ID Checking For The Weirdest Reasons...

[fireheart17]

OK, let's establish the basic items for which ID is asked for internationally.

1. Alcohol purchases.
2. Cigarette/Tobacco purchases.
3. If you are in an adult store.
4. Suspected fraudulent credit cards.
5. Knives. Even kitchen knives.

Now here's some stuff I've heard of being asked for ID for that's just plain weird...

-Food colouring and vanilla essence.
-Spoons.
-Scales.

My basic question is, do you think that ID should be presented for the weirdest stuff and why?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Spoons is I think either cuz they're cutlery and grouped in with knives, or cuz of heroin abuse. At the supermarket, you can also be IDed for newspapers (for example, ones that have free DVDs), solvents and paracetamol.

[smileyeagle1021]

Wal-mart once ID'ed me for a hammer... because it could be used as a weapon... I asked if they would have ID'ed me for a baseball bat and they answered "of course not, it's a kid's toy"
I'd be interested to find out how many people are beaten to death with a baseball bat compared to a hammer...
yeah, it's getting out of control sometimes.

[AdminAssistant]

On a completely separate note, I keep my all-steel hammer under my bed. That thing could do some damage if need be.

In the US, we're also ID'd for buying medicine that contains pseudoephedrine, since that's a main ingredient in meth. Many states have passed laws saying you can only purchase so much of those medicines at one time.

[DrFaroohk]

I've had to show ID for sudafed, diet pills, a few other types of medication, as well as certain movies.

[AFPheonix]

If you buy MSM by the pound at a feed store, you also have to show your id and your car's registration, as that is another meth ingredient. Helped cut down on the home cooks to a point.

[DesignFox]

I think it's ridiculous, personally.

I understand checking ID for purchases where you need to be of a certain age (alcohol, tobacco, adult movies, etc.) or for firearms.

But cutlery? Cold meds? Total BS.

Criminals will be criminals. It would be really nice if we cut back on the paranoia and stop making things so stupid difficult for the average person.

I could see IDing if you purchase an exorbitant amount of some drug ingredient or potential explosive...but to ID someone buying 1 box of cold pills? Please.

[Dreamstalker]

I once got carded for an "E" rated PC game...the screen that popped up was the one for alcohol purchases ("Is customer over 21 Y/N"). First I thought that the SKU had been entered wrong, but it was rung up by scanning the barcode.

[Rapscallion]

-Food colouring and vanilla essence.

Vanilla essence - I can answer that one. The vanilla is usually held in a rather strong solution of alcohol. I don't know the exact proportions, but the bottle I have for cookie creation is listed in order of water, alcohol, vanilla bean extract - our ingredients have to list the greatest proportion ingredient first, and I suspect that's the same all around.

In short, that could very easily be ten or twenty percent alcohol by volume, something that could seriously inconvenience a child trying to get drunk before they've reached the legal age for it.

Also take into account that the gubmint has laws regarding required age for drinking alcohol, and it contains alcohol, so they have to make sure their laws are enacted across the board for all alcohol.

That said, I do like vanilla, but it's sodding expensive and it's going to make for a miserable drunk. Some alcoholics do swipe it for a quick high, though.

Rapscallion

[BlaqueKatt]

I could see IDing if you purchase an exorbitant amount of some drug ingredient or potential explosive...but to ID someone buying 1 box of cold pills? Please.

yeah buy one box at 30 different stores-you have probably more than enough to make a batch or two and no one would bat an eye would they?

that's why they do it-they have a paper record of how much you bought and from where-yes here in WI it's written down in a ledger the the police collect and go over.

[MadMike]

I think things are going a bit too far with requiring ID. Anything can be abused in some way, shape, or form, so I suppose we need to start requiring ID for any and all purchases.

[DesignFox]

yeah buy one box at 30 different stores-you have probably more than enough to make a batch or two and no one would bat an eye would they?

that's why they do it-they have a paper record of how much you bought and from where-yes here in WI it's written down in a ledger the the police collect and go over.

My state does it, too. I never ever give employees a hard time. I always have my ID ready, and I'm prepared to sign my name to big-brother's book.

But I still think it's silly.

If a drug dealer wants to spend half their hours running around to 30 different drug stores buying up sudafed, more power to them. Requiring ID isn't stopping them, I'm sure.

In my opinion, the whole rule only makes things more annoying for those of us who are honest.

[Greenday]

If a drug dealer wants to spend half their hours running around to 30 different drug stores buying up sudafed, more power to them. Requiring ID isn't stopping them, I'm sure.

Well, back when no one got IDed for it and you could buy as much as you wanted from one store, it used to be REALLY easy. By IDing people for it, the government can keep track of people buying unrealistic large quantities and busting them. Making meth out of sudafed really isn't that hard.

[fireheart17]

Whoops, forgot about the cold meds one. Although nowadays, a lot of medicines in Australia have phenylephrine in them instead of their pseudo counterpart. I only found that out when I was still on the medication...every time I got sick and needed to buy OTC meds, I had to ask the people behind the counter what would and wouldn't clash with the meds.

I know about the vanilla essence and that one's easy to understand, but food colouring?

[guywithashovel]

Back when I worked at Wal-Mart, customers weren't allowed to buy more than two containers of certain medicines---Sudafed was one example. It was completely ridiculous, but that was the way it was. I don't remember ever having to check people's ID for them, though.

One thing I did think was weird was this regulation with ammunition. Whenever we scanned any kind of firearm ammunition, the register would ask us if the ammo was to be used in a handgun. Now, bear in mind, that many types of ammo can be used in either handguns or other types of guns. However, if the customer was intending to use the ammo in a handgun, he had to be 21 to buy it. If he was planning on using it in another type of gun, he only had to be 18. Even if the ammo could be used in either type of firearm.

I don't know who thought up that rule.