I.D.'d and Complaining About It!

[MiddleofNowhere]

Soooo, last night, our area experienced our first 'winter' front. It was great. Temperatures dropped, snow was flying and of course, that heralds the flocking to the grocery store for supplies because people *still* think they're going to be 'snowed' in for a week and have to start gnawing on their pets or children apparently...

I did nip into my local grocery store as we needed just a few basics for dinner and as I was waiting in line I got to witness this suck on a poor cashier. Let me set the stage:

Cashier - young, nice gal with cute smile (a rarity at 5:30 p.m. during the apocalypse snow)
Pruney bitch - SC in front of me in line, a truly perfect catbutt face the entire transaction, at a glance, looked to be late 40s, early 50s

Cashier swipes Pruney bitch's purchases through, ending with a bottle of wine. Cashier turns to Pruney bitch and asks (very politely): 'Ma'am, may I see your I.D. for the wine, please?'
Pruney Bitch: WHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTT? *pulling her pruney face in tighter*
Cashier: 'I have to see your id to enter it into the register for the wine purchase, please.'
Pruney Bitch: 'You don't need to see my i.d.' **huffs, puffs, generally looks like she's going to actually turn her face inside out if her catbutt face gets any tighter**
Cashier: 'Ma'am. I'm sorry. I have to enter that I've seen it in my register'
Pruney Bitch: 'FINE!' *digs in her purse, flings i.d. at cashier who picks it up, reviews date on it, hands it back to the pruney bitch, then processes the transaction. 'WHERE'S YOUR MANAGER?!?! eleventy!!!!'
Cashier: (faltering a bit in her smile, the pruney bitch was getting to her) Right over there, Ma'am.

Pruney bitch snatches up her purchases and stomps over to floor manager, and complained about how *she* shouldn't have to show i.d. to buy a bottle of wine, she's obviously of age (but already in my mind not mature enough to buy a bottle of wine). Manager, who must have actually had a spine, explained it was their corporate policy no matter who was buying any alcohol to view the i.d. Cashier and I watched and I mentioned to cashier to not let the lady get her down, she's only doing her job. Cashier actually smiled again.

Pruney bitch finished her complaint to manager by saying, 'Well, I guess I'll just take it as a compliment, then.' and stomped out

As I was telling my husband what happened when I got home he said, 'You know what you should have done? Called over to the lady and said, "You know what? You shouldn't have to show I.D. You obviously are an old bitch!'

I love my husband!

[Cat]

I was buying wine tonight (and greatly enjoying it now) and I was carded I thanked the cashier.....ever since I hit 30 I LOVE being carded.

[Lingering Grin]

I honestly don't get the problem with being carded.


When I buy alcohol I take my ID out before I even get to the cashier. Usually I just set my ID down right on top of the case of beer and they can just grab it at the same time they ring it up. They never even get a chance to ask


and it's not because I look really young. I'm 23 and I could MAYBE pass for being 20 if I had too (If I shaved I could probably pass for being 17 ), I just understand the whole "If you look like you're under 40, get out your damn ID"

[blas]

There are some stores where the cashier MUST enter the DOB, even if the customer was born in 1923 and has a walker.

People just need to get the fuck over it. Why are they driving without their ID anyways, when they claim they "don't have it"??

[One-Fang]

SC: "WHERE'S YOUR MANAGER??!!!!"
Me: "Right over there, I'm so pleased you've decided to let him know I was following the store policy - he really appreciates compliments about his staff. Thank you!!"

[Racket_Man]

what I do get is that the trend for governments/stores is to ID card EVERYONE reguardless of age. I do know there are many big chain stores and at least one or two STATES that require an ID for ANY alcohol, tobacco or lottery (may be a few other classes of products that require ID but these are the big 3) no matter WHAT the age of the customer was or how old they looked

People can get terminated on the SPOT via the law or company policy. When I worked for the gas station we got a convience store mag and one of the big stories was about this very subject. there were 15 year employees AND managers who were terminated for not ID'ing a customer during secret shops or law enforcement "stings"

yes yes I know that older persons get bent out of shape because of this but the bottom line is this:

the ID everyone rules/law is made because they card EVERYONE so as not to have the age discrmination card pulled out or have to deal with younger looking but older in age customers.

