Tobacco Stings

[DrFaroohk]

I'm getting sick of Grandpa Smithy coming in to buy cigs and me getting busted for not carding him. I dunno what gave it away that he was old enough...the cane, the liverspots, the severe wrinkling, the gray hair, his old crackly voice, or the colostomy bag he was carrying around. But apparently that's not enough without ID.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeh.

[Barefootgirl]

Er, if its the law, its the law. If you are consistently getting busted for not carding old people, just card them ! How hard is it?

Stupid law or not, surely its you who is getting in trouble, and that's a good enough reason to abide by it. If you don't like it, write to your local legislator, or start a petiton locally, get the local papers involved, etc.

[Knightmare]

Exactly. The law is the law. He could have a beard to his ankles, and shuffling along with a cane, but you still must card him.
You must cover your ass, my friend. Common sense is on a major downward spiral in this country. It will only add a few seconds to the transaction, and you may get another SC ("WHAT?! ID? I fought in the Revolutionary War!") but it must be done.

[DrFaroohk]

State law is 27, company policy is 35. They still send in old assed people though, with the argument that "this guy COULD be 35..." and its like "yeah, he could be, if he's suffered from cancer his whole life, and been hooked on every drug known to man since he was 15." I card everyone I need to, but gray hair and wrinkles are where I pretty much stop.

Although there was this girl I went to highschool with who was only 16 and looked like she was 100....hmmm...

[HowMayIHelpMe?]

State law is 27, company policy is 35. They still send in old assed people though, with the argument that "this guy COULD be 35..."

Small rant here, please excuse its length, but this one touched a nerve with me.

The whole thing is now set up just to screw with the lives of cashiers and nothing else. What I do know for sure having been on the same side of the counter as you for a long time is that these laws don't even matter. The laws almost made sense when you had to card someone if they looked under 18, because that was a lot easier to pick out of a crowd, but how the FACK are you supposed to judge that someone looks "under 27"? The people who drafted up that legislation, clearly, are sub-morons. There isn't anyone who "looks under 27" because "under 27" is a pretty FACKING vague parameter! Quick, now, someone, should me a photograph of what "age 27" looks like. Can't do it? That's right, I didn't think so.

Aside from the fact that it doesn't even matter if we sell cigarettes to kids (if they're THAT determined to poison themselves to death one breath at a time, I say who am I to stop them from helping to THIN THE HERD?) because they're going to get those stupid things no matter what, the legislators and the citizens who've pushed these legislators have not thought out the process enough to protect us cashiers. Where is our protection? Why isn't it against the law, for instance, to hassle a cashier who carded you? After all, we're doing what the law says when we card you for your cigarettes. We're "helping" the law. And you, customer, are "obstructing" the path of the law every time you mouth off to us about showing us your id?

Why can't we put you in jail forever so that your family will never see you again when you make our days as cashiers so miserable?

[Jester]

Wow.

HowMayIHelpMe, just wow.

I am known for ranting every now and then, but that rant just floored me.

BRAVISSIMO!!!

[Gurndigarn]

Aside from the fact that it doesn't even matter if we sell cigarettes to kids (if they're THAT determined to poison themselves to death one breath at a time, I say who am I to stop them from helping to THIN THE HERD?)

The general thought, which I agree with, is at least try to have them wait until they're past the gotta-follow-the-crowd-no-matter-what early teenage years.

the legislators and the citizens who've pushed these legislators have not thought out the process enough to protect us cashiers. Where is our protection? Why isn't it against the law, for instance, to hassle a cashier who carded you?

It would be better if the law was against trying to even acquire any age-restricted items until you're of appropriate age.

[JustADude]

The general thought, which I agree with, is at least try to have them wait until they're past the gotta-follow-the-crowd-no-matter-what early teenage years.

And with good reason. I believe less than 1 in 10 smokers started after they turned 20.

[blas]

A lot of mom and pop stores DO have some sort of sign about bitching about ID...but of course the larger chain stores can't have them.

That is a great idea. After all, it is only THE LAW that cashiers card people. Why are people allowed to whine, throw tantrums, throw OBJECTS, smash things, curse and spit and scream about it!?

[Broomjockey]

And correct me if I'm wrong (not up on the finer points of State Law), but there's massive fines for sellings to people without ID, why isn't there something for buying or holding age restricted items without ID? They make you have your licence on you to drive, you're supposed to show it while purchasing, why put all the onus on the merchant? Make it a matter of *DIRTY WORDS ALERT* "personal responsibility."

[DrFaroohk]

I think it would be just fine if they passed some universal federal law that states: Cashier cannot, under any circumstances, be terminated or otherwise punished for asking for ID.

Or even better, how about "Cashier cannot be punished for ANY incident that results from a refusal to sell an age restricted product".

Like you're supposed to watch out for selling beer to people who are already drunk. Except if you refuse a sale to some dude because he's acting all weird, and then it turns out he's handicapped, well there's a class action lawsuit. Bye bye, job.

[Broomjockey]

Or even better, how about "Cashier cannot be punished for ANY incident that results from a refusal to sell an age restricted product".

Sorry, was with you until this. "Even better"? How is that better? That's opening up all kinds of abuse potentials. Especially with that wording. Notice it doesn't cover reasons for refusal? And "ANY" incident? So if the cashier decides to go over the counter for being told "This sucks" when someone's refused service, nothing can be done to them? There does need to be a balance in it, and there's no balance in that.

Maybe something along the lines of "Cashier cannot be disciplined for incidents arising from attempts to follow laws and regulations regarding sales of age-restricted products, as long as the incident would not incur criminal charges." With more tweaking to follow after a pondering of if that gives adequate coverage of the cashier / CS person without giving a window of abuse.

[DrFaroohk]

Yeah, well thats a little extreme, I know. but I'd still like a little more protection on my end is all. In a previous thread I mentioned I told a customer off when she gave me attitude, that was just once, and there's a million times that I'm totally professional and cool and then they file a false complaint saying I was rude and snarky about it. Or you have to worry that the mentally retarded guy you refused alcohol to is going to sue you. Or whatever else.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

State law is 27, company policy is 35. They still send in old assed people though, with the argument that "this guy COULD be 35..." and its like "yeah, he could be, if he's suffered from cancer his whole life, and been hooked on every drug known to man since he was 15." I card everyone I need to, but gray hair and wrinkles are where I pretty much stop.

Methinks the cops are looking for revenue and setting cashiers up to fail if they are sending in such old people to do carding stings.

Come on, it's pretty hard to mistake a 25-year-old for a 50-year old (unless the 25-year-old in question is Taylor Hicks)

Once again we see common sense flying out the window thanks to a one-size-fits-all, you-must-card-EVERYBODY policy.

[Becks]

And with good reason. I believe less than 1 in 10 smokers started after they turned 20.

How about those of us that started on our 18th birthday?