We took a trip to the Albertson’s in U.P. today.  We went in to gather up some BBQ fixin’s.  We thought with this 80 degree weather it would be nice to relax with some Corona Light and lime while we wathced the kids enjoying their waterslide and the jacuzzi.  Well, we went to the wrong line, I believe the clerk’s name was Brenda, she has red hair and glasses.  We know her very well as we’ve been going to the Albertson’s for over a decade now and she is regularily our clerk.  She even commented on our new dog Ranger a couple months back when we took him in to buy him some bones.

Well, we had the hot dogs, hamburgers, tanning oil, and the beer all in the cart along with some other everyday items.  Brenda rang up one item and then asked to see our ID.  This is no big deal at all cause we are both well over drinking age.  What struck us as strange was the countless times we have gone through Brenda’s line and never been asked for ID ever.  We’ve seen other patrons in the store get hassled over the ID thing usually late at night and they are tattoo ridden, or black, or they looked like they maybe already had had enough.  None of which gives the clerk the right to single them out for an ID check but hey, it’s the law right?

I had left my ID in the car and so I told Brenda, she could have been nice about it and rang up the other groceries and politely stated that she needed to please see both of our ID’s prior to the sale of the beer, but instead Brenda decided to take the low road.  She snottily said, “I need to see her ID (referring to me, as Steve already showed her his, but she refused to look at it).”  I said, “it’s in the car.” Brenda said, “Now that I’ve asked for it, this sale can not go any further until I see her ID.”  I began to hobble out to the car, due to my broken leg I couldn’t walk very fast.

Brenda continued to ridicule Steve in the line by saying to him LOUDLY as if to create a scene, “I don’t know you sir, I’ve never seen you before.”  Steve continued on to ask Brenda, “If I left the store and came back in an hour without her and brought my ID and picked out all of these same items and the beer could I buy it then?”  Brenda, replied, “No, because, I’ve already seen you together and know that she was with you.”  Steve said, “So you’re telling me that if you ever see me in the store with someone without ID attempting to buy alcohol I can never buy it again, even if alone?”  Brenda said, Well, only if I’m at lunch or on a break but if I see you in here, no you cannot buy it.”  Now, riddle me this, if Brenda had recognized Steve would she not have needed to see my ID?  She stated she was only following store policy.  Does store policy state if you know the guy or girl it’s cool not to harass them for ID?  Probably not so why even say something so brainless?  She had started a war that she wasn’t ready to fight.  Brenda apparently was named Albertson’s morality police officer of the day.  I’m sure she was having a bad day or maybe had a case of “The Mondays” but this was all completely unnecessary. 

The funny thing about all of this is, I can’t even tell you how many times we’ve gone through Brenda’s line and bought beer and she hasn’t muttered a word aside from, “Have a nice day.”  Anyway, I came back in and showed Brenda my ID, I jokingly asked Steve, “Did we ask her for her ID?  Do we even know if she is of legal age to sell us this liquor?”  That’s just my smart ass brain kicking off-what can I say.  Well,  we got the dogs, the hamburger, and the beer.  I’m blogging about this just because it was interesting.  We told Brenda we will not shop at Albertson’s again, but we might.  Probably won’t go trough her line again.  She’s just an inconvenience in our life, just like many people can be from day to day.  What I’d like to do is create an inconvenience in Brenda’s life, not to get her back, but just to show her that it’s not all about competition and winning and picking fights, and being mean.  It’s about getting along and being a community, Brenda’s attitude today was a perfect display of why the world is the way it is, people mostly suck!  Except for on rare occasion when they go out of their way to be nice, it should really be the other way around don’t you think?  Too bad that ideal is only a dream.

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