[Chromatix]

Over here - or at least in Britain - "stings" are done using volunteer children, a year or two below the limit age. The police unit waits around the corner. I don't think they care much *how* they catch underagers, so long as they do it reliably.

[icmedia]

I get annoyed each and every time I am asked to show my I.D....

mainly because, when the clerk is asking me for it, I'm already holding it out for them to look at, and usually have been the entire transaction in anticipation of it being needed to complete said transaction.

Nothing says, "I have been totally ignoring you the entire time you have been in front of me" like asking me for something that I have been holding out in plain view for the past three minutes.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I can't recall the last time I was carded for alcohol . . . but then 9 times out of 10, I'm buying at work and they all know how old I am.

That one time out of 10, I'm at the ABC store and, IIRC, they didn't card me when I was in there last fall.

Guess I look like an old bitch, eh?

[alphaboi]

Over here - or at least in Britain - "stings" are done using volunteer children, a year or two below the limit age. The police unit waits around the corner. I don't think they care much *how* they catch underagers, so long as they do it reliably.

In the States an undercover has to actually see the minor make a purchase. My high school's tobacco free youth volunteered with police alot. At my store we have two groups that conduct stings. There's the police who use actual minors and fine both the store and the clerk (failure = termination in all cases) and the private company that corporate hires to audit the stores for compliance. There is no fine, but a 1st failure = weeks unpaid suspension. 2nd time with 2 years in termination. The strange part is that the private audits don't use minors, they send 18-25 year olds out (we're supposed to card everyone who looks under 27. Don't get me started on 3rd party sales.

[PepperElf]

and some states have made it mandatory for all people to get carded regardless of age. hopefully it will take some of the pressure off the cashiers ... but hey you never know

[bainsidhe]

Our store failed an internal audit recently. We're supposed to card anyone appearing under age 40 and a 24 year-old wasn't asked for ID. Unfortunately, this person was auditing us, so ouch. Yeah, it's not worth my job to not bother with ID. And the 40 year-old thing? Just because you have gray hair doesn't mean anything, I know under-twenty-somethings with gray hair. Le sigh.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Soooo, last night, our area experienced our first 'winter' front. It was great. Temperatures dropped, snow was flying and of course, that heralds the flocking to the grocery store for supplies because people *still* think they're going to be 'snowed' in for a week and have to start gnawing on their pets or children apparently...

Ah, snow shoppers...

Brings to mind an old sprite-comic I did once...

http://www.projectmetaverse.org/isor.../retales05.gif

[Pagan]

the ID everyone rules/law is made because they card EVERYONE so as not to have the age discrmination card pulled out or have to deal with younger looking but older in age customers.

Personally, I like this idea. Because of the time I was checking out and the guys in front of me were obviously college students and were buying a case of Bud and they weren't carded. Here I was with a bottle of wine that typically a college student wouldn't be buying and I got carded. That's what irks me, the subjectivity of it. Just card everyone.

The ones that make me laugh are like this "lady" I had the other night. When you drop off a script for a control substance, you have to show your id. You're also told at that time that when you pick it up, you have to show an id. This one the other night got all bent out of shape because "now I have to unpack everything". What in the hell would posses you to pack your id, especially if it's a driver's license?

Another question is why is half this city on Percocet and the other half is taking Vicodin?

[XCashier]

And the 40 year-old thing? Just because you have gray hair doesn't mean anything, I know under-twenty-somethings with gray hair. Le sigh.

Yeah, my brother and I both started graying in high school. I had HS classmates who were going bald! I've seen 40-somethings who could pass for nineteen. Looks are not always the best indicator of age.

Jay, that comic is great!