seen this today and wondered what the downsides would be. would you be offended to have to do this?
"…and go to the cash register and purchase,”
Why not just let me swipe my credit card right at the door? Anyone not of age who has their own credit card should be allowed to buy beer too.
At least to me seems like it’s more of an anti-theft measure, that way if you actually do decide to grab some alcohol and run out you now have your photo ID on file with the store.
Also prevents homeless people from buying or stealing alcohol as well.
Well, unless you’re 16 and you “borrowed” your uncle’s ID while he was passed out on the couch and now he’s looking at a charge.
:blink:
Are you implying that homeless people don’t have ID, or that they shouldn’t be allowed to buy alcohol, or both?
At least from everything I read, yes generally the homeless (as we traditionally think of them) tend to not have driver’s licenses or valid ID on them compared to the greater population at large, and this is seemingly one of those “This is a feature not a bug” moments.
If I am of the legal age to buy beer/wine/wine coolers, and want to make said purchase, I don’t see why it would bother me to use the scanner. I mean, I have to show an ID to the clerk [and have had it scanned in a couple stores when getting beer for mrAru, I don’t actually like beer] what is the big deal? I have had my ID scanned buying immodium and allergy meds at the pharmacy [and also when picking up my opioids] same thing, it is just another legal hoop to jump through but since it is a legal purchase for a legal use, not a problem.
This one place (a regular storefront, not a gas station) opened with potentially interesting vending machines inside. No beer or anything that would legally require “age-verification technology”. Of course there are surveillance cameras all over the place, and I do not mind swiping my credit card at the door, because that is how I was planning to pay anyway. What I baulked at was the required telephone number and fingerprint scan. We may assume all unnecessary information will be misused, if not sooner then later; that extends to government institutions, hospitals, etc. (Necessary information, too: I have received letters decades later from supposedly responsible universities explaining that their computer data was just stolen. At least they were responsible enough to notify the victims.)
Ice Cold Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud Light here!
Where I live, beer, wine, and spirits are available at the 24-hour convenience store, for whatever payment method you prefer (cash, credit cards, smartphone, not sure about cheques), and I cannot even remember the last time they asked me for any id. However, for extra convenience, and possibly easier to install in more remote locations, I would not mind seeing some Japanese-style vending machines:
I am all for robots instead of employing some kid to man the store at 3 a.m.
From the article:
“So my ID would be in another database which means my identity could be potentially [stolen] off of whatever server they store the customer info on,” one user speculated.
I get this frequently where I work, where we do require an ID and employees are instructed to scan them.
We really do not store your information.
Not from an ID scan. We really, really don’t. I have access to the raw data coming off the registers and occasionally use it. The ONLY data that is stored is whether or not the ID scanned shows the age limit has been met as a yes/no toggle. That is it. That really is it. In fact, if I ring up something with an age 16 requirement, scan your ID, then ring something with an age 18 limit I’ll have to scan your ID again, and then if there’s a 21 age limit item scan it a third time because the machine really does not save your age or birth date, it just toggles whether or not you met the requirement. All in the same transaction. It sure as hell doesn’t keep it after you walk out the door.
(There is an option for the cashier to basically say yep, this person is clearly old enough to do this, which is what we’ll often to rather than scanning your ID three times, but the question really does come up multiple times in a transaction sometimes. Machines are terrible at judging the age of humans, though, so they have to scan.)
Why not? Because keeping all that information would be a massive, massive database the company has no interest in paying for.
No, where we keep a database on you is if you use our app for coupons, pick-up, on-line shopping, etc. THAT’s where we store your information. Also if you get our credit card, then we’re siphoning information on your buying habits. The store doesn’t give a flip about your height or hair color (or lack of hair) or when your ID expires. No, what the store cares about is your buying habits and, if you have the credit card, where to send the bill.
Is that the case everywhere? Damifino. There probably some evil corporations out there salivating at the chance to scam you to death but most of them aren’t. The main concern (at least in the US) is for the store to avoid legal trouble by only selling things to people legally able to purchase them and covering the store’s ass by documenting that to extent necessary… and no more.
Frankly, I’d LOVE for our so-called “self serve” machines to be able to scan customer ID’s for age requirements because that would cut down a LOT of need for human attention by the attendants. This would be of immense help to everyone during busy periods. Like the entire month of December.
I am not a conspiracy nut, but…
I don’t buy this. Terabite drives can practically be bought from vending machines. Having software to track everything would be trivial. And then sell the data to marketers, whatever.
No one may be actually doing this, but there’s no large roadblock to doing it.
The title for that story is terrible. How, in any way, would proof of age constitute a ‘social credit system’?
The hardware is only one part of it. Installing it nearly 300 stores across a half dozen states, maintaining it, and so forth does not come for free. That would be on top of all the other IT stuff that is done.
Most of what the company would probably want (even for selling purposes) is already gathered by the store app and the credit card membership, it would be a duplication of effort for little additional gain.
This will, of course, vary by company.
I assume that’s generally true. But what about the suggestion it operated as an anti-theft device and allows the store to recall my identification details if I run out the door with the beer. Then, it must be being retained, at least for period of time?
Unrelatedly, I don’t understand the “social credit” claim in the headline. The two objections raised in the article (verifying that it’s your ID and the data privacy issue) don’t strike me as wildly unreasonable.
We utilize a LOT of video cameras for that (among other things) with a fairly robust facial recognition system. I’m not privvy to all the details, not working in that part of the company. I do know, however, that it’s quite common for thieves to have someone else’s ID/credit card/etc on them so using scanned ID as an anti-theft device is far from foolproof.
We also have a number of people just fog-brain their way out the door, forgetting to pay, or only paying part (not unheard when using a mix of payment methods, like EBT + cash), or leaving their ID/credit card/debit card/whatever behind. Just two days ago we had a regular customer walk out with $25 worth of stuff - he came back the following day and apologized and paid up. Which is why you really do need a human being in the loop somewhere.
I get frustrated when asked for ID. A sixty year old man with greying hair is certainly not a teen trying to pass.
I do like beer and will provide ID when asked.
After today at the 7-Eleven (Day 27), I’m happy to turn over the process of checking ID cards completely to the machines for all transactions, alcohol, cigarettes, and lottery, 24 hours a day. See the Second Big Story and several of the ancillary issues below it.
The worst they can do to the machine is kick it, and maybe they’ll break their goddamn toes.