No ID, No Idea, Part 51

Alcohol, At The Checkout, Grocery Store, Pennsylvania, Stupid, USA | Right | June 7, 2023

I stopped by the grocery store on a Saturday evening. Predictably, it was packed, and given that there were two universities nearby and only two lanes where alcohol could be purchased, the lines at those lanes were especially long.

I was buying a six-pack along with my groceries, so I settled in to wait. In front of me were four college students with a case of beer. It took about fifteen minutes for the students to reach the register. The cashier asked to see their IDs, and three of them showed them to her. The fourth held up his phone, showing her a picture.

Cashier: “If you don’t have an ID, I can’t sell this to you.”

Student #1: “I don’t have my wallet, but I have a picture of my ID.”

Cashier: “I can’t… I mean, I can’t take that.”

Student #2: “But it’s his ID, though.”

Cashier: “No, it’s the law. I can’t accept a photo; it has to be a physical ID. I can’t sell this to any of you if someone in your group has no ID.”

Student #1: “Oh, really? D***, that sucks.”

Student #3: “Bro, we waited in that whole line…”

They left. I unloaded my groceries, putting the alcohol first, and I had my driver’s license ready before the cashier asked for it.

Cashier: “Thank you. Sorry about the wait.”

Me: “Not your fault. Who tries to buy alcohol with a photo of their ID and thinks that’s going to work?”

Cashier: “Right?! Thank you for saying that. Like, I’m sorry, but it’s the law, and I have bills and I have tuition. I’m not trying to get fired over this.”

Me: “Also, why do they need four people to carry one case of beer? That guy could have just waited outside.”

Cashier: “Yup! They could have sent just two people in, and I never would have known!”