When a store has a rule where a customer has to show ID in order to buy alcohol, it’s to make sure the store isn’t selling alcohol to people who are underage.

Would you be offended if you were asked to show your ID?

The cashier in today’s story doesn’t like to have to ask everyone for ID but knows that’s the rule; however, does the rule change when the person is the owner of the store?

Let’s see how the story plays out…

Can I see some ID?

With all the grocery stores in the news from the pandemic, I was reminded of a story from my years working as a cashier at Wegmans.

For those of you that have never heard of it, it’s a fairly large chain of family-owned grocery stores that are all very nice. Think generic grocery shopping prices in a Whole Foods type atmosphere.

Anyway, I hated being a cashier.

People can be really mean and rude to the service industry, and it definitely gave 16 year old me a newfound respect for folks that put up with it every day.

There was one rule that OP found particularly annoying.

One of the annoying rules that Wegmans has is to 100% ID everyone who looked under 40 in the group when there is alcohol in your cart.

That rule made so many people upset and ornery, and I hated enforcing it, but I would get reprimanded if they saw I didn’t ask.

After watching some dude take nail clippers from the display case, clip his nails on my belt, and put the clippers back into the box, I decided enough was enough.

I asked to be moved somewhere else with less people.

The wine cellar sounds great.

My front-end manager offered to put me downstairs in the “wine cellar” to be a cashier there.

The cellar was simply a lower level of the store that only sold wine, not a whole lot of foot traffic down there and no nail clipper display cases.

I happily accepted.

It sounds like the old position was better.

My new manager down in the wine department was something else.

Trading off for condescending customers, I now had a condescending nit picking manager.

There wasn’t much to do down there so he would spend his free time just hovering over my shoulder watching me scan wine and nit pick my performance after a customer left.

The manager asked annoying questions.

Why didn’t you ID the obviously 45 year old mother of 3 teenage children?

Why are you leaning on the till?

Why aren’t you going faster?

Why didn’t you refer them to me for a recommendation of a red/white?

I was getting more and more fed up with it, but agreed with my parents that I needed to stay at least to finish out summer.

The owners are coming.

One week towards the end of my sentence, the manager came in very frantic looking and called a shift meeting with everyone.

He told us that THE Wegmans were coming to our store for a visit, and one of their planned stops was the wine cellar. We all needed to be on our best behavior, everything must be clean, and we need to follow all of the rules..

“Everything needs to be perfect. It’s my reputation on the line here.”

Yes sir, understood.

The manager is still hovering.

So the day comes, my station is sparkling, my shirt isn’t wrinkled, I’m standing at attention at the till for hours as they do their store visit.

Finally their entourage comes downstairs, say hello to me and the manager runs over to greet them and fawns over their every need as they tour the cellar.

At one point Colleen Wegman grabs a cart and starts loading it up with wine that the manager is suggesting.

They make their way to the front where I am and the manager immediately moves right behind me to watch my every move.

Hovering.

You’re supposed to ask for ID, right?

I greet them with the standard “Hello! Did you find everything you needed today?” Opening and began scanning.

Then it happened.

The first bottle of wine triggered my P.O.S. system with the prompt I was waiting for. “Age restricted item. Enter DOB”

I paused for what felt like minutes, I could feel the manager behind me instantly tense up, what was I going to do?

“Can I see some ID Ms Wegman?”

The Wegmans didn’t seem offended.

My manager freaked out.

“no no no! You don’t need to ask her for ID! I am SO, so sorry ma’am. Do you know why that is simplex?? Why would you ask her for ID???”

“Well sir, she looks under 40 to me and standard policy is to card everyone in the group”

The Wegmans all got a good laugh out of that and Colleen agreed that I was correct, and obliged me with her ID.

The manager didn’t find it funny.

The manager chuckled nervously but I could tell he was mad for me derailing his perfect tour with that antic.

They bought like $600 worth of wine and went on their way.

My two weeks was graciously accepted the next day.

Honestly, when you’re older, being carded is a compliment.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story…

It’s good that OP asked for ID.

Another reader shares a story about checking ID.

This reader seems to have experience with the Wegmans.

This would’ve been a great response.

The cashier did the exact right thing.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.