# They swipe your ID if you want to buy booze or medicine now **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520 "2007-01-18T22:57:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/61 "2024-12-16T06:51:51Z")
No, zombies just get drunk like everyone else. Zombies just wanna have fun… About the scanning. Look if you have safeguards on your account scanning a debit card is pretty safe as things go. I wouldnt keep Aunt Minnies inheritance in that account. Scanning your I.D.? Well, it’s kinda out there anyway. I think we got the cart before the horse. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/62 "2024-12-16T07:02:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Scanning ID and storing the info? > > Yes, that is what Target does. Target who has been hit several times by hackers. I work at a grocery store. The only info that gets “stored” is your DOB so that we can prove that we checked, and the only place it gets stored is on your receipt and on the electronic record of that receipt. We literally have more information about you from your debit card or your store discount card (if you shop at a store that still uses those - mine doesn’t). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/63 "2024-12-16T12:12:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The only time I’ve ever had my driver’s license scanned when I’ve bought alcohol is when I’ve done so via a home delivery service Huh. I’ve gotten scanned at Speedways/Circle Ks and Walgreens, off the top of my head, around here (Chicago.) The Speedways were in the suburbs (they don’t sell alcohol at Chicago gas stations); the Walgreens was in the city. Those are the two that I remember off the top of my head, but scanning seems common enough I don’t notice it or who does it beyond these two places. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/64 "2024-12-16T18:11:23Z")
Fine but that shit is more likely on your credit card than your id. Seriously though, that is not what these, “they’re trackig us,” people are whining about. ---
**Author:** ![Reallivedead-Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reallivedead-guy/32/18966_2.png) [@Reallivedead-Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reallivedead-Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/65 "2024-12-16T20:02:37Z")
And that would be a great idea, save for the fact that you cross the street to the next liquor store and dig out a $20 dollar bill and still have to present the Same ID, that they too scan with their (connected to the State Database) to scan your drivers license. Apparently clerks cannot be trusted to look at a birth day, say 14 Aug 1957 and figure out in a quick shake that “yeah, thats more than 21 years. . .” EVEN if the store has a sign that says" YOU MUST HAVE BEEN BORN ON OR BEFORE 15 DEC 2023 TO PURCHASE ALCOHOL. Kinda sad… .and what a great opportunity to start a state database with regards to “our citizens” and how much booze they purchase. . We all know that our cell phone providers share data about where we go and what shops we enter. . Or what restaurants we go to. . right? So why shouldn’t the state keep subtle tabs to make sure we are not drining “too much” as well? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/66 "2024-12-16T20:05:21Z")
> [@Reallivedead-Guy](#): > > Kinda sad… .and what a great opportunity to start a state database with regards to “our citizens” and how much booze they purchase. . Dude, nobody cares if you’re washing down your dinner with a fifth of Black Velvet every night except for your gastroenterologist. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/67 "2024-12-16T20:08:45Z")
> [@Reallivedead-Guy](#): > > YOU MUST HAVE BEEN BORN ON OR BEFORE 15 DEC 2023 TO PURCHASE ALCOHOL. Man, at that age, I couldn’t even _spell_ “alcohol.” ---
**Author:** ![Reallivedead-Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reallivedead-guy/32/18966_2.png) [@Reallivedead-Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reallivedead-Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/68 "2024-12-16T20:12:40Z")
I did deliberatly choose a seemingly dead thread, but intentionally as it ties into the problem I am writing about. The problem is simple. . In the old days, a liquor clerk had to be quick witted enough to roughly figure out if a date on a license indicated the person was at least 21 and could at least in theory purchase the dreaded DEAMON RUM. . .No possibility of keeping a list of who bought what. Today, the store can now keep a list of customers, what their purchase proclivitiy and tendency is, track their purchases, and make mailers to send to them to recommend the latest products. It is like we NEVER see that sort of thing happen right? Worse, Now the state can demand that same ID or collect it at the point of sale. Officer Joe Schomo with the Alcoholic Beverage Control looks at the reports and sees old Bill purchased a whole case of scotch. . and two cases of beer? Oh heck! We better get to the bottom of that, he may be providing spirits to kids again. . .Maybe send a copy over to Social Services, didn’t he get loaded last month and whale the dickens out of his wife again? It is just too easy and too tempting to add those features. . maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but at some point. See the problem? Is your alcohol, or tobacco use any concern of the government? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/69 "2024-12-16T20:15:55Z")
> [@Reallivedead-Guy](#): > > Now the state can demand that same ID or collect it at the point of sale. Officer Joe Schomo with the Alcoholic Beverage Control looks at the reports and sees old Bill purchased a whole case of scotch. . and two cases of beer? Oh heck! We better get to the bottom of that, he may be providing spirits to kids again. . .Maybe send a copy over to Social Services, didn’t he get loaded last month and whale the dickens out of his wife again? This has never happened. If you’re drinking so much that you’re legitimately worried about the government tracking and investigating your drinking habits, maybe it’s time to go sober. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/70 "2024-12-16T20:58:34Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I work at a grocery store. The only info that gets “stored” is your DOB so that we can prove that we checked, and the only place it gets stored is on your receipt and on the electronic record of that receipt. Sure. How about Target? They have had their customer data hacked, and according to target, there was stuff in there of use to scammers and ID thieves. > [@Reallivedead-Guy](#): > > And that would be a great idea, save for the fact that you cross the street to the next liquor store and dig out a $20 dollar bill and still have to present the Same ID, that they too scan with their (connected to the State Database) to scan your drivers license. Kroger doesnt scan, BevMo doesnt scan, etc etc. > [@Reallivedead-Guy](#): > > In the old days, a liquor clerk had to be quick witted enough to roughly figure out if a date on a license indicated the person was at least 21 There were signs for those who were math impaired. Besides, if the customer is clearly old enough for AARP, why bother? