Customer ID debacle--WTF?

[WorkAtBBuy]

As you guys are MORE than aware, we have to ask for photo ID for M-rated video games and parental advisory CDs. It doesn't matter if you're an 18 year old girl or a 90 year old grandpa, we HAVE to see ID. In my state, it's a whopping $5000 fine against the store AND YOU PERSONALLY if you don't. Needless to say, I'm an ID-checkin' fool at work! Most customers don't really care too much. They might ask "why?" and then say "Oh. I've never been carded for a CD or a game before." and move on with life. One or two have done the "Aw, c'mon! We're both black!" thing....as if that changes the law. And then there was this guy...

He and his son walked up to my till today with an M-rated game, a T-rated game, and a CD. No problem. I began to scan their items and saw the M-rated game.

Me: Sir, could I see some ID?
Him: Haha! Don't I look old enough? Why do you need to see ID?
Me: Because this is an M-rated game.
Him: Well what's that mean?

So I explained the contents of M-rated games.

Him: Well no problem.
Me: So could I see your ID?
Him: Wait....are you SERIOUS?!

Now at this point his son was saying "Yes, Dad. You get carded for M-rated games and parental advisory CDs now. It's the law."

Him: Could I see a manager?

His son was saying, "Dad, don't cause a scene! It's the law! There's nothing you can do or say to change that."

Him: Well I know that....but it's the principle of the thing!"
Me: *paging sucky manager*
Him: It's nothing personal against you. I know you're just upholding store policy...but I have a problem with this policy and I wanna complain about it!

The sucky manager arrives.
Her: What seems to be the trouble?
Me: I need to see ID for his M-rated game.
Him: Yes, and I don't understand that. Do I LOOK under the age of 17?
Her: No, but we still need to verify age with ID.
Him: Well I don't understand that. I'm 53 years old, have served in the armed forces, and I own LOTS of M-rated games! I've NEVER been carded before!
Her: Well, sir, that's corporate policy.
Him: And I'm stating my opinion on it!
Her: Well you could also call the 1800 number or leave a comment on our website so that our superiors know how you feel.
Him: Well I suppose I will! I suppose you asking for ID is also a way to test maturity level! Obviously, I'm not mature enough for this game, so I won't get it today.

Me and Her: ....Ok.

*transaction ends normally* ...Can anyone tell me WTF happened?

I don't know what it is, but old people today were AWFUL. After this guy, a woman and her daughter (or it could have been her caretaker) show up. She is in a wheelchair, and has ordered her computer online and it had arrived today.

Me: Well, ma'me, were you going to get any software installations today?
Her: No, that's ok.
Me: Did you want the GeekSquad to open up your computer to be sure it works?
Her: I WISH YOU ALL WOULD DECIDE ON WHAT YOU DO HERE!
Me:

I hope that when(if) I get old, I'm not n SC. If I am, will someone have the foresight and kindness to shoot me in the head? Thanks!

[blas]

Oh I hate the whole "I'm 65 andI've been to Vietnam and I blew people's heads off for this country's FREEDOM and you have the AUDACITY to card me?!" bullshit.

Thanks for your service. Now show your damn ID or get the fark out.

[WorkAtBBuy]

Maybe I should try this (this is a military town, after all)
...If you don't show your ID, THE TERRORISTS WILL GET YOU! GAAAGGHHHHH!!!

[aurelemsrealm]

Yes, I feel your pain. In Tennessee, we have the Responsible Vendor Act, which requires universal carding on all alcohol sales regardless of age. That one's a no brainer. It's the law. No ID, no alcohol, no exceptions.

