Reader Amie had an odd encounter with a Giant Food cashier today. As she was checking out the cashier asked if she was 30 because he wasn’t supposed to sell Zyrtec to anyone under 30.
I went to the doctor today and she suggested that I try Zyrtec for my allergies instead of a prescription. On my way back to work, I stopped by a Giant Food Store to buy some. As I was checking out, the cashier asked me if I was 30. I said no, that I am only 29 and gave him my ID. He said that he would go ahead and sell me my medicine, but not to tell anyone that he did so. When I asked why, he said that they are not allowed to sell anyone Zyrtec (and possibly other medications, but I didn’t ask) to people under 30. Luckily I had my doctor’s recommendations in my purse with me if there had been any problems, but I found the age limit of 30 to be a bit high….
Amie
We suspected this guy was just hitting on you, so we called Giant Foods and confirmed that they had no age restrictions on over-the-counter allergy medicines. Feel free to complain to the manager of the store where this apron-wearing lothario works.
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That sly dog…
Likely the cashier is just a dumbass.
Many places require their employees to check ID when the customer appears to be anywhere under the age of 30 for items where there are age restrictions.
I’m not supposed to do this but could you deposit this check and just give me half the cash? Oh, and what’s your name and address?
@davebg5:
or a stalker. He’s memorized Amie’s address, and the dismembered animal gifts will commence.
Years ago, I bought White-Out at Wal-Mart and had to show ID to prove that I was over 18.
We need to see a picture of Amie to make a good decision on this one. (hitting on v. dumbass).
I still vote dumbass.
@MissPeacock: They still card me for spray paint at Wal-mart. I take it as a compliment.
@MissPeacock:
It’s probably because you look like a glue (or white out) sniffing weirdo.
@davebg5:
QFT.
The cashier mistook
if customer<30; then
check id;
if id >= 18; then
sell;
fi
else
sell;
fi
for
if customer > 30; then
sell;
else
stalk/hiton customer
fi
Dumbass.
Also, Zyrtec rules!
I vote dumbass who mistook the “card anybody under 30″ guideline for “buyer must be 30″.
That makes the most sense out of the senseless options.
@davebg5:
That may be, but why would there be an age restriction for Zyrtec anyway? And how is someone going to get in trouble for not checking ID on someone who appears to be under 30? It is the definition of subjective, and I would like to see a manager try to write up someone for that.
@BlondeGrlz:
They don’t card me — must be the silver spray paint around my mouth and nose (gold paint on the weekends).
@donkeyjote: your pseudo code has a logic error…
if id >= 18 then
sell;
else
DON’T sell;
endif
@nursetim:
Making meth? I don’t know if it has any ingredients in it that could be used for that.
That is too weird. I could maybe understand (although not necessarily condone) their having restrictions on *decongestants* like the original Sudafed, whose ingredients can be used to cook up a batch of meth. (You can still get it, but it’s behind the pharmacist’s counter.) But Zyrtec? Huh?
Great allergy med. I was very happy when it finally went OTC and generic this past year. Blue Cross was making me do a $40 co-pay because it was a Tier 3 med.
A couple weeks ago I bought alcohol at Wal-mart and the register prompted “Customer under 40?” The cashier studied me for a few seconds before grudgingly looking at my ID.
I think it’s just a safety net to card anyone who may be close to the age limit. Although I have never heard of an age limit for Zyrtec and I buy it all the time.
Here in Ohio (maybe other places, I don’t know) you have to show ID for drugs like Sudafed in case you plan on making meth.
Reminds me of when I was kept from buying spray paint for a model
when I was under 21. I was like “really? I would spend THIS much
money to tag something with a spray paint in a specific military
shade when I could go by a can for .89 cents?” I really hate when
stores make up rules, as if the ones set by the government makes up
where not good enough (Im looking at you meth kings) Seriously you
going to have to live in a test tube your entire life if this shit
keeps up.
*Points at gjaluvka*
Yeah, what HE said. Sounds like that cashier needs to be retrained.
To death with a tire iron.
A pharmacy worker at Giant once told me she couldn’t sell nicotine patches to me because I was under 30.
@rwakelan: No, because you don’t need to explicitly state an alternative action. Once the “id >= 18″ results as true (or false), the if statement is escaped. If id < 18, !sell, is implicit.
My code is a nested if.
The second if happens if the customer is under 30, with no else. The else only happens if the first if, customer is 30 or over. Or null.
if true; then
exit
fi
Zyrtec D has the ingredient for meth cooking and at most pharmacies is kept behind the pharmacy counter like Sudafed. This may be where the confusion lies.
I think he was making a pass at her makes for a better story though.
I work for Stop and Shop at customer service, which is the same as Giant-Landover.
