"You mean you've never broken the law once..."

[NateTheChops]

Busy day in the store a couple days back. The only manager on at the time is Steve and of course there's Chris, the LP guy whom I'm more than happy is working with us. (Shoplifters actually get busted when he's here)

While they were outside this woman and her daughter brought her basket up to my register. I didn't notice the bottle of wine until the very end of the transaction at which point I asked to see their ID's.

Older Woman" OW
"Little" Woman: LW
Me
Steve the Manager: StM

OW: *sighs* Would you get my purse from the car please.

LW runs out to the car. I should point out by now that LW is obviously old enough to be carded and I point this out to OW.

OW: Uh, why do you need to see the ID of my small child.

I was about to point out that her "small" child was just a foot shorter than her and that she sent her "small" child out into a busy parkinglot to get her purse, but I thought better of it.

Me: I'm sorry ma'am, but she clearly looks old enough that I need to see if she's under 21.

OW: *snobbishly* Do you mean you check the ID's of everybody's children when they come in here.

Me: If the children seem about the age to drink then yes ma'am. That's state law.

LW comes back in and after she fails to produce an ID I put the bottle of wine behind the counter. OW demands to see my manger.

Steve and Chris were just outside the door having a smoke break and I explained the situation to both of them. Steve came in.

OW: (on seeing StM) So your cashier refuses to sell me a bottle of wine because my daugter is with me.
StM: Correct. That's state law.
OW: So what, you never sell alcohol to people when they bring their children in.

Steve takes a look at the daughter.

StM: Ma'am, your daughter looks old enough that we need to see her ID if we're going to sell alcohol to you.

LW: (Matching her mother's tone of voice tit for tat) What, even though I'm 17?
OW: Oh, so I could just server her alcohol at my house and that would be okay? That's not right. I want to talk to your DM.

StM: Fine it's 1-800-*****. I'm not breaking state law.
LW: I want you to write it down.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes at this point. What she does in her own house is her own business, but I made it clear to her that I wasn't going to sell it to her. I wrote the number down just to get rid of her and I told her to have a nice day. But that wasn't the end of it.

LW: So you mean to tell me you never once sold alcohol to a parent when their children were nearby.

Me: *firmly* No.

LW: Whatever.

She stormed out with her daughter and I haven't heard anything from her since. I really don't know what she expects to hear from the DM except that I was following state law.

[AirHostess]

In the UK I don't think we have this law

You need to be 18 to buy booze but I have never heard a mum and child being refused.

[NateTheChops]

In the UK I don't think we have this law

You need to be 18 to buy booze but I have never heard a mum and child being refused.

In the US the drinking age is 21. I don't know about elsewhere but in Vermont it's pretty strict because of a number of alcohol related deaths among teenagers and such.

If I had sold the wine to that woman with her daughter standing there I could have been fined and possibly fired. Put simply, if you're of the age to drink in the state of Vermont and you have people who look old enough to get carded with you don't bring them in with you.

[Lingering Grin]

Yeah this girl was SEVENTEEN, not SEVEN

A small kid, you won't get in trouble for, but teenagers and above? Best they wait in the car.

[Calud]

Is it just me or does this law not make sense to anyone else?

I mean, common.... two teens in a store, one is old enough, the other isn't. Both go in, are refused.... next store... one gets in, gets the booze and they drink.

[NateTheChops]

Is it just me or does this law not make sense to anyone else?

I mean, common.... two teens in a store, one is old enough, the other isn't. Both go in, are refused.... next store... one gets in, gets the booze and they drink.

That store gets the fine, mine doesn't. It becomes their problem, but I still have a job in the end.

[cinema guy]

So what's the dividing line? At what age are children considered likely to drink alcohol if their parents buy it?

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Yes, Lingering Grin has hit it squarely on the head. Our drinking age is such because of American teenagers doing stupid things while drinking, so stores tend to be pretty hardcore about it. Selling cigs is the same way. If you have small kids with you, say pre-puberty, to buy cigs or alcohol, nobody will look twice. But if you have teenagers with you, the teens will get carded, because the assumption is you're buying it for them.

[Bramblerose]

actually our drinking age is 21 across the nation because the Feds withheld highway funding to states that didn't raise it from 18. That much I remember.

The laws are as weird as they are because we were settled by pilgrims and other hysterics.

[tollbaby]

In the US the drinking age is 21.

I thought it depended on the state. I've been in states where it's 19 and others where it's 18. (I seem to remember my ex telling me stories of crossing into Ohio and/or Illinois from Indiana because the age changed) and I know he used to be a bartender in a college bar when he himself was a 19-year-old college student, and he was legal to drink. That may have changed, since I quit drinking myself a number of years ago, and my ex was in college a couple of years ago.

[walking with scissors]

Is it just me or does this law not make sense to anyone else?

I mean, common.... two teens in a store, one is old enough, the other isn't. Both go in, are refused.... next store... one gets in, gets the booze and they drink.

This policy doesn't make any sense to me, either.

[blas]

There were a couple of liquor stores where I could go in with my dad because he'd drug me along grocery shopping or whatever, and the clerks knew both of my parents (small town) and they knew my parents had a zero tolerance policy on kids drinking alcohol, so they'd sell to my mom or dad with me right there.

But if we'd done that elsewhere? Nope.

Keep the underagers in the damn car. Save time and hassle...

[JLRodgers]

While the law does make sense to a point, it would seem to be a bit dumb if the people could prove they're related (in a parent/child way at least).

Stranger buying alcohol with a minor -- yeah, probably buying for the kid. Parent buying it with a child (even teenager), the child will have access to it no matter what.

[Gerrinson]

To best of my knowledge, in the United States, a parent can purchase alcohol while accompanied by their underage child. If you could legally sell it to someone with their 7 year old child why couldn't you legally sell it to someone with their 17 year old child?

Now, if the parent makes a comment about sharing it with said underage child, then you can refuse the sale and possibly alert the police & the dept. of social services (or your local equivalent.)

[Geek King]

Now, if the parent makes a comment about sharing it with said underage child, then you can refuse the sale and possibly alert the police & the dept. of social services (or your local equivalent.)

Most places in the US, it is perfectly legal for an adult to give their children alcohol in the privacy of the family's homeplace. I believe letting them get drunk is counted as child abuse, though.