IDs Are The Dane Of My Existence

Customer: “I have a parcel to collect, but I only have a Danish driver’s license. Will it work?”

The customer speaks Swedish without any perceptible Danish accent. But we are just a couple of hours from the border.

Me: “Sorry, but we do not accept foreign driver’s licenses. Do you have any other form of ID, maybe a passport, with you?”

Customer: *Angry* “How come the police accept foreign driver’s licenses but not you?!”

Me: “You have to ask [Postal Company]’s customer service about that. But if you give me your tracking ID, I can check what I can do.”

If he’s lucky, the parcel is sent as a “big letter” and doesn’t require any forms of identification. Otherwise, his best chance would be that the parcel happens to be addressed to his partner or someone else with a possible valid ID.

Customer: “It’s [tracking ID].”

I check the computer.

Me: “Hmmm… It still requires an ID… But the field for the recipient’s name is blank on my screen. If you just give me a second, I will check the parcel.”

It’s not unusual that the field is blank. There are many standards out in the world, and not everyone coincides with ours. I find the parcel, but I can’t find any name for a receiver. The tracking ID is correct, so it’s not the wrong parcel. After further examination, I find that the recipient’s name is a twelve-digit number. This is very odd, but I recognize it as a Swedish personal ID number. It belongs to a male and spells a birthdate that would match his appearance. While unusual, the sender is allowed to identify the receiver in any way they see fit — provided that they have an ID that can prove it. In this case, they need a Swedish ID. Bummer.

Me: “Sorry, I found the parcel, but it is addressed to a Swedish personal ID number, so I can only accept Swedish IDs.”

Customer: *Angry, and obviously not listening* “Then how come the police accept foreign driver’s licenses but not you?!”

Me: “Sorry, but I can’t hand out the parcel unless I have a Swedish ID so I can check the Swedish ID number.”

Customer: *Angry* “I want her to help me, instead!”

He points at my coworker, who has been helping other customers two metres away. She has heard and knows everything. She takes over, and I help the next person in line.

Coworker: “Sorry, but I can’t hand out that parcel without a Swedish ID.”

Customer: *Defeated, but not showing it* “Okay. But then give me a bet on [lottery] for twenty-five kronor.”

In compliance with anti-money laundering laws, the betting machine will not sell anything until it has confirmed the customer’s identity, which requires a… guess what.

Coworker: “Sorry, but I need a Swedish ID for that.”

The customer gave a roar of anger and left.