Cough syrup and cigarettes are one thing. We are allowed to use our judgement if they appear over 27, or something like that. In my state, however, id is required for every alcohol purchase and we sign a form monthly acknowledging the policy which specifies no bypassing. I don't know your exact situation, but you most likely don't have any recourse if they fire you.
We have a burdensome policy of checking ID and entering brithdays for any alcohol/tobacco sold to anybody no matter their age.
It goes further too. If there's a group of younger people, we card everybody. If one has vertical ID, we act as if they all do and either deny the sale or get the store/co-manager if one is there. If there isn't one it's a no sale. If it's expired, no body can buy that alcohol. Not that person, not someone with them with unexpired ID. They can't ask someone to buy for them even if it was a great grandmother buying a bottle of Sherry.
We don't get as selective on cough/cold meds. If they look older, we'll ask for a birthdate.
I think I had one of these mystery shoppers come through once because she suggested I could just put in my birthdate since we were about the same age. I made her produce her ID anyway. I know they're done because I got a random shining star once after an alcohol mystery shop that wasn't part of the BARS card program.
I'm only required to card where I am if they don't look over 27/tobacco or 40/alcohol, according to our training videos. If I pull out an ID on someone, I then -have- to put in the birthday, or I risk being fired. If I don't pull ID, I can clear/enter to bypass at my own discretion, and it's then my responsibility if I just sold to a minor. Seems fairly reasonable to me.
I'm only required to card where I am if they don't look over 27/tobacco or 40/alcohol, according to our training videos. If I pull out an ID on someone, I then -have- to put in the birthday, or I risk being fired. If I don't pull ID, I can clear/enter to bypass at my own discretion, and it's then my responsibility if I just sold to a minor. Seems fairly reasonable to me.
You obviously don't live in TN lol though I agree with the way you see it.
in my area (michigan) some stores kept selling to minors so they made it so you can't clear/enter, you have to put a bday. if they're clearly old enough we have to put 01011950 as the date.
I card everyone in the group unless it's clearly a parent/child or whatever.
I almost got fired once because I only carded the person purchasing the alcohol, and the person with them carried one of the bags out the door. My supervisor actually knew them and knew the one girl was under 21.
Ever since then I never feel bad about IDing everyone in a group.
Also: I went to a different Kroger once to buy cigarettes when I was 20 and neither the cashier nor the supervisor would sell to me because I had a verticle ID. I got pretty pissed because HELLO I was under 21 and just buying cigarettes! of COURSE my legal, state-issued ID is going to be verticle!! They said it was a kroger policy. I walked across the parking lot to the gas station and got the ciggys, and the fuel clerk said he had never heard of such a policy or anything about it. I can see them not selling alcohol to people with verticle IDs (even though some circumstances the person is over 21 and still has a verticle) but it shouldn't matter for ciggarettes ..
in my area (michigan) some stores kept selling to minors so they made it so you can't clear/enter, you have to put a bday. if they're clearly old enough we have to put 01011950 as the date.
I card everyone in the group unless it's clearly a parent/child or whatever.
I almost got fired once because I only carded the person purchasing the alcohol, and the person with them carried one of the bags out the door. My supervisor actually knew them and knew the one girl was under 21.
Ever since then I never feel bad about IDing everyone in a group.
Also: I went to a different Kroger once to buy cigarettes when I was 20 and neither the cashier nor the supervisor would sell to me because I had a verticle ID. I got pretty pissed because HELLO I was under 21 and just buying cigarettes! of COURSE my legal, state-issued ID is going to be verticle!! They said it was a kroger policy. I walked across the parking lot to the gas station and got the ciggys, and the fuel clerk said he had never heard of such a policy or anything about it. I can see them not selling alcohol to people with verticle IDs (even though some circumstances the person is over 21 and still has a verticle) but it shouldn't matter for ciggarettes ..
We had a policy like that once, because we actually had issues with cashiers not paying attention to IDs (guestimating if the birthyear was old enough, etc). It was bull****, I agree, and I felt horrible denying someone with a valid vertical ID, but it wasn't worth my getting suspended/fired over it.
They've thankfully eased up since then with a policy that makes more sense. The only requirement now for vertical IDs is that the cashier punch in the exact date on the card instead of trying to guess the customer's age.
Besides, we all know the best part about IDing an unfamiliar customer is stating to them that it's against the law for me to accept their long-expired ID... only for them to ask me to accept it anyway. Why, yes! I would be happy to sacrifice my job and hundreds of dollars in fines so that you can have a six pack of beer! By all means!
