People on Vacation

[starlee]

I've been lurking a long time but never posted, but now I have a few stories, so here goes.

I work in a convenience store in the bottom of a hotel in the most touristy part of the island of Oahu on Hawaii. There are a bunch of other stores to. The people for the most part are nice, but sometimes I get a few bad eggs.

Don't you people know anything?

A man comes storming into the store, and rushes straight to the counter.

Man: I've been all over the hotel, and I can't find the yacht broker that I was told about! Where is it???
Me: Um, I'm not sure, I've never seen it...
Man: Why don't any of you people know what a yacht is?? *holds arms apart* It's a BIG BOAT.
Me: I know what a yacht is. I just don't know where to buy one. It's never come up!
Man: Gwahhh!!! *storms out*

I actually walked around a little bit after work... no yacht broker as far as I could see.

Reading is Fundamental

Lady: The BlahBlah Store across the street has their calenders on sale for $2.50. Why are these ones not on sale?
Me: Well, we aren't the BlahBlah Store.
Lady: What? You aren't? Where am I then? *wanders off looking confused*

This is not Canada, or Japan

We get lots of tourists from Canada and Japan. Mostly they understand our drinking laws, but some don't.

A youngish looking guy walks up with an even younger looking guy, and sets a bottle of rum on the counter.
Me: So I will need to see both of your IDs, please.
Young Guy: Oh okay, here's mine...but my brother isn't 21, he's 17. It's for me.
Me: Oh, then I can't sell it to you, sorry.
Young Guy: What?! It's mine! You think I'd give my little brother this?
Me: I have no idea. But I cannot sell alcohol to a minor.
Young Guy: This is not how it works in Canada! They don't care there! I could have bought this while he was in the room! Are they going to police the rooms too?
Me: If you secretly give your brother alcohol, then you would be breaking the law, not me. But if I knowingly sell to a minor, I am breaking the law, and would get in trouble. So I won't sell it to you.
Young Guy: So where do I go to buy liquor then?
Me: Not here.

Later, a Japanese woman wants to buy a beer, so I card her. No ID or passport, so I refuse the sale. Her friend is next in line.
Japanese Friend: Oh, and I want to buy that beer.
Me: Oh, I cannot not sell it to you.
JL: But it is for me.
Me: No, I think you will give it to your friend. Sorry.
JL: But I will drink it! Let me buy it.
Me: Only if your friend comes back with her passport.

How dare you make me walk 7 feet!

Our store has two cash registers, one per clerk, I think we all know how that works. Anyways, my coworker was doing something else, so she was not at her register. A man comes up to her empty register and sets down two bottles of wine. So, like a good employee, I cheerfully call him over to my register. He angrily picks up his wine, but doesn't get a good grip and one of the bottles goes flying across the store. Amazingly, it does not break. "Why does it matter?????" he says. "THEY ARE BOTH CASH REGISTERS!!!"


That is all for now. Maybe I will have more stories.

[Dadeo]

Young Guy: This is not how it works in Canada!

That's exactly how it works in Canada. (eh!)

[MoonCat]

Young Guy: This is not how it works in the mythical world that only exists inside my head! They don't care there! I could have bought this while he was in the room! Are they going to police the rooms too?

Fixed it.

[Slayer]

Argh, people like story #1 bug me. Just because you work there doesn't mean you know every business there is around it.

That's exactly how it works in Canada. (eh!)

Not in my province (Quebec). I've never seen, or heard of, anyone other than the purchaser being asked for ID. Of course, I don't doubt that it's the case in other provinces. Doesn't seem to be like that in Ontario, either.

In any case, people need to learn that you have to follow the laws in the place that you're in.

[Dadeo]

Doesn't seem to be like that in Ontario, either.

In Ontario, if you suspect the purchase might be for a minor, you MUST refuse the sale. That's not to say they actually do. A recent study showed that 1 in 4 minors were served at LCBO and 1 in 5 at The Beer Store.

[Slayer]

In Ontario, if you suspect the purchase might be for a minor, you MUST refuse the sale. That's not to say they actually do. A recent study showed that 1 in 4 minors were served at LCBO and 1 in 5 at The Beer Store.

Suspect, sure, that's everywhere including here. I meant if you're just buying alcohol with a minor present who isn't part of the sale.

[Sapphire Silk]

In Japan you can buy beer from a vending machine.

[RetailWorkhorse]

"Why does it matter?????" he says. "THEY ARE BOTH CASH REGISTERS!!!"

RW: Because the registers lock down after 60 seconds and I don't have the codes for that one!

In Japan you can buy beer from a vending machine.

AND PANTIES!

I still wanna try one of those corner convenience machines that carry milk and eggs and stuff. I think it'd be fun! But then I got a massive kick out of the coke machine in Atlanta GA using a credit card. Only one I ever saw, though.

So. Very. Large. [/Prince Gumball]

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I've been lurking a long time but never posted, but now I have a few stories, so here goes.

Welcome to the site! Here's a gft basket!

Reading is Fundamental

Lady: The BlahBlah Store across the street has their calenders on sale for $2.50. Why are these ones not on sale?
Me: Well, we aren't the BlahBlah Store.
Lady: What? You aren't? Where am I then? *wanders off looking confused*

This... hurt my brain. If she just said the sale is across the street, then how the heck could she not know that the sale was across the street?

Your answer to her "Where am I?" question should have been "Hawaii".

That is all for now. Maybe I will have more stories.

And we are looking forward to them!

