I was @ Safeway and a 60 something guy was being carded for the beer he was buying. Home Depot.......did not card us for the spray paint we purchased. :0)

Our Walmart doesn't sell beer, but a few supermarkets do. One of them cards everyone, even me. The others don't bother.

It's also about local ordinances. We drove cross country three years ago, we were both 68 at the time. Stopped in Knoxville, and got carded at a local Italian restaurant. We were told that it was the law. Not sure if we were in the city limits or in an outlaying area.

They will "card" any liquor/beer/wine sale here. They want to know that your license is active. That's what they're checking. It has nothing to do with age.

They do that here,too. If they don't,the store gets hit with a big fine.

I bought some wine at Wegmans and had to show ID ( and I too watched Howdy Doody). This was in Pennsylvania. They have to check everyone and I think she had to enter my license # in the computer.

Same here at CVS and the grocery stores, but I dont recall being carded at the minimarts. Next time I buy beer at one, I'll pay attention.

Quite a few years ago, maybe 25, I worked as a cashier and you had to put the customers DOB into the register when someone was purchasing booze of any kind.

I don't get carded anymore, but I did when I was 40, and the clerk told me that they had to card everyone who looked 30 or under. At Bristol Farms, I ask for a senior discount on Tuesdays, and they don't card me for that either.

Why in the world would a grocery store care if your driver license is active? That makes no sense.

The real reason they card even senior citizens is so they can't be sued for age discrimination.

Here bottled/canned alcoholic drinks are sold in specially licensed shops or bars. At the supermarket, however, you can buy non-alcoholic wine and beer with a poofteenth of alcohol, so low it's essentially non-alcoholic, and certainly doesn't need to be sold in a licensed bottle shop.

I usually go through the regular staffed checkout so haven't had any problems (though from time to time you see a story in the paper about some checkout person who would not allow an adult (as in parent, well over 30) to purchase these products as they were accompanied by one of their minor children. (Insert eye roll here.)

But the other day I went through the self checkout with some non-alcoholic beer, and the scanner would not complete the sale until a staff member came and verified that I was old enough and punched in the secret code. How ridiculous. An infant could have drunk all six bottles and not even got a buzz.

Colleen, do they let you buy vanilla extract without your ID being checked?

A lot of the stores here require the license to "scan" it to make sure you are old enough...even when it's obvious you are old enough. I know the stores here will get hit with huge fines if they get caught selling cigarettes or alcohol to minors.

The death of common sense. Or maybe just another nail in its coffin.

They just have to enter your license number into their computers, it has nothing to do with looking any age. You can be 100 and they still have to ask for your ID. That way every single person is carded and there is no chance of under age alcohol purchases. It does seem dumb but it takes the pressure off of the cashier that way, which is a good thing.

I've never had anyone enter my license number into a computer to buy alcohol. I don't object to showing it, but having the store and the gov't have access to that info tied to my license seems wrong to me. I wouldn't shop somewhere that required my alcohol purchases tracked via my license.

Liquor laws and selling practices and restrictions vary considerably from state to state and in some states, from country to county. One shouldn't assume what has or hasn't been seen in one place is the same elsewhere.

Retail clerks are following what they've been told to do. If you encounter it and dislike it, buy your beverages elsewhere.

Lars, vanilla and lemon extract, no problems. Which is funny when you think about it, as country shearers’ cooks were notorious back in the day for ordering case loads of lemon extract, very little of which ended up in the meals.

I don't think I've ever been carded in my life.

Olychick, they may just be entering the DOB and not the license number...not sure but I think one lady told me she was entering the license number...but DOB makes sense too.

I always just make a joke if they card me because I know that I don't look young anymore. I'll say "yes, I just turned 21" and laugh or something like that.

Colleen, perhaps the non-alcoholic beer is used to introduce teens to beer drinking?

There's no law that restricts the sale, but most states encourage vendors to not sell non-alcoholic brews to minors.

Makes sense.

Take a look at the vape epidemic. How did that happen?

My WalMart never asks for my ID here in NW Arkansas.

I think every store around here has it's own policy. Now that I think of it , Piggly Wiggly never asks me .On my receipt it just says "age confirmed" . Another store I went to didn't ask me - it just printed out the date -with the year going back to show I was "21" .... LOL Walmart never asks for ID. Meijer never asks. Maybe it just depends on where the store is located and their local laws.

