Lee Rood

lrood@dmreg.com

Jim Davis simply wanted to buy two six packs of Budweiser and some Smirnoff for his wife.

But when the 57-year-old from rural State Center reached the checkout counter at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Ames on July 13, with $80 in groceries and the alcohol, something odd happened. The clerk carded his 15-year-old daughter — not him.

Because the teen had no ID, the employee refused to sell to Davis.

It's part of Wal-Mart's recent efforts to experiment with new ways to thwart underage drinking, the store's customer service department told Davis in response to a complaint he made. The store has had a policy since 2003 requiring ID from all customers who appear under the age of 40.

"In order to ensure that alcoholic beverages and tobacco are not sold to minors, Walmart is testing point-of-sale age checks in some locations across the country," the customer service statement read. "By testing this, we hope to discover the best methods for ensuring that products are not sold illegally to minors. In addition, to comply with federal laws, stores may ask for the ID from individuals within a group other than the person making the purchase."

Davis said he was humiliated by the woman's actions and now will be shopping elsewhere. He isn't the only one complaining — consumers are expressing anger in online blogs at Wal-Mart's latest attempt at screening booze purchasers.

"If Walmart is so worried about underage drinking and smoking, why do they sell alcohol and tobacco to begin with?" Davis asked. "Are they going to do this with other potentially dangerous things they sell, like ammo?"

I called Wal-Mart's media department to ask why the company doesn't just stop selling alcohol and whether the chain is doing the same sort of checking with other products. Two spokespeople promised to answer my questions, then did not respond for two weeks or return subsequent messages.

Davis said he later got out his checkbook and realized he and his wife had spent $3,000 at that Supercenter so far this year.

"They just lost that much and, who knows, maybe others will do the same," