“21 Years of Age or Above”

Photo Credit Christina Rausch

So somewhere in the early to mid-1980s the United States in its infinite wisdom forced most states to raise its legal drinking age from 19 to 21.  In the state where I hail from they raised the age to 21 just 28 days prior to my 21st birthday.  So, I had to wait for nearly a month before I could begin to legally drink again after having been able to do so for a year.

Now, this is enough to piss most people off, and I’m with them.  Imagine being legally able to imbibe (I know this audience knows the meaning of that word!) for a year then be cut off for a month.  Did I comply?  I will leave that to the imagination.

I bring this up because during a recent trip to one of the countries most popular stores, you know, the one with smiley faces everywhere, I encountered an aggravation (go figure).  During the always wonderful check out lane experience, I discovered that my “check out associate” was under 21.

This isn’t usually a big deal, however, today I have adult beverages in my cart!  So, as is in accordance with the law, this young person cannot swipe a sealed bottle of alcohol across a scanner.  This then requires the assistance of a manager, who in this case was powdering their nose.

So, this whole process grinds to a complete halt.  This put the rest of my weekend, which includes some imbibing on hold.  I am generally a patient man (LOL!) but this aggravates me to no end.

There are a few keen observations that need to be made here.  First, this young person is old enough to drive, vote, work and to be sent to a foreign country to either be wounded or killed.  However, he/she is not old enough to swipe a sealed bottle of alcohol (which is virtually impossible for he/she to “illegally” sneak a drink out of).

Then there is the issue of stores carrying alcoholic beverages, which one must be 21years of age or above to consume, however, we put individuals who are of a minor age at the cash registers.  When alcohol is sold within a premise, all cashiers should be of legal age.

Now, I realize that this may sound ludicrous to some but think about it for a minute: these so-called minors are old enough to be sent off to war and possibly lose their lives, yet, these minors cannot complete a sale by scanning a sealed container.

I understand the arguments against under-age drinking, however, maybe some modifications of the law can be made where the selling of alcohol within legally designated places can be done by a person of any age.  Maybe some specifications would have to be made regarding the types of establishments.

Let me be very clear here– I am not in favor of drinking and driving, underaged or otherwise, it is unacceptable at any age.  But, by the same token, we trust these under-aged minors to pull a trigger in combat but not to scan a bottle of alcohol in a store.

Surely there is a more efficient way of handling this situation for the customer.  Not only for me the customer but also for the other customers waiting in line behind me.  Maybe it is just me or it only happens to me but in either event it is aggravating!

Talk to ya later.

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @ 2018 All Rights Reserved