Checking ID?

[Trayol]

How often do people working at fast food restaurants check IDs for credit or debit cards?

[South Texan]

If my experience is any indication, NEVER.

One cashier told me her business was instructed by a creditor company not even to bother with signatures for anything less that $25.

[BrightEyedKitty]

I was instructed to compare signatures and check ID if there was no signature or the card said, "See ID."

I've had a couple people get really upset, but those are stories for another time.

[AFpheonix]

Since I already have to verify who you are before i can sell you my product, our chain policy is not to have people sign if it's under $50, or if they've registered their card on the Express Pay system.
I also tend to not check signatures on patients that I pretty much know, either, and recognize their credit cards (how sad is that, if the pharmacy not only recognizes you, but your tender, too?)

[Ryu]

I work at a movie theater
We are never told to check id and signatures are never required (in concessions at least, I'm not trained in box)
I've had 50 dollar orders before from credit cards with no way of knowing if it was theres. While I feel kinda bad about it with how many people we deal with I think it would be mighty hard to check everyones id
I've done a thousand dollars of business in about 3 or 4 hours before.

[toolbert]

It really takes no time at all to check someone's ID. Still, I've only had about 30% of all fastfood places actually check for ID. We only check ID if 1) its above $50, 2) if it's not signed for any amount, 3) if it says specifically to check no matter how much. Really though, I would be pissed if someone used my card for anything as low as even a couple of dollars cause later on it'll add up immensly.

[Ryu]

I didnt say I wouldnt check ID if it were required but corporate being corporate doesnt want us to so none of us have any choice even though we hate the policy

[toolbert]

that's a dumb policy though...and i bet someone in corporate would be the first one to complain that someone's used their card and it wasn't checked for id

[Monica]

We have those machines that customers can slide thier cards themselves. So, we don't have any rules on checking the i.d.

[cpux]

At my grocery store, the customers swipe their cards themselves. And the system's set up to run it through once the transaction's done. So, there's no real way to check out credit cards at our level. Brilliant, eh?

[Canadian In Maine]

At my grocery store, the customers swipe their cards themselves.

Same at our store also.

Besides, what well-respecting thief would waste time using a credit card to make small purchases?

Go big or stay home I always say!

[Zinjadu]

At my grocery store, the customers slide their own debit cards, but credit cards are a whole 'nother thing. . .

We have to check the name on the credit card before we slide it, then retain it til we've checked the signature. Company policy. So many customers get ticked off when we tell them they can't use the credit card if it's not their card with their name on it. No, you can't use your husband's/wife's/parents' card because the signature won't match and that's considered credit card fraud, not to mention the fact that I don't know who you are, so how am I supposed to know whether ot not the card is stolen? I also tell them that it's for their own protection that we check signatures, and if they continue to give me grief, I call whatever manager is on duty and let them deal with it! They always back me up because, after all, it is company policy!

The problem is that not all the cashiers are following policy, so there are issues. .

I had one man tell me that checking his signature was an invasion of his privacy, so I told him that if he was so concerned with his privacy he better pay with cash from now on. Shut him right up!

[HYHYBT]

Well, first I have to point out that "It really takes no time at all to check someone's ID" is obviously not true. It might take just five seconds, even less, but that's assuming the customer gave you the ID without being asked which is hardly likely. And even five seconds is a lot when you're supposed to spend no more than 20 taking payment and 90 from when they begin ordering to when they leave with their food, and have to make up on speedy card transactions what you lose on those who dig for change.

Besides, the ones who come inside, the cashier never even sees the card, and either way there's only even a signature (which does take time to collect, much less compare, and don't try to deny it) on orders over $25.

Also, as has been pointed out on many previous incarnations of CS and linked to once in a while, it's against the merchant agreement to check ID's for credit card purchases. Therefore customers should not expect their ID's to be checked, or if they do they should take it up with Visa and not the store or restaurant.

[Thrifty]

Well, first I have to point out that "It really takes no time at all to check someone's ID" is obviously not true.


I've rarely had a problem though. And yes this is in a time span where we do 1000 or more in 3 hours, sometimes we do 1000 or more in 2 hours. This is also involving huge orders at times. Heck I've had people do half cash, half credit, and two different credit cards which involves the cashier's using the calcuator by the register since our register's are very old.

[Rine]

Well, I don't work fast food, but I check the ID of anyone running a credit card or using a check at my register, no matter what the amount of the transaction is. Debit is usually okay for me, since they have to enter a pin, but sometimes I ask for ID for that too.

I actually get a lot of thank yous from customers for asking for ID. I don't trust the "matching the signature" thing, because the little machine that customers sign is so crappy that you can hardly make out the signature.