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/71 "2024-12-16T21:49:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They have had their customer data hacked, and according to target, there was stuff in there of use to scammers and ID thieves. Your debit/credit card is far more likely to be the source of identity theft. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Besides, if the customer is clearly old enough for AARP, why bother? Liability. Scanning an ID allows us to prove in court that we checked, and implementing a “scan everyone” policy eliminates room for error. I’ve seen teenagers with male pattern baldness and people in their late 30s who looked like a 12-year-old. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/72 "2024-12-16T22:16:46Z")
Who cares what you’re buying? Let them collect. But like I say, Pandora is out of the box. Too late to worry about this. It’s legal to buy and consume alcohol(necessary? No) If you’re giving it to minors or whaling on your family members you have bigger problems than where/what for you shop. Anonyminty and privacy is not much of a thing in this time we live. We can blame ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/73 "2024-12-16T22:20:42Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > But like I say, Pandora is out of the box. I do not mean this as a criticism. I just love Greek mythology. Pandora was never in the box. Pandora was created with an insatiable curiosity by the gods. She was given a box and told never to open it. When she opened the box, all the evils of the world escape. She closed the lid to stop any more horrors from escaping, trapping hope inside. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/74 "2024-12-16T22:22:34Z")
Ah. Right. But you get my meaning. Pandora has opened the box and the bad stuff came out. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/75 "2024-12-16T22:27:06Z")
Oh, sorry. I left that out. Apart from the correction about the story of Pandora, I agree completely with your post. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/76 "2024-12-17T00:26:01Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There were signs for those who were math impaired. Besides, if the customer is clearly old enough for AARP, why bother? It isn’t the math-impaired clerk the store worries about: it’s the clerk who takes $20 to type in a false date and allows an underage buyer to purchase booze (or tobacco, or other age-restricted products). The clerk might wind up fired or fined or whatever, but it is the STORE that stands to lose the most. The store will also be fined and can get their license suspended or revoked. Depending on the business, that can be the death knell for ongoing operations. Requiring scanning (in my state, usually the barcode on the back of the DL/ID) is an easy way for the store to establish that they are taking reasonable and prudent actions to prevent underage sales. If the license holder is also the person who rings up every sale, as for example might happen in very small retailers, then that’s an unnecessary step, because presumably the license holder trusts him/herself. However, would YOU trust the future of your business to a part-time teenage clerk who can get you shut down just by being careless, much less actively evading the laws and regs? What steps would you take to be able to demonstrate to the inspectors or enforcement agents how diligent you are in preventing underage sales? It’s not enough to BE diligent; you have to be able to SHOW diligence. There are other states where this is actually a law. In Utah, for example, most bars/restaurants that serve booze [must scan the ID](https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title32B/Chapter1/32B-1-S407.html) of customers who appear to be under 35; if electronic scanning can’t be done, the establishment is required to maintain a paper log with the customer’s name and birthdate and the type, number, and expiration date of their ID. However, Utah law also imposes limits on what information the establishment can collect, how long they can keep it, and what they can do with it; [they can’t use it for marketing, e.g.](https://6215676.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6215676/I.D.-Scanners-utah) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/77 "2024-12-17T00:28:36Z")
Teen clerks cannot ring up alcohol or tobacco in Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/78 "2024-12-17T00:48:29Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > However, would YOU trust the future of your business to a part-time ~~teenage~~ clerk who can get you shut down just by being careless, much less actively evading the laws and regs? (Editing mine.) Otherwise, the statement stands. The clerk could be 78 years old … the business can still get shut down. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/79 "2024-12-17T01:03:24Z")
Varies by state. Here in Kansas, 18-year-olds can sell beer/cereal malt beverages and can serve drinks in a bar (i.e., bring them to the table); you have to be 21 to sell tobacco (effective July 1, 2023), to mix or dispense drinks, or to sell hard liquor. In Missouri, restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery stores (but not liquor stores or bars) can employ 18- to 20-year-olds and allow them to sell booze if the establishment derives at least 50% of sales from food or other nonalcoholic products, or they have someone 21 or older on the premises during all operating hours. (Revised Statutes of Missouri, 311.300) While some cities in Missouri have separate rules, the state says [there is no minimum age](https://atc.dps.mo.gov/enforcement/tobacco/faqs_tobacco.php) to sell tobacco products. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520/80 "2024-12-17T01:38:09Z")
@Reallivedead-Guy: Do you also think the government is tracking you through the large denomination bills in your wallet? I’ve had at least one guy tell me he usually removes the watermark strip from his hundreds and fifties so he can’t be tracked by government satellites. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-swipe-your-id-if-you-want-to-buy-booze-or-medicine-now/388520.md?page=5)