Government Issued ID

[Muses_nightmare]

I'm pretty sure it's like this in most places, but when you buy cigarettes or anything else that's age restricted in Canada you have to show government issued photo ID.

This is something I remember from my time at the gas station.

A guy comes to the window to buy cigarettes, This is the conversation I have with him:

Me:
SC: obvious

Me: Hi there, how can I help you tonight?
SC: Yes I want a pack of [cigarette brand]
Me: Sure, I'll just need to see some ID First.
SC: Well it's in the car, do I have to get it?
Me: I can't sell you the cigarettes if you don't.
Sc: Fine *wanders the 20 feet to his car and retrieves his ID*
I push the drawer out so he can put it in and I can look at it
Me: * I pick up a card I don't recognize* I need to see government issued ID
SC: But it is government issued!
Me: This is your student id card, this is not issued by the government, it is issued by your school.
SC: no it's not! It's government ID!
Me:No, it's not, I had the same card, it's issued by the school, not the government. Unless you have another form of ID I can't sell the cigarettes to you.
SC: What other kind of ID could I have!?
Me: A driver's lisence, BCID card, Passport
SC: I don't have any of those!
Me: Then I can't sell you cigarettes.
SC: *grumbles* Fine I'll just go somewhere else!
Me: Okay then have a good night

I don't know how he gathered that his student ID card was government issued, but that is all kinds of dumb. Not to mention those are ridiculously easy to fake, since the picture is just stuck on, not printed on it.

[Dilorenzo]

Hold up... he doesn't have a Drivers License and he drove? Hehehe, smokes are gonna be the least of his worries...

[Bramblerose]

My previous state of residence issued a Non-Driver's Licence.

Yes, I know, it's a state issue ID (and now needed to vote there), but really, it was just like a DL, but was marked "non-driver" in cheery red letters diagonally across the front.

[Arm]

I've heard of those too. I think you can get them in NC- they're 'state-issued ID cards' or something, aren't they?

These days, I bet you could get them in any state. What with everything that requires ID, and many people being unable to have driver's licenses.

Also, Canada's item quests to get different forms of ID suck. Why is it easier to get a passport than a driver's license?

[taxguykarl]

We don't even start a client's return w/o a gov't-issued ID. I've seen some employer-issued ID's that look so amatuerish...well as an ex-bartender, I would only serve them soda pop.

As for non-driver ID's, they are available in this state--they are valid for something like 10 years and cost about half as much as a driver's licence.

[Crawley]

Alabama's got them too. "Non-Driver Identificaton" is what it's call here. Not sure on the cost, but they are printed on a green background, instead of the red (underage) and blue (legal) driver's licenses.

[Sedorna]

I didn't start driving until my 20's, so I had one for a few years. It might have changed, but back when I had one--and I'm from Maryland--they had a red stripe on the top. The driver's licenses have a blue stripe on top. I think underage is the same color as, er, overage?, only the underage licenses are vertical instead of horizontal. Oh, and I could be wrong, but I *think* I remember seeing one that said something like, "Will be 21 on June 13, 2009".

And now, I might as well join with many others of you and tell you about this badly faked ID I received. In Maryland, a driver's license consists of one letter and 12 numbers. Now, the letter is always the first letter of your last name. So this guy comes in and wants to buy a Visa gift card and pay by check. Store policy is that, if you're buying gift cards, you have to show I.D. unless you're paying by cash. So I ask him for his I.D.

He hands it to me, and it looks terrible. For one, his name and address, as well as photo of himself, look like they've been pasted on. I can actually *see* the line of paper. Also, the letter on his driver's license doesn't match the first letter of his last name. And the clincher? The name signed on his check, as well as printed on his license, was John Smith. However, the name *signed* on the license was Manuel Garcia. (Those, BTW, weren't the actual names.) Not only was it a completely different name, but John's handwriting was completely different from Manuel's. Needless to say, I did not accept it.

[Muses_nightmare]

My previous state of residence issued a Non-Driver's Licence.

