Oh GAWD. As a Southern Girl, I am very ashamed. As if we need any more fuel for the Illiterate Redneck stereotype.

Well maybe she was just a little clueless on what Jones soda is...

Maybe it was Beer Flavored.

Does Target even sell alcohol? I've never seen one that does.

I don't know how else to express my feelings, but:
Slow day, is it, Meg?

I'm sure this is a very isolated incident. Does it really merit the attention of The Consumerist?

I thought the cash registers at these stores threw up a message on the cashier's screen when something which required ID for purchase (booze, spraypaint, BB guns, etc) had been scanned?

Probably something wrong /w the entry in their computer systems. Most supermarkets and stores will have their cash register prompt them for ID when an alcholic item or tabacco is scanned.

@82300sd: Target sells wine & beer here, but that's it. Forget any of the good stuff. I think this varies greatly depending upon which state you live in. Our alcohol laws are still very much buried in the immediate post-prohibition era.

maybe she just wanted a date with the guy??? so in a stalkerish sort of way and using her "authority" as a cashier she asked for his ID.

I would have made her feel really dumb by showing her the bottle and the fact that alcohol isn't mentioned on it anywhere.

Honestly, in that situation I would have politely pulled out my ID and asked her to call her CS Manager over. Then I would have calmly explained the situation to the CSM, and inquire why I was being ID'd for soda pop?

Granted, I wouldn't be buying Jones anyhoo, or most sodas for the matter. They all have organic acid perservatives (sodium/potassium benzoate or sodium/potassium sorbate), which have been identified as a possible cancer risk through yeast studies. The way i see it, I don't need a fizzy drink that badly.

chick working in retail and in dire need of a power trip after being humiliated. let it go dude. i'd like to think that working for target sucks, everyone seems so unhappy in that store.

On a semi-related tangent: Does anyone else drink orange soda and vanilla vodka?

I've been carded for buying IBC Root Beer in Kroger. I think these are pretty common (but not systemic) incidents in retail. Occasional clueless clerk doesn't know what does/doesn't contain alcohol, so cards for anything in a glass bottle.

@Don Roberto: Says the guy Monday-morning-quarterbacking editorial decisions on a blog.

Target sells wine. God help us, Target sells wine.

I'd go for the soda.

I especially love how Target not only checks ID, but SCANS the 2D barcode as well. Theoretically, they could be collecting your name, address, license number, height, weight, eye and hair color, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually did store some of this data.

Maybe the cashier just thought that he was trying to pull a Jedi Mind trick on her.

"You don't need to see his identification. These aren't the alcoholic beverages you're looking for." ::waves hand mysteriously in front of her face::

Remember, these clerks are in fear for their jobs and for their freedom if they screw up an don't check for ID. That's why many of them make a mistakes like this. The employee should have realized her mistake and let it go, and I sure don't blame the customers for doing what they needed to do to leave in peace.

This reminds me of a time when my friend from Austria and I were buying alcohol and the clerk refused to accept his federally issued green card as ID. There was a police officer stationed in the store so I told the clerk that she'd better have him arrested. She did nothing so we turned ourselves in to the cop who laughed about arresting my friend, and refused to advise the clerk that his ID was okay. We bought our booze elsewhere.

@Karl: They could be scanning the ID to make sure it wasn't a fake. Also the Super Targets by where I live sell hard liquor as well as beer and wine. I once got 10 bottles of Canadian Mist for $3 each on clearance.

Target probably stores all the info available to them. Such info is sold to marketing companies. That is one reason I dont use credit cards much; the marketing people know everything you bought at Target.

I used to work at a Target in Florida.. can't say I ever saw this happen there.

Just get out your wallet and start fumbling through it for 5 minutes muttering "I know its in here somewhere..."

Must've been because it was in a glass bottle and it was a funny-lookin' color. SODA COMES IN PLASTIC BOTTLES, DAMMIT!

Does Target sell alcoholic beverages even?!?

@BloggyMcBlogBlog: There are plenty of ways of verifying that an ID is real without scanning it. Scanning it does NOTHING. The barcode specs are publicly available, and there's ZERO authentication of any of the information on the barcode. To make things more amusing, Oregon used to issue renewal STICKERS that would replace this barcode. The stickers had no security features. So, you could replace your barcode with one that said you were 21, and most cashiers would blindly accept the scanner. It's just a bad idea for many reasons.

How long is it going to be until some goody good posts here and says, " Just show your ID. How long does it take? What do you have to hide? What's the big deal?"