Anything alcoholic being scanned here will trigger a second action being required to complete the transaction. If appropriate, that would be requesting and checking ID but the cashiers have the ability to override if it appears obvious the purchaser is above legal age.

I have not had to show ID to purchase alcoholic beverages at a grocery or liquor store/wine shop for years - too many years!! LOL! Local groceries even do wine tastings - never been asked for ID to participate in one of those as well. But I do get asked when attending events where alcohol may be served (outside of a restaurant/bar setting). Requirements to receive a situational liquor license may dictate that.

Michael, I think I can safely say that non-alcoholic beer is totally unnecessary here to introduce teenagers to beer drinking.

Hot Rod,

It's the law. Not a store's individual decision.

I don't object to showing it, but having the store and the gov't have access to that info tied to my license seems wrong to me.

You don't think the government has access to info tied to your license? *shaking head*

I've been a clerk, cashier, and waitress in the past and needed to card people.

I never get angry or upset at the clerk if they ask for my I.D.

I usually make a joke about being happy that I still look young enough to be carded.

More than once I've had a clerk laugh, and tell me they appreciate it.

Some people get so irate at being carded. What's the big deal? You know it's an age restricted item and you should always have your I.D. on you anyway.

It may be the law where you are but its really not the case everywhere. What is a store going to do if your license is expired, call the police? That's ridiculous.

I get carded at one supermarket. (They'll only take in-state or military IDs, too.) At a convenience store, I'm asked my date of birth (don't have to show my ID). Everywhere else so far in this state no one bothers with either. I'm sure if I were still in my 20s or something they'd ask.

Texas, actually I don't always have my ID on me. It is not a requirement to have one on your person at all times. The first time I shopped at that supermarket, I had to run out to the car to get my purse with my driver's license in order to purchase my wine.

We were at the rodeo yesterday and they were carding everyone. Must be a new law here, Target used to be the only place that required it.

I haven't been carded anywhere else so it must be this particular store. And I asked what if the person doesn't have an ID, they said they wouldn't be able to sell them the beer. And they get the B-day from the ID, not the ID number or anything else. And I'm not irate about it, just surprised that they have to go to those lengths, I know there's no question that I'm over 21 just by looking at me, its just plain common sense that's gone out the window.

"You don't think the government has access to info tied to your license? *shaking head*"

Of course the gov't has info - my dob, my address, my license is a gov't issued document! What I object to is my purchases being tied to my license and provided to the state via entry of my DL#, if that's what's happening. I suspect it's more like the dob being entered from the license rather than the actual DL#.

So, please don't hurt yourself shaking your head.

"Some people get so irate at being carded. What's the big deal? You
know it's an age restricted item and you should always have your I.D. on
you anyway."

Now, that in bold I don't quite agree with. I do not need to prove my identity at the drop of a hat. I take my driver's license with me if I think I might need it, just as I do an umbrella if I think I might need it.

IDs are pretty small and light. Is it a burden to have it with you? There are positives, are there any negatives?

Okay, allow me to clarify. If I go to the store, I have to drive there. You are required to have your driver's license anytime you are driving.

If you have a credit card or debit card, the store can request your id to confirm it is your card, which I've also been asked for before and always provided.

Artemis- leaving your purse in your car or any other valuables is a really bad idea, strongly discouraged by law enforcement. It's a good way to get your things stolen.

Carrying my driver's license is not a burden. If I drive, I have it with me. If I walk, I only bring it if I think I will use it. I think it is less likely to get lost or stolen when it is at home than when it is in my pocket when I'm out. I'm not trying to convince anyone to do as I do.

Hot Rod,

I'm not sure why it's upsetting you, but I don't make the laws here any more than you do there? I assume you can't have the liquor should your license be nonexistent or expired. That is, they won't sell it to you. It's not exactly a "need" in life. I could be completely wrong, so don't quote me on the subsequent process.

One good reason to always have an ID on you, in case of a medical emergency or accident. I could go unidentified in a hospital for many hours before someone starts looking for me.

Flamingo, I used to put an ordinary piece of paper in my pocket with my name, address, and emergency contact. I could start doing that again.