Age identification and retail stories

[Chased]

I got carded for trying to buy God of War at a Wal-Mart.
I didn't have my license on me, so I pulled out my college ID that did not have my age, but an issue date stating that I would have been a Senior at the time. (I thought it had my age on there, too, but that was apparently implimented the year after I got mine)
And then they ask my age, and I said 17, 'cause I was, and after an argument where this clerk was asserting that I was in highschool and was refusing to sell me the game because they thought I was lying about the college thing. They even acknowledged that I probably was 17, but they still weren't going to sell it to me. They then kept the game (The only copy there) behind the counter, and I just gave up after that ordeal.

The next time I was there, I went to buy the game and there was no issue or carding. I appreciate someone paying attention to the rating system of a game, but she should have just said, "No," after my college ID, rather than lecturing a potential customer, and critisizing their moral fiber over a product restricted due to policy rather than law, especially when they may well have actually just forgotten their ID.

That sucks, when I was 13 I headed over to Gamestop to purchase Spartan: Total Warrior (rated M) and the cashier just asked "Cash or credit?"

When I think back on it, I can't believe I had that much cash on me.

 

[captaincabbage]

I've always looked old for my age (when I was 16 I was being mistake for 20, no joke) so when my friend (who looks really young for his age i.e he's 20 and barely looks 16, tho he's older than me) and I were both 16 and he was buying a copy of GTA4 at our local EB he was refused a sale, since he didn't have any ID on him. He walked out and shrugged at me, so I walked in and grabbed a copy of GTA4, went straight to the counter and bought it. The guy didn't even ask me for ID, so once the transaction was completed I asked him how old he thought I was, to which he replied "About 20". I laughed and told him that I was only 16 and that my friend, who he had just refused, was infact turning 17 in a month and was older than me.
The clerk asked me for some ID and I showed him my driver's license and then went red-faced.

It was a good day and we all learnt a lesson.

 

[HellspawnCandy]

I remember once buying smokes, this guy asked me to buy him a pack.....after he tried to buy a pack.... in-front of the cashier. Kinda was a huge derp moment.

 

[staika]

Seeing as I work at a beer distributor I should in theory have a lot of stories and a lot of experience with the age id's and stuff but I luckily don't. I am very familiar with this law seeing as I am very into the alcohol scene and the first day I started my job my boss basically told me that if I serve alcohol to a minor or sell it to someone who is with a minor and obviously buying for them and they get caught and I sold them the alcohol not only will I have to pay the fine I will most likely be fired. So I understand why people at gamestop's continue to card me even though im 19 because I know what will happen if they get caught.

ps. people do not hate on the workers carding you, it may be annoying but they have to do it. also do not try to pull the old "I don't have my ID with me" even if it is true they will not sell you said item because it's risking their job and if it turns out your lying they could be fired and not a lot of people will not risk their job's over something like that.

 

[D Moness]

Worked for 14 years in retail.
The one that really still remember is a girl wanting to buy beer. I asked for her ID she didn't had it on her so i refused the sale. Later she came back with her mom and ID(she was 25 btw >.< , I HATE guessing someone's age). Then her mom turned to me and said i did the right thing and she suppose to have her ID on her.

For the people that wonder why stores do not take any risk. A co-worker of mine sold cigarettes to a person old enough to buy them. He gave it to a firend who wasn't old enough to buy it just before the left the store(a few meters before the exit). We got slapped with a fine for 10.000 euro for that(dutch version of department of health were near saw it and gave us that fine.

ps. If a family buys alcohol and the intention is known that it is also for one of their underaged kids a store is officially not allowed to sell the alcohol then.

 

[Dragonclaw]

Not to put to fine a point on it, but forgetting your ID is absolutely no reason for a clerk to take your word for it...and BTW the powers that be actually send decoys, who usually look close to the right age, and in my own experience with one "I forgot my ID" was exactly the excuse used to see if I'd sell the guy alcohol (I didn't). If any employee is caught by a decoy or selling to a minor that employee is FIRED...do not pass go, do not collect $200....and since it is a "firing with cause" do not collect unemployment while you search for another job in a tough economy. The manager who is on duty may ALSO be fired even if they had NO interaction with the customer...if it happened on their watch it's their ass as well...and the store will have it's license to sell any alcohol suspended or possibly revoked while the company faces severe fines. This goes for all alcohol (must be 21) and tobacco sales (must be 18)....as well as M rated games (also 18).

Quite frankly you and / or a buddy getting your drink on is NOT worth me losing a regular paycheck...or the unfortunate time I had to be the bearer of bad news when I had to fire a good worker because she fell for the "I left my ID at home" story of a decoy.

Want booze? Make sure everyone brings their ID or don't ***** about getting hasstled.

 

[higgs20]

i'm 19, so legal to do everything (in this country anyway)and i rarely get ID'd but my cousin is 26 and she still gets ID'd for 15 rated films, and lottery tickets.

 

[Parshooter]

My 16 year - old cousin got into the bar on his sisters 19th birthday (fuckin' BC drinking law) his sister was so pissed that after she and their parents were done with him he was the DD for the rest of the year. unless the party was in walking distance

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

I don't work in retail but recently was asked for an ID. I'm 17 and went into a GameStop to get one of the special event Pokemon. I then browsed for a minute and decided at the last second to buy Devil May Cry 4. The clerk asked me for ID and I showed her my college ID which she wouldn't accept. It ended up saving me $15 though since when I got home I realized that I needed the money for more important things.

