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It can be hard to tell someone’s age. That’s why a lot of stores require their employees to check ID before customers can buy things like cigarettes and alcohol.

If you were much older than the required legal age to buy something, would you get upset if the cashier asked to see your ID or would you find it flattering?

For whatever reason, a lot of customers seem to get upset. Personally, I find it flattering!

In this story, one customer is upset about having to show his ID and expresses his frustration by exclaiming, “I’m probably old enough to be your dad!”

The cashier’s response changes the whole mood from anger to laughter. It’s pretty amazing.

Keep reading for all the details.

“I’m old enough to be your dad!”

My corporate overlords require us to ask for identification of anyone who appears to be under the age of 40 for age restricted items (tobacco, lotto, energy pills, but thank goodness we don’t sell alcohol at the gas station).

So this guy, we’ll call him Pops, orders his smokes after I ring up his drinks and I ask him politely to see his ID.

Pops: What, seriously? Jesus, I’ll have to go to my car.

Me: Okay, sir, I’ll have your stuff right here for you. (I set his things aside in case I have another customer before he comes back)

The customer was really upset.

Pops: (Walking outside, muttering,) 36 f%#$ing years old, you gotta be…

So he takes a minute or two til he returns, obviously frustrated, and we have the following exchange.

Pops: Well, screw it, I’m just gonna buy them at another gas station, I’ll just take the pop.

OP kept his cool.

Me: I do apologize for the inconvenience, it’s just that the store policy is to check ID for anyone who looks under 40…

Pops: Hell, I’m probably old enough to be your dad!

Me: Did you say you were 36 years old?

It ended with a laugh.

Pops: Yeah…

Me: Sir, I turn 29 years old in less than a week. You would have been a father at 7 years old if I was your kid.

His whole demeanor changed after this and we had a good laugh about it, and I guess it felt almost like a compliment that he thought this fat, hair-thinning OP whose IRL cakeday will make him almost 30 looks young enough to be a 36 year old man’s son.

I love how the employee helped the customer go from anger to laughter with one simple, factual comment.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

I don’t understand this either.

It is weird.

To be fair, he had it, but it was in his car.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who is shocked to learn how little he has to do to keep his cushy remote job.

One person explains what frustrated him when he got carded.

I do not understand any of these stories where people go to buy something but don’t have their ID with them. There are three reasons I always have my ID with me. The first one is that it’s required if you’re driving. The second is that not too long ago you had to show your ID when you were paying with a credit card. I know that’s often not the case anymore, but it used to be required. The third reason is that if something ever happened to me, I’d want to have my ID on me so the police knew who I was and could contact my family.

It’s crazy that so many people get upset about getting carded!