As an extension of that, the c-store has a universal carding policy on everything else that is age-restricted, which includes tobacco, ephedrine, and lottery. That's fine with me, but some of the other clerks will let a few of the regulars slide on things like tobacco or lottery if they look old enough. I refuse to split hairs on the issue even if I know they are of age. I just don't want to be caught on camera not checking ID. I feel like it's a chance I can't afford to take. The bottom line is no ID, no sale, no exceptions. Some of the regulars who are old enough bitch about it because "the others don't card me." I just point at my name tag. I'm responsible for my own actions, not the other clerks' actions. A few have even complained to management on me, but the manager has always backed me. She says that she won't ever say a word to an employee who is following policy. I'm grateful for that. I just get aggravated at the other clerks for letting it slide when it would be easier for all of us to present a united front since it is company policy. Oh well, I could complain about that all day. I guess I should be grateful that management doesn't undermine me when I refuse a sale even if they look old enough. Plus, I have a good rapport with most of the good regulars.

[FuzzyKitten99]

All of our state's pharmacies and liquor stores have DL scanners that work like credit card scanners.
It helps eliminate fake ID's (fake ones of course won't go through) and keeps track of buying habits for the ephedrine automatically in some mainframe system. So you can't go from the grocery store then to walmart then to kmart to buy up all your dadgum meth supplies. As far as alcohol, it just helps with the fake ID thing, not keeping track of buying habits.

[lordlundar]

Him: Well I suppose I will! I suppose you asking for ID is also a way to test maturity level! Obviously, I'm not mature enough for this game, so I won't get it today.

Ahem...

"Your words, not mine sir, have a nice day."

And a

[napoleana]

Every time I read one of these ID stories, I just think, "Why do you care?" An ID isn't an intrusion into your personal life! There's very little that can be done against you by seeing it. Oh, crap! I know your weight and real age! OMG! Extra movement and the finding of things! >.<

(Especially men. Theirs is easy to find. It's in the ID bit of your wallet, which is in your heavier pocket. What in the world do they have to fuss about?)

I'm really happy to show my ID! It makes me glad when people do their job! And if I should discover that I don't have it? Well, now I'm aware that I should drive the speed limit on the way home.

Honestly, what is the big damn deal?

[Max]

The convenience store I used to work at had a policy that if they looked like they were under 30, you had to card them. I certainly didn't care, so I would card like a madwoman. If it pissed off some redneck and they screamed that they'd go elsewhere, then great! Take your crappy attitude with you!

But unfortunately, the only IDs that corporate would allow us to accept were Canadian passports and Ontario driver's licenses. I understand that it's easier to pass fake foreign IDs because cashiers will be less likely to spot a fake, and corporate wished to forestall this. But the policy also happened to be hugely discriminating. Have a foreign passport or driver's license? An out-of-province license? TOO BAD FOR YOU. And working in a 2 university town (one of which has an international reputation), made this a giant pain. I cringed when carding students, and learned to repeat gently but firmly "I'm sorry, but it's store policy" amidst all kinds of justified rage.

What can you do? Is any customer worth getting your store fined, losing your job, and getting PERSONALLY fined 5 grand? Nope.

[Max]

Every time I read one of these ID stories, I just think, "Why do you care?" An ID isn't an intrusion into your personal life! There's very little that can be done against you by seeing it. Oh, crap! I know your weight and real age! OMG! Extra movement and the finding of things! >.<

I remember reading a Heinlein book in which a character stated something to the effect of 'you know a society has jumped the shark when it starts requiring ID'. I thought about that for a bit, and there is something to it. Hasn't government gotten out of control when it grants itself power over whether or not you are a legitimate person? Don't have our ID? Then you don't exist to us. We don't owe you a damn thing. Get out. Why should you need a piece of plastic to prove you exist, that you belong, that you matter? Is not a man's worth proven with his deeds and his compassion, not his subservience to officialdom?

Except, then you remember what kind of world we live in, and are glad to pay that price to live in a civilized nation with all its benefits and protections. And you recognize that all our tiresome rules about showing ID are in fact meant to protect children from harm: harm from liquour, from nicotine, from gambling, from pornography. We may not be able to save adults hellbent on abusing these, but we can at least try to keep them out of the hands of babes, who have even less chance of using them unscathed. If only we can try to keep them innocent just a little bit longer, then MAYBE we can save a few who might have otherwise fallen. It's insufficient, it's ineffective, it's troublesome, but it's...something.

