I can safely say the chain I work for doesn’t do that, because I would have access to it if we did.
We have notes on you if you’ve ever cashed a check, done a money transfer, purchased over a certain dollar amount in money orders or gift cards, applied for a sales tax exemption, been caught shoplifting, been trespassed, or written a bad check, but not just because you’ve bought an age-restricted product.
If we did, it would certainly make it easier for us to get rid of some of our problem customers.
It may have been going on at some places for years but until it came out as a story incidental to a newsworthy murder I had never heard of any place doing such. I wonder if they disclose that up front in the brewery; I didn’t see anything about it on their website.
My understanding is some entry is made only for those who fail to provide (sufficient) ID so if you are 32 no entries are made. A caveat, however, is if your girlfriend joins you, “Honey, I found that flavoured tonic water we like” and she looks under 25, she gets ID’d as now it’s a “proxy sale”. Same if your son or daughter is there, perhaps helping to bag items. “Hang on, that’s my daughter. I’m 43 and she’s 16 and the wine is for my wife and guests tonight.” Too late. No sale. Ironically, if you were buying a bag of beer for some teenagers outside there are no counter-measures.
So the entry is “red wine”, “some irate guy who said he was 43 accompanied by underage female”. And if they have your name I’ve no idea how long they can keep it for. I know Asda has a similar policy as I use the self-checkout and if you have alcohol they have a “challenge”, “challenge 25” and a “c’mon, the guy is like 50+” button they use for me.
We don’t post those
The company likes a nice clean appearance, and ratty paper everywhere looks tacky. It’s also bad for business. We don’t accept paper checks anymore thank dog. Our store is ridiculously busy, processing paper checks, and potentially refusing one takes time we do⅚n’t have.
I was in a liquor store with my stepson who at the time was barely 21. I was holding the basket so he pulled the Seagram’s 7 off the shelf as I’m standing right there. Nope, couldn’t buy anything since HE pulled one item off the shelf and didn’t have HIS identification.
There’s a little mom-and-pop grocery store in my neighborhood, where the interior still looks pretty much exactly like it did when we moved here in 1996. They do still take checks (a lot of their customers are senior citizens), and still have a paper list, visibly posted at each of their three registers, of people who aren’t allowed to write checks there, due to bouncing them.
But, they’re the exception to the rule; it’s the kind of thing that I haven’t seen at a chain store in decades.
The other decongestant that was promoted as a Sudafed replacement doesn’t work. I’d be outraged that it’s still on the market if I didn’t have so much other stuff to be outraged about.
And here’s a fun trick I just learned but I haven’t actually tried personally ….
If you are prompted to enter the phone number connected to a loyalty program and you’ve never signed up with that store, try (your area code) 867-5309.
Apparently Jenny signed up for lots of loyalty programs and her number usually works.
And I’m sorry, but I like getting carded for beer because I’m 67.
And I like it twice as much when the clerk scowls at my smile and says - “we are instructed to card everyone that looks like they might be under 40”, like that’s the gotcha that’ll wipe the smile off my face.
