Wal-Mart Refuses to Sell Beer to a Dad

Earlier this month, when 57-year-old Jim Davis attempted to check out of a rural Iowa Wal-Mart Supercenter with two six-packs of Budweiser and some Smirnoff Ice, he was denied, according to the Des Moines Register. The reason? His 15-year-old daughter was present.

In an effort to curb potential underage drinking incidents, Wal-Mart instituted a carding policy in 2003 for all customers who appear to be under the age of 40. It seems this practice extends to carding children accompanied by their grocery-shopping parents. “Humiliated” by the clerk’s treatment, Davis has vowed to shop elsewhere, but not before posing the question, “If Walmart is so worried about underage drinking and smoking, why do they sell alcohol and tobacco to begin with?” Wal-Mart did not return the Register’s inquiries upon request for comment.

The Register concludes the piece with a poll asking “Should Wal-Mart card all people in a group when alcohol is purchased?” At present, the overwhelming majority of voters have answered “no” stating that common sense should be applied to the situation. Davis was clearly a parent simply trying to grab a few cold ones. [The Des Moines Register] [Photo: Flickr/Mike Mozart]