On the registers when you scan an item, it says Under 30? Check ID. This means that if the person looks under thirty, you are to check to see that they meet the proper age requirement to purchase an item. I guess the geniuses never bother to go past that step when training the new cashiers.
i’m pretty sure the guy’s just retarded.
@YoHenYo: exactly.
Oh this kid is smooth, not only did he find out she’s under 30, he also knows her full name, address and DOB. Very slick move on his behalf.
Course, she’s probably allergic to his filthy digs and it would never work out.
Hoo boy. I too vote that they mistook ID under 30 for purchase over 30.
As for the meth cooking- even if it is true- don’t you need massive quantities of it? So if you were buying over 30 BOXES of Zyrtec…
/ok I’m reaching, but it DOES sound that ridiculous
@dualityshift: Always possible. I know that when I worked at a liquor store in college I made sure all the cute girls had to show ID.
Ah…good times…good times…
I must respectfully disagree, Meg: by no stretch of the imagination is asking someone their age count as hitting on them.
years ago while home from college on break, I was carded at 7-11 in NJ to
buy a lighter… not even cigarrettes! This was soon after the 18+ carding
started for smokes. I was 19 but had run out w/o my ID to pick up milk and
juice, and decided to get a spare lighter. needless to say i left without
the lighter.
this is the same 7E where i used to buy boxes of sparklers and pick up
cartons of cigs for my mom when i was 10 – with no questions asked!
sign me: glaurious
@Asvetic: Exactly. Let the stalking begin!
@Rectilinear Propagation: Yes it is. Older women have age issues, so someone carding them makes them feel younger, and happier. If someone cards them with that intention….
I would have rejected this letter on the basis that it was probably flirting.
He probably wanted to steal her soul through her license. It can happen to you, it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone eventually.
Were is the I will never show my ID ever, because it can be used for id theft crowd?
@MissPeacock: Really? What were you doing buying Wite Out? Don’t you know that’s what terrorists use to fix their mistakes?
I’ve got nothing.
This was obviously an employee misunderstanding the rule of if they look under 30 id them…to mean if they are under thirty don’t sell to them…
Which of course makes no sense as it is non-Rx and not a tobacco or alcohol product. There is no reason to card for it.
I used to use sudafed as my non-rx med of choice for sinus problems…however they have jacked the system up with forcing me to go to the counter and show ID and sign for it…Like this does ANYTHING! If I were a maker of Crank I would merely charge my consumers the standard charge + a box of sudafed…problem solved.
D-
@floyderdc: I came here for these. Left disappointed. So I’ll substitute:
This cashier was obviously a GENIUS and flash-memorized her address and id number. She will lost all her worldly possessions in a fortnight!
Oh, I see what happened, the mistake was simple once you think about it.
The clerk mistook the Zyrtec for Zima. It could happen to anyone
Seems likely that the cashier was just not that bright: lots of stores have a policy along the lines of “if you look like you might be under 30, we’ll card you for booze, cigarettes and pharmaceuticals”. Thousands of stores do this, just to cover their asses. I’m betting that the cashier was just dumb enough to not get the nuances of the rule, interpreting it as “we don’t sell booze, cigarettes and pharmaceuticals to people under 30″.
None of this would have happened if she had just patronized her local independent pizza joint.
@gjaluvka: Beat me to it. And more succinctly — bravo!
@swags: Of course not. We want people under 30 to continue to smoke.
I’m sure the cashier just heard wrong.
They were probable told to check the ID of anyone who LOOKED under 30, and not sell it to them without an ID.
Hello everyone,
This is Amie, the one who wrote this submission. I do think he got the “under 30, request ID rule” mixed-up, but your comments are too funny. I will let you know tomorrow if someone has stolen all of my belongings though. I hope the cats are ok…..
lol I’m sure it’ll be fine, the “I’m supposed to card everyone who looks 30 or younger” instruction got cross-wired with the “don’t sell to anyone younger than 18″ instruction is by far the most likely scenario.
I had an idiot cashier get short with me once this winter at the self checkout which carded me for Mucinex DM tablets.
I simply noted that I found it odd it would ask for ID on that item and the lady snapped “It might have alcohol in it!” (Note: these were solid tablets)
At the time, I didn’t know you could overdose and get high off of cough medicine. I should have gone back and apologized for not being up to date on the most recent OTC overdose crazes.
@floyderdc
[www.facebook.com]
@donopolis: If I were a maker of Crank I would merely charge my consumers the standard charge + a box of sudafed…problem solved.
They actually do this now. Don’t ask me how I know it, but, yeah, it seems to be the standard practice around here.
alm0529: Pics are necessary in order for us to determine whether he’s an idiot or a stalker.
Meanwhile, I’ve never gotten carded for Zyrtec at Walmart. Then again, I rarely even get carded for booze anymore anywhere and I’m only 28. Weird.