ID follies

[Bella_Vixen]

This happened about a week or so ago.

I was minding my own business, cashiering as usual when 3 people came into my line. The guy and 1 girl were at the head of the line, and the other girl that was with them was looking at the magazines.

They wanted to buy a bottle of Arbor Mist. Why, I don't know. Anyways, they all looked on the young side, so I carded them.

The guy and first girl had their IDs, but the other girl didn't. She was honestly apologetic. This wasn't good enough for the guy. Oh, no. I was at fault for following store policy (and state law, I'm pretty sure) that since all members of the group didn't have ID, I refused the sale. Dude acted like I was Satan or something.

So they tried to be slick. They left....but came back in.

The thing is, they parked on the far side of the store, and the liquor section is behind me, so there is NO WAY I should have seen them when they tried again to buy the wine. But the 1st girl was stupid enough to walk past my register, so I knew what was up. I called the SD girl over and told her that the guy in B's line was trying to buy wine, but he was just in my line a few minutes ago, and everyone in that group didn't have ID.

Denied.


A few hours later a group of girls came in. At first there was just 2 of them, but they met up with a friend. They wanted mini cigars, and so I carded all 3. Again, only 2 had ID. Commence fit throwing.

People, if you want buy age restricted items, I have some advice for you:
1. Make sure everyone has ID.
2. Keep all under age friends/people without ID outside.
3. GROW THE FUCK UP if you do not follow the above rules.

But I do appreciate the entertainment I get from your temper tantrums.


Made my day.

[Food Lady]

Funny--I was told I didn't have to ID everyone in the group @ my current job, but at another store they said I did. I don't think I really know what the law says.

[Bella_Vixen]

I should find out the law one of these days.

[Jester]

Different states have different laws.
Different counties have different laws.
Different cities have different laws.
Different companies have different policies.

So it may be policy, it may be law. Fact is, however silly it may be (and personally, I always thought this one was silly, both when I was underage and since I've been of age), you still have to work under it, be it policy or law. In other words, if they don't like it, they can go hump a water buffalo.

That being said, I would advise you to find out if it is policy or law, and if law, whose law. Just to make it easier on you when you have to cite chapter and verse, ya know.

[Trjgul]

When I worked at a grocery store in Indiana, groups were on a case-by-case basis, we were told if it seemed fishy to ask for everyone's ID, if not then just the person buying. I think one case of "underage having someone of age buy for them" slipped by me at one point, but by the time I realized it they were out the door. Manager told me not to worry too much about it though.

I prefer carding everyone in a group, unless it's obviously parent and child.

[Yarnil]

When I worked in a liquor store, the rule (And law) was to denie access to people below 16 without someone of 18+ to be responsible over him/her.

But no way we had the right to ask for id then. Now we do, but then.... 14 year olds buying whisky claiming they were 18 and we had no way to prove otherwise.

I once had a parent yelling at me why I sold hard liquor to his son. I told him we had no way to disprove he wasnt 18. The parent ordered his kid to appologize (sp?) to us AND had to come over and sweep our street for a week :P

The guy never did it anymore, but most parents blamed us.

[Racket_Man]

Funny--I was told I didn't have to ID everyone in the group @ my current job, but at another store they said I did. I don't think I really know what the law says.

I believe that the law in Wisconsin requires you to ID ALL persons in a group if tobacco or booze is involved. this is to prevent a "straw" or semi-straw sale.

at least that is what I was taught in the Safe Server class about 5 or 6 years ago.

[Gerrinson]

Around here everyone gets carded all the time, period. If anyone is underage, then the sale is refused. It has been this way for the better part of a decade, and most folks here aren't sucky about it anymore. It was a bitchfest when they first started it, though. The only exception to this rule is that parents can by alcohol while accompanied by their children.

There was one cashier that I used to work with who refused several sales to parents with their children because "How do I know they're not just buying it for the kid?" Because so many 8 year olds need their own bottle of Jack Daniels...

Oddly enough, she generated a lot of customer complaints and was let go before my 6 month stint at that store was finished.

[vloglady]

Yeah. I see parents in the grocery store buying beer and they might have babies or two year olds with them. Now you mean to say the cashier can't sell beer to the parents because they have a two-year old with them?

[Bella_Vixen]

I card everyone in the group just to cover my ass. No one is worth losing my job, getting huge finds, and possibly going to jail for.

[blas]

When I worked at the grocery store, my dad would go on for a beer run and I'd go to get my check and cash it. No one ever had a problem with us being together, but then again, it was probably discretionary because it was my dad and people knew me there.

I don't know what the law exactly entails, but when I worked at the gas station (and we only had class B liquor license, so no hard booze) my manager told me not to bother carding adults with toddlers and little kids or an adult and a teenager, but to ID the whole group if everyone in the group looked underage. Same with cigarettes.

My personal favorite was when two people would come in for two different kinds of cigarettes together, and one didn't have ID, so the one would go back to the car, and the other would still try to buy for both.

People must really think clerks are stupid. I know you're still out there, dumbass.

Or two people would pull up in a car, one person would walk in, no ID no sale, then seconds later, the other person would walk in with ID, wanting the same cigarettes.

Yes, I guess I was assumed to be stupid.

NO ciggs or beer for you. Go away.

[taxguykarl]

I card everyone in the group just to cover my ass. No one is worth losing my job, getting huge finds, and possibly going to jail for.

Not only that: The first time a SC sees you let a long-time regular slip by, the SC will be all over you like a cheap suit.

[Kogarashi]

I had a similar story from back when I was single working at the Walmart in my parents' town. We actually sold alcohol there, and one day I had a group of four teenage/low-20s girls come through my line, chatting it up and clearly a group together. Only two had purchases to make, and one of those two was buying three cases of alcohol. So I carded the whole group (store policy at the least, if not local/state laws).

Only two had IDs. At least one of the other two openly admitted to being too young. The girl who was buying the booze, who was, in fact, just old enough, started throwing a fit because she was buying, not her friends. Didn't matter. I didn't know if they were going to go have a party with it or not, and couldn't take their word on it, so I refused to sell the alcohol and put it behind my register. They groused about it, but paid for their stuff and left.

Seriously, you want to buy alcohol? Don't make it a social event with your underage friends.

[BlaqueKatt]

I believe that the law in Wisconsin requires you to ID ALL persons in a group if tobacco or booze is involved. this is to prevent a "straw" or semi-straw sale.

that and a not-well known part of that law is also if you make a sale in good faith(buyer had valid ID), and the alcohol gets consumed by a minor, and said minor gets into an accident-the person that made the sale can be held liable. Check your laws, and CYA.

it's called the DRAM shop law in WI 125.035

[Becks]

Don't make it a social event with your underage friends.

Yeah, that's about it.