What An Alco-Hole

(I’m only a witness to this encounter. While checking out at a self check out, another pair of customers is using the one to the side of me. They are obviously father and daughter, she looks very young. The father is buying a six pack of beer.)

Employee: “Sir, I don’t need to see your ID but I do need to see hers.”

Customer: “She’s my 10 year old daughter!”

Employee: “You can’t buy alcohol for a minor!”

Customer: “I’m not buying it for a minor; I’m buying it for myself. She’s 10 years old and my kid. Are you serious right now?”

Employee: “Sir, I cannot let you buy this alcohol for your daughter. She’s under-age.”

Customer: “Are you even listening? I am buying it for ME, not my 10-year-old daughter. What kind of person do you think I am?”

Employee: “I need to call my manager to figure out what to do here.”

(Several minutes later, the customer is fuming, and the manager turns up. At this point, I am just watching curiously.)

Manager: “What seems to be the problem?”

Customer: “Your employee here refused to sell me alcohol and accused me of trying to buy it for my daughter!”

Employee: “No, he said it was for her!”

Me: “What? No, you said that you didn’t need to see his ID but that you did need to see hers. When he responded that she was his 10-year-old daughter, you said you couldn’t sell it to him. He has repeatedly told you that the alcohol was for himself, not her.”

Manager: “Really, [Employee], this is the third time we have gotten similar complaints. People are more than allowed to buy alcohol in the presence of their kids.”

(The employee and manager then argued for several minutes about what was and wasn’t allowed. I haven’t seen the employee in there since.)