Yes, I know, it's a state issue ID (and now needed to vote there), but really, it was just like a DL, but was marked "non-driver" in cheery red letters diagonally across the front.

Yep, BC does that, It looks the same as a driver's license, but it's not one. They're easier to get than driver's licenses too.

[Nayeli_Sabia]

All US states offer some form of State ID.

The most amusing thing for me was my own ID story. I am a military wife. I have a Dependant ID card. It has all my info on it(even my Social Sec. #). I had a restaurant refuse it, since it wasn't "valid" id. I've also had a restaurant refuse my passport as valid id(my license had expired). My husband has had his Military ID refused several times. At this point it amuses us, but the first time he got VERY upset.

[Anakah]

The types of Government ID's that we take are: Military ID, State issued ID (which is a non-DL) Driver License's and passports. That's it. Anything else and they are told NO.

Funny thing is though, we don't take Driver's licenses from other countries. If we can't read in information on it, we require a passport.

[VenomX]

My boss only wants us to accept our states IDs. No other state, country, passport, military, etc...

Why?
We do not see many other types to get a "feel" for what is real or fake.

Depending on the person I will usually accept a military ID. Had one the other night, I took a look and told him I was sorry but I couldn't sell to him.

He asked me why? Said he just turned 18 and joined the military. Was off to basic in a few days. I showed him the back of the ID, it said his birthday was 1992 which would make him 16, not 18.

Told him even though the ID looked real I was going to go the safe way and not sell to him. He was fine with that and thanked me and left.

I talked to the police later when they stopped in to shop and they say they see that stuff all the time with military IDs.

[CarcinogenCrunchies]

I was always a hardass about IDs at my old bartending job. Some of the stories may still be lurking on old incarnations of CS.

I do recall one time when I couldn't find my license, but I was able to buy beer anyway using my college ID (address and photo), voter registration card (ddress and DOB) and my card from the local casino (name, can't go to a casino under 21).

[Kirkygirl]

I had a restaurant refuse [my military dependant card], since it wasn't "valid" id. I've also had a restaurant refuse my passport as valid id(my license had expired). My husband has had his Military ID refused several times. At this point it amuses us, but the first time he got VERY upset.

This also amuses me. In BC here, you need a valid birth certificate to get a passport, Social Insurance Number, or a driver's license. It would make NO sense to me to refuse these things unless they did not have a picture of you on the item(s), they looked falsified, or if they did not have, in numbers, your date of birth etc.
(I've had a Japanese exchange student try to buy tobacco off of me, and I can't read Japanese. The guy did not have numerical data on his passport, so we had to refuse it.)
To get the everyday pieces of items most of us take for is a long and tedious process, and some of it must be done in person. But to hear that establishments will not take gov't issued ID is kind of stupid, considering that you need a LOT of paperwork.
But even then, I will not take photos on a credit card as valid proof of ID. I always ask for a piece of government issued ID, Visa agreements be damned. I'd rather let corporate deal with that one. I also have my boss backing my butt up if a customer complains about the fact that I ask for ID.

[Nayeli_Sabia]

But even then, I will not take photos on a credit card as valid proof of ID. I always ask for a piece of government issued ID, Visa agreements be damned. I'd rather let corporate deal with that one. I also have my boss backing my butt up if a customer complains about the fact that I ask for ID.

Yeah. My husband gets upset when a person won't look at his ID because the debit card has a picture on it. Now he always hands this id with his card, and if they don't look at it and just hand it back, he won't take it till they look at it. A bit Passive agressive, but not too bad.

[Kyree]

Yeah. My husband gets upset when a person won't look at his ID because the debit card has a picture on it. Now he always hands this id with his card, and if they don't look at it and just hand it back, he won't take it till they look at it. A bit Passive agressive, but not too bad.

Not many people look at ID's anymore, at all =/ There's tons of places that have "under a certain amount, you don't have to sign" stuff as well, so I have "See I.D. Please" on the back of my card, and they don't even look at it.