Dear Walmart,
A little over a week ago I turned the coveted age of 21 and have been enjoying the luxury of buying alcohol at free will until I went to your store. Recently, I visited your store to purchase a tasty alcoholic beverage to quench my thirst; however, I was unable to complete this effortless task as one of your employees refused to sell me alcohol. The employee, who happened to be an elderly lady, asked to see my identification, so I showed her, but instead of approving my age to continue the process of the sale, she asked to see my girlfriend’s identification.
Asking for my girlfriend’s identification was completely unnecessary and utterly ridiculous. I was the one buying the alcohol, not her, so the employee had no right to ask her. My girlfriend simply drove me there since I don’t own a vehicle. When did a law pass that says the people around you have to be of age in order for the person legally buying the alcohol to make a purchase? Last time I checked there wasn’t one. Now don’t say it’s a company policy because when I went home infuriated, I read through your policy and nowhere does it state that you could ID any minor with an adult who is buying alcohol. Here’s a link to see for yourself.
Another point to address is the matter of age discrimination when it comes to buying alcohol when a minor is present. The event that occurred in Walmart would have transpired differently if it were my girlfriend’s dad buying alcohol because it is certain the employee wouldn’t have asked for her identification as well as his. There is no difference in purchasing alcohol regardless of age. If someone just turned 21 or if someone is 50, there should be no reason to ask for the identification of a minor present with them when they are the one’s purchasing the alcohol.
People have different opinions on everything, so maybe it was the employee’s personal belief that prevented her from selling me the alcohol. Despite what her personal belief is, she is defying Walmart’s policy when she is refusing to sell to me because there is a minor in the vicinity. Her job is to check people out and when she decided to defy Walmart’s policies based on some vendetta against minors being around alcohol. I was simply going to go to a different register, but she snatched the beer out of my hands and said, “I can’t let you do that.” She crossed the line and certainly lost my business. I know one person to Walmart may not seem like a big deal, but the point is an employee is misrepresenting Walmart’s policies and ultimately affecting their business.
I don’t hate Walmart for what happened, I just dislike the elderly woman who was being unreasonably difficult. I hope Walmart either makes it clear to their employees to follow their policy or to add into their policy an unwritten rule they enforce.
Sincerely,
Disgruntled and probably never buying alcohol from you again customer