Just watch.

Everyone is missing the big picture here...the only fault was that the consumer bought Jones Soda!

This is right up there with the offices that require you to show ID. As a friend put it, "we only allow visitors in our building who are smart enough to get a photo ID."

I was talking about scanning ID's to the clerk at my local liquor store the other day because they got into some trouble for selling to minors. They have all the scanning equipment, but it doesn't work well for their needs in a college town, since it only works on in state licenses and too many fake IDs come from other states.

"we would have to provide ID anyways, or else the Target Rent-A-Cop would "deal with us", as she stated it."

Why didn't you wave his happy ass over and have him examine the bottle in all his rent-a-cop wisdom for any indication of alcoholic content?

Why are people too chickenshit to stand up to fools anymore?

@Don Roberto:

Uhg. Thank you.

It seems like we are seeing more and more of these ridiculous stories here anymore.

Its one idiot cashier. It isnt like we're seeing this happening at Target all over the country or anything... I dont think this merits escalating past the store manager, but then again, there is a very real mentality among some people here that they should be richly compensated for any inconvienience they encounter.

I wouldn't spend to much time trying to call the store on the phone. Your best bet is to stop in and speak with a manager or calling the Guest Services 1-800 number.

I would have politely demanded to see the manager.

And then, after buying the soda without showing my ID, walked out without showing my receipt either.

OMG people!

Just show your ID! How long does it take? What do you have to hide?

What's the big deal?

:p

@82300sd: SuperTargets are basically Targets with grocery stores attached. They are awesome. And they sell beer & wine. You have to go into an actual liquor store in Alabama to buy liquor.

@Don Roberto: When your privacy is invaded to go grocery shopping ... yes.

Is YOUR day so slow that all you have to do is bitch about what other people post on their websites?

Are there any general rules on IDs (kind of like the whole receipt thing)? My sister was refused purchase of a bottle of wine at a grocery store in the South unless her boyfriend, who accompanied her, *also* showed his ID. She was paying. They're both over 30. What's up with that? If she had a kid, and brought the kid in the store with her, would she also have been denied purchase? Bizarre.

@Buran:

I would have politely demanded to see the manager.

And then, after buying the soda without showing my ID, walked out without showing my receipt either.

Nice! ;-)

@jaredgood1:

i do now, thanks!

In minnesota, ironically -- the home of target, you can't get much more than 3.2 beer in supertargets. Not even wine is allowed in the supermarket here. So nobody buys 3.2 beer and just go to the liquor store.

@ChaosMotor: I actually hate it when some fool in front of me holds up the line in order to straighten something out, when a simple give-and-take would have fixed everything. I mean, just showing an ID card, in this situation where it wasn't a big inconvenience, was the nice thing to do.

So, while I applaud this consumer for moving the line along, WTF is up with this crap? Carding over Jones Soda? How STUPID are these people?

But don't tell me it was that "sweat" or "crystal gravy" flavored Jones Soda, because then I the consumer loses my respect.

@hollerhither: I don't know what the general rules are. However, I am 26 and my husband and I host a high school international student in our home. She's been with me at the grocery store when I've purchased wine, and the cashiers always ask for both of our IDs. I explain that she's a high school student, she is not 21, and that right now I am her legal guardian. So far I have not been denied the purchase. (And no, we don't give her alcohol.)

I actually had a similar incident at a Stop & Shop. I was buying Stewart's Root Beer (a cardboard 4 pack) and got a 'show ID' warning on the self checkout screen. The cashier manning the checkouts explained that they had an incident where some kids swapped the root beer bottles for real beer. The self checkout register thought it was root beer (since the barcode is on the case) and they didn't get carded. So now they tag everything that could fall victim to that scam (apparently). He was nice enough to not ask for ID since he saw it was actually root beer. Apparently the cashier in this case was not quite so willing to think for herself.

PS - Is it wrong to be annoyed about getting carded whenever I buy spray paint????

This happened to my friends and me at Albertsons but she realized it was just Jones Soda and let us buy it

If this the Super Target on University Drive? If so, I'm not surprised. I've had much better luck with the employees at the one in Jones Valley.

@Consumerist Moderator - ACAMBRAS: Thanks!

@BrockBrockman: Yup, there's always one of those "why is it so hard to allow your privacy to be invaded or your rights to be given up for someone else's (read, mine) convenience" types in every thread.

Give up your rights if you want. But don't complain about others choosing not to.

@82300sd:
Even Aldi sells beer & wine!