[wolfie]

Me: So I will need to see both of your IDs, please.
Young Guy: Oh okay, here's mine...but my brother isn't 21, he's 17. It's for me.
Me: Oh, then I can't sell it to you, sorry.
Young Guy: What?! It's mine! You think I'd give my little brother this?
Me: I have no idea. But I cannot sell alcohol to a minor.
Young Guy: This is not how it works in Canada! They don't care there! I could have bought this while he was in the room! Are they going to police the rooms too?
Me: If you secretly give your brother alcohol, then you would be breaking the law, not me. But if I knowingly sell to a minor, I am breaking the law, and would get in trouble. So I won't sell it to you.
Young Guy: So where do I go to buy liquor then?
Me: Not here.

What are the odds that when he went elsewhere for the rum he took his brother with him, and therefore had the same experience?

That's exactly how it works in Canada. (eh!)

Not quite. In Ontario, the sale wouldn't have been refused for being a suspected third-party sale to someone under 21 - it would have been refused for being a suspected third-party sale to someone under 19.

In Ontario, if you suspect the purchase might be for a minor, you MUST refuse the sale. That's not to say they actually do. A recent study showed that 1 in 4 minors were served at LCBO and 1 in 5 at The Beer Store.

Very strange, considering that the LCBO is government-operated and The Beer Store is private. You'd think that government employees would be more strict in following the law.

Suspect, sure, that's everywhere including here. I meant if you're just buying alcohol with a minor present who isn't part of the sale.

I hope that common sense is used here. Someone in their early 20s accompanied by someone in their late teens? Refuse the sale. Someone in their 30s with a toddler in a stroller? Highly unlikely that the booze is intended for the minor.

[starlee]

This... hurt my brain. If she just said the sale is across the street, then how the heck could she not know that the sale was across the street?

I'll confess...this one makes a little sense to me, because the Blah Blah Stores are literally every block. I think there are like 30 within a 2 mile radius. So it makes sense she probably meandered into one of the Blah Blah stores right across the street, then thought about calendars as she walked back to the hotel, then decided she wanted one when she saw what she thought was another Blah Blah store.


The Canadians always get surprised when they get carded. They all say they never get carded back in Canada. Another thing they do is get confused by our coins, even though they are the same shape and color as ours.

[Jester]

Just because you work there doesn't mean you know every business there is around it.

CUSTOMER: "Where is a good woman's clothing store?"
JESTER: "I really don't know."
CUSTOMER: "Well, why not?"
JESTER: "I don't buy woman's clothing."
CUSTOMER: "Well.....oh, wait....good point."

I hope that common sense is used here. Someone in their early 20s accompanied by someone in their late teens? Refuse the sale. Someone in their 30s with a toddler in a stroller? Highly unlikely that the booze is intended for the minor.

Unlikely, but not impossible. I remember years ago when I was traveling the country witnessing a neighbor of a friend giving her toddler son sips of beer, as he was a bit too hyper for her tastes. I found this lazy, irresponsible, and just utterly disgusting. (And not just because it was cheap beer.)

That being said, I agree that common sense should be used in these situations. And I am glad I work in a state that, with all its ridiculous laws, doesn't have this one. If someone comes up to me to purchase a drink, if they have ID, I can serve them, regardless of who is around them. Naturally, if I see them giving some of the drink to someone who is underage or without proper ID, I have the authority to act, by pulling the drink and/or cutting them off. Usually a warning is enough. Usually.

That being said, because many people buy drinks "to go" in this town, we can't possibly know who is giving what to whom. Also, there are many situations where an of-age person is buying alcohol and is with an underaged person, and it is perfectly legitimate. If, for example, my 19 year old niece gave me a ride to the liquor store because my truck as in the shop, I would be might pissed if they refused to sell to me. Or if we were in the grocery store together, and I decided I wanted a six pack of something.

Yes, if there is a legitimate suspicion of the alcohol being bought for an underaged person, I can see refusing the sale, but I have heard (and seen) too many horror stories of of-age people being refused alcohol sales simply because they happened to be with or be accompanied by someone who was underage. Many times, a little common sense on the part of the clerk would have gone a long way, but sadly, there have been many times when this was just not on display.

[starlee]

Yes, if there is a legitimate suspicion of the alcohol being bought for an underaged person, I can see refusing the sale, but I have heard (and seen) too many horror stories of of-age people being refused alcohol sales simply because they happened to be with or be accompanied by someone who was underage. Many times, a little common sense on the part of the clerk would have gone a long way, but sadly, there have been many times when this was just not on display.

Ugh, I tried using common sense like that once. A person who was clearly of age and clearly a parent was with her two 13ish sons. She was buying a beer, along with a bunch of other grocery items. I said I needed to see their ID, and she was genuinely shocked and said that her sons were underage, but the beer was just for her to enjoy in front of the TV tonight. So I took pity, and sold the beer. She then handed the bags one of the boys, and as they are walking out, the little snot said loudly, "Thanks for the beer, mom!" Thankfully, no one witnessed this. In retrospect, I really should have refused the sale because I did ask for ID which then requires that they show it to buy, even if they are ancient...but oh well, too late now.

[mhkohne]

I still wanna try one of those corner convenience machines that carry milk and eggs and stuff. I think it'd be fun! But then I got a massive kick out of the coke machine in Atlanta GA using a credit card. Only one I ever saw, though.

There are actually a few covenience stores somewhere that are fully automated vending systems. They basically have a big glass wall and an automated picker and basket thing - put in your money, pick your items and it pushes them out a big door. Neat stuff.

[Shalom]

There are actually a few covenience stores somewhere that are fully automated vending systems. They basically have a big glass wall and an automated picker and basket thing - put in your money, pick your items and it pushes them out a big door. Neat stuff.

Can't buy a goat, though.

(That picture originally appeared in print medium in 1999, by the way. It's been all over the web since then, though.)