At 18 They Will Get High On Cough Medicine, While Hunting, Spraying Trees

When certain items are scanned through the system, it prompts the employees to card someone to verify their age. I am at self-checkout when two boys come up, I’m guessing somewhere in the ballpark of 12 to 14, with a can of spray paint. They scan it, I get the prompt and walk over.

Me: “You boys over 18?”

Boy #1: “Uh… no…”

Me: “Then I’m afraid I can’t let you buy this without your parents.”

I take the can away and they walk off, dejected. A few minutes pass and the same two boys return, this time with some cough medicine. It scans, I get the prompt, I head over.

Me: “You boys over 18?”

Boy #2: “Uh… yes!”

Me: “Great! You got your ID on you?”

Boy #1: *Lowers head* “No…”

Me: “‘fraid I can’t let you buy this then.”

I take the cough syrup away, cancel out their order and they slink away. They come back a 3rd time, a few minutes later, this time with an R-rated movie. Scan, prompt, walk over.

Me: “You boys over 18?”

Both Boys: “Yes!”

Me: “Got your IDs?”

Boy #1: “We… uh… left them out in the car.”

Me: “Well I’ll just hold this here for you while you go out and get it.”

Boy #2: “…we’re not over 18, we don’t have an ID.”

Me: “Then I’m afraid I can’t let you buy this.”

Orders canceled, they walk away grumbling. The fourth time they come back with some sort of hunting knife. I laugh to myself and before they even scan it I call out to them.

Me: “You boys got your ID’s on ya this time?”

The boys look at me, look at each other, then at me, then their eyes go wide. I think they only then realized I was the same guy they’d come to the last three times. They promptly dropped the knife and ran out the door.

 To this day I don’t know if they were just not getting that the self-checkout checks for this thing as much as the manned check-out lines, or if they actually thought their excuses would work.