News, Maine Supermarket Refuses to Sell Wine to Woman, 65, Without ID. (Portland: home, buying)

[JD59]

Tennessee has this same law about everybody must have a ID.

FARMINGTON, Maine — A 65-year-old woman who went into a supermarket to buy wine was turned away because she did not have an identification card with her to prove her age.

"I'll be bringing my driver's license with me from now on," said Barbara Skapa.

Skapa said she normally carries her driver's license. But with her leg in a cast, Skapa was being driven by a friend when she went into the Hannaford Bros. market last week to buy several items, including some bottles of wine.

The cashier told her it was policy to check for identification, said Skapa, who believes "no one would mistake me for 30 or even 40." Skapa asked if her friend could buy the wine for her, but that was disallowed too because it is considered "third-party" purchasing. Skapa asked to see the manager.

FOXNews.com - Maine Supermarket Refuses to Sell Wine to Woman, 65, Without ID - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

[Submariner]

I do not recall ever showing an ID card while buying alcohol in Maine.

I work part-time as a relief bartender [volunteer and just when the regular bartenders need time off], and we only ask for ID if someone looks young.

[AlisonL]

I worked at a small store here in town and was told that we could card anyone even if they looked 90 yrs old. I never did card anyone that old though.

[mollysmiles]

can you even imagine! lol...sometimes the common sense just goes out the window....lol

thanks John!

[deerislesmile]

As a former puncher of buttons for a large corporation, I can tell you some of the cash registers will beep/stop adding when an alcohol purchase comes through. The cashier is supposed to enter a birthdate into the register and then every thing moves along just fine. (This also happens for cigarettes at some stores, too..). Most cashiers learn pretty quickly (or are even told) that they can just enter any date that will work, never actually asking the customer for any ID at all. I could see, though, a newer clerk not doing that, but instead actually asking for the ID that he/she is supposed to.

[mainebrokerman]

the flipside to this idiocy,,is many stores, get caught selling alcohol to minors,,and the alcohol comission will tell them, one more time and you lose your beer/wine or hard liquor license,

and how many of us can remember in high school,,,,a favorite store that would sell to minors,, or better yet,,have a friend that was a cashier there,,,,and was the most popular senior in school??

[WhoFanMe]

At Portland Sea Dog baseball games (and probably Portland Pirate hockey games) you cannot purchase beer or wine without an ID, no matter how old you look. It's just one of those things we Mainers shrug at, one of those quirky little things about Maine.

[ogre]

Originally Posted by WhoFanMe

At Portland Sea Dog baseball games (and probably Portland Pirate hockey games) you cannot purchase beer or wine without an ID, no matter how old you look. It's just one of those things we Mainers shrug at, one of those quirky little things about Maine.

It's like that at sports events in Boston as well, and I think it's true in many sporting venues. I'm pretty sure that in that case it's about the volume of sales. With all those people lined up at the window it's just more simple, and keeps everything moving more quickly, to card everyone than to get into judgment calls.

[Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?]

It's not just "quirky" Maine. It happens at sports venues, suppermarkets and convenience stores in New York state also. (A similar incident was written about on the NY board not that long ago.) It's the corporate way of applying a universal rule, but that which takes away all personal judgement and discretion from employees. It's just silly.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?

It's not just "quirky" Maine. It happens at sports venues, suppermarkets and convenience stores in New York state also. (A similar incident was written about on the NY board not that long ago.) It's the corporate way of applying a universal rule, but that which takes away all personal judgement and discretion from employees. It's just silly.

Happened to me, in a drugstore, buying tobacco. I'm not that young and my hair and beard are showing grey. I had walked to the store and didn't have ID with me, foolish clerk insisted I had to have it. I was a bit of a jerk about it, I wasn't about to walk back home to get my wallet and then go back. I put the money on the counter and snatched up the can of tobacco. I said "There's the money, so I'm not stealing anything, ring it in or not, whatever you want, but I'm leaving with this, you can do what you like." I haven't gone back to that store.

In another store (gas + convenience), the clerk asked for ID and I handed over my license. The clerk looked at it then scanned the data from the strip on the back. This made me very unhappy- all kinds of data is being misused in many ways these days. I conveyed my displeasure to the manager and told him that he just cost himself a lot of business- between my wife and I, we usually have 4-6 vehicles on the road and we tend to use a LOT of gas, as well as making convenience purchases when fueling.

Maybe I'm strange, but this kind of nonsense drives me crazy.