At which point, you STFU and show your damn ID.

[Andara Bledin]

I want to know why this being a corporate policy was ever brought into the discussion.

It's a law. It's not like corporate has any more say in the matter than the lowly clerks do. You either card or you don't do business in that state.

^-.-^

[ta2ooed1]

I remember reading a Heinlein book in which a character stated something to the effect of 'you know a society has jumped the shark when it starts requiring ID'. I thought about that for a bit, and there is something to it. Hasn't government gotten out of control when it grants itself power over whether or not you are a legitimate person? Don't have our ID? Then you don't exist to us. We don't owe you a damn thing. Get out. Why should you need a piece of plastic to prove you exist, that you belong, that you matter? Is not a man's worth proven with his deeds and his compassion, not his subservience to officialdom?

The actual quote is

When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.

and I'm not so sure he would agree to much with the rest of your statement since some of his other quotes are:

Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.

and

Of all the strange "crimes" that human beings have legislated of nothing, "blasphemy" is the most amazing - with "obscenity" and "indecent exposure" fighting it out for the second and third place.

But back on topic I don't see what any of these whiners think they are trying to accomplish by giving clerks a hard time on showing id. Canut had a better chance of turning back the tide than they do of getting anywhere with their whining. The only thing is does is cause the person in question to become even more resolute on seeing the id since it so obviously pisses off the asshats.

[lordlundar]

I want to know why this being a corporate policy was ever brought into the discussion.

It's a law. It's not like corporate has any more say in the matter than the lowly clerks do. You either card or you don't do business in that state.

^-.-^

In Georgia, it's not the law. I think the only place is Washington state that has it law, and it's pretty light there as well.

[JenCdn]

Canut had a better chance of turning back the tide than they do of getting anywhere with their whining. The only thing is does is cause the person in question to become even more resolute on seeing the id since it so obviously pisses off the asshats.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.
When I used to do the c-store thing, I'd wonder all the time if people really thought arguing, swearing at me or being just generally rude was a persuasion tactic to get me to break the rules.
Um....wrong. Have a nice day!

When the law in Ontario still stated that we could not accept Health Cards as proof of age, it was the worst situation:
"A cop in Toronto told me it wasn't illegal for you to take them"
You and a cop in Toronto were talking about me? I'm honoured!

"The beer store accepts them!"
Well, it's just too bad they don't sell cigarettes there.

They still didn't get their smokes.

[aurelemsrealm]

I want to know why this being a corporate policy was ever brought into the discussion.

It's a law. It's not like corporate has any more say in the matter than the lowly clerks do. You either card or you don't do business in that state.

^-.-^

I was reading over this thread. I think I was the first one to mention that company policy extended beyond the law per my employer. You're absolutely right about the mentality of the law being the law, end of discussion. That's the way I look at it, too. My point in bringing company policy into the discussion was to illustrate that company policy technically extends beyond the provisions of the new state law. State law here dictates that all alcohol sales require the customer to be carded regardless of age, so that matter is settled with no argument or exception. Furthermore, my employer has taken the issue a step further by dictating that all age-restricted sales should be carded regardless of age. So, that's what I do to remain in compliance with the law and company policy. I figure that as long as I do what I know is expected of me, I can deal with any other issue that arises as a result of doing my job. Anyone who disagrees is free to disagree, but such arguments will fall on deaf ears. The end result is that I won't be selling it to you. If another clerk wishes to bend the rules, that clerk can take responsibility for the sale. I reserve the right to refuse a sale, and I'm reasonable about making such determinations if I say so, myself. That's the bottom line.

[meme]

I never mind getting carded, and usually take it as a compliment because when I worked at a c-store it was policy to ID anyone who looked under 30. I didn't know that some store's policy is to ID everyone I think I'll just forget I ever heard that and continue thinking I've been complimented. My self-esteem needs all the help it can get.