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Comment by traderj0e | Hacker News Reader

Nowadays grocery stores do scan the ID, so maybe there is some tracking

You can refuse the scan. It's just a surveillance grab, like the TSA photo. Unfortunately most people just go along with it.

Are they obligated to still sell the liquor if you refuse the scan? The cashier specifically told me last time they're required to scan it if I want to buy that.

Yes, there's no law requiring it. It's just corporate BS. They want to scan your license, that's it. Some cashiers will push back because that's what they've been told to do, but if you ask for a manager they'll admit it's not a requirement.

I know it's not required by law to scan it, but it might be a store policy, in which case I don't think there's a law disallowing that kind of store policy. They'll tell you to shop elsewhere, and every big store does it.

The only law involved is the one that penalizes them harshly if anyone underage manages to buy liquor. If fake IDs are less likely to pass that scan, maybe that's why they do it.

I'm sure it's CYA for the stores, but then they're holding copies of your license and doing who knows what else with it. I've been seeing more of it getting rolled out, but so far I just present my license if they ask for it, but don't relinquish it and tell them I don't want it scanned. So far it's never been a hard line. I did it yesterday and the cashier just shrugged and I paid.

Where? If it happened in my country I'd absolutely raise a fuss.

US, in a California Safeway store for example

Hm, well California does a lot of weird things that I don't really have a say in. When it gets to my state I'll agitate against it.

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