:38Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You already got called out for the offensive allusion to Nazism and thus downplaying the actual horrors Jewish people (and other targets) went through. Why would you do it again? Wtf!?! It’s just German for identity card. It predates the Nazis and is still in use today. It’s synonymous with the state demanding an identity card: “ausweis bitte”. So its a perfectly reasonable way of describing US culture’s insistence on demanding an identity card to everyday things no other country would demand it for. It’s not in any way impling the US’s stupid ID rules are comparable to the Holocaust. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2026, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588/140 "2026-09-02T02:45:18Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > So its a perfectly reasonable way of describing US culture’s insistence on demanding an identity card to everyday things no other country would demand it for. It’s not in any way impling the US’s stupid ID rules are comparable to the Holocaust. 🙄 It 100% **is** implying that because there is _zero_ reason to randomly use a German word for ID in quotation marks to pointedly call attention to it. And you also continue to ignore all the responses from people saying that they have rarely ever actually been carded once they are visibly older than 21. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-passing-thoughts-about-showing-id-to-buy-alcohol/1032588.md?page=8)