 

[Sarah Frazier]

This is exactly why I ALWAYS have my wallet on me at all times, even though my ID needs to be updated *cough* Anyways... The only experience I have would be going with my older sister in law to the gas station for some gas as well as a couple snacks. She also wanted smokes but never brings her ID. She didn't try to start a fight, but only learned to ask me to buy smokes for her since she kept forgetting her own ID. Any other time, I leave my wallet open with the ID up which may or may not be why I haven't been carded for anything for a while.

 

[Daveman]

You have no idea what discrimination is. Seriously. Every word that comes out of your mouth is a joke.

Yeah I do. I mean, I'm not comparing it to racism but it quite clearly IS discrimination. What would you call it?

Bringing an ID is "such a hassle". I mean, seriously? How lazy are you? And stop talking about what happens at home, it's totally irrelevent, we're talking about the SHOP, you know, the one that gets FINED if they serve you?

I'm not saying I don't need to bring ID. I'm just saying that if I have ID and am paying for the alcohol it shouldn't matter whether my friend doesn't have it. The same goes in the case of my friend and his dad where it's not fair that his dad isn't allowed to buy a bottle of wine just because my friend forgot to take his wallet (and ID) with him.

You think it's never happened to me? You know what I did when my mate forgot his ID? I WENT INTO THE STORE MYSELF, because I'm not some idiot who can't pick out booze without a helping hand.

You're just being offensive now. We were picking out a selection of ales of which there are like 40 varieties and as I said, I didn't even consider that this was illegal because it ISN'T, it's just retarded store policy. I was not breaking the law in any way. It is not illegal for me to buy alcohol with somebody present who does not have ID. It is also not illegal for me to then give it to anyone, 5 years or older (as I was corrected), within the confines of my home.

And it has nothing to do with "looking shifty", you're just making shit up now. It doesn't matter what you "know", you follow the law, and the law is this; you ask for ID for anyone who looks under 25. If they are buying booze and do not have it, you cannot sell it to them. DEAL WITH IT. It's remembering a goddamn card, for Christ's sakes.

I had my drivers license on me, my friend does not drive so either he has to carry his passport around with him or just never drink. For the record he DOES carry an old passport with him when he goes out drinking, but funnily enough not when he just comes round to mine and then we fancy going into town shopping... but we're not talking about that and so it's irrelevant.

This is what you sound like; you sound like the sort of person who drives without a licence, then when they get pulled over, complains about how badly they're treated, and they can drive well anyway so what's the problem, or whatever, completely ignoring that it's a LEGAL OBLIGATION REGARDLESS.

The whole idea, once again, is that I DID have ID. I wasn't breaking the law and yet I was treated like I was.

YOU sound like a person who gets easily stressed by a simple argument on the internet. Thus this has given me a great deal of satisfaction.

 

[SpikeyGirl]

One time, me and a friend were picking up some booze for a movie night at a friends. Both of us have to carry ID as we look so young(sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse), but that's not my story.
In front of us was this girl who was trying to by store brand vodka with a photocopy of her passport.
And she was surprise that it was refused.

Surprisingly I haven't always been asked for ID, one time I was with my brother and the bartenders all knew and trusted him <color=white>(It could also have been that the last time I had been there I have maybe puked a bit, not something you forget).
Another time I was with a bunch of guys who were all obviously old enough and it was the middle of the day and with a meal so who knows why.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

It's not illegal. I went into a store to buy a few bottles of ale for me and my friend, both of us over 18 and even before we got to the check out... in the fucking AISLE some store bastard (edit: well I suppose I mean "store clerk" but he was also a bastard for the record) comes up ands asks us for ID. I had mine on me but my friend didn't. We weren't allowed it. Even if my friend was fucking 3 years old this is in no way illegal as I am totally allowed to go home and give it to him then which is what we were fucking planning. I mean who binges on high quality ales in the street FFS? It is JUST discrimination because we looked young.

As a man of too many years under the retail belt, I must say that while it is not illegal to buy alcohol for yourself and someone else, it was probably store policy to check you both. If you look under 30 in our store, you had better have ID. That's our store policy . If we suspect you're buying alcohol for someone in the group other than yourself, we're going to card those other participants. As you said, you were buying it for you and your friend. That employee probably noticed that too, hence why he carded both of you. The store doesn't want to lose their alcohol license and the person ringing you up doesn't want to get fired and pay thousands of dollars in fines because the one person they didn't card was an ABC representative. Stores will always walk on the side of caution. If you can't deal with that, then buy it solo or don't buy it at all. That's just how it works.

Oh, and discrimination? No, no it wasn't.

 

[Woodsey]

If they serve her, and she's 18, and she pays, I don't see the problem.

Who cares if he's 17 and you overheard it - no one's then going to be able to prove you overheard it being said.

 

[kuyo]

not really about age restriction, but one time at the very beginning of night shift, we were training three newbies (one pretty much got it already, but the other two were pretty green.) I was out restocking and rolling up the rugs when I saw this lady I'd say was in her eighties or so take a water and put it in her bag.
I had to just hang back to make sure this was really happening, and sure enough, this two faced granny lied straight to all three of the new guys.
I took the water back (she obviously didn't notice me even though I was right out for everyone to see), but I knew I couldn't confront her over it, after all she'd probably just play the fool and make me look like an ass.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

Gotta be 16 here to buy it legal.

Never had a problem here with it even when I was underage. They rarely ask for my ID but I did look a tad old for my age.

Right now I am 17 and I am rarely checked for my ID. I do always keep it with me though just in case.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Years ago my bro work in Virgin (Richard Branson brand shop) and one time a small boy handed him the Halloween DVD to pay for it. He said in a intimidating tone of voice "Are you 18?". The boy in a small voice said "No..." and took the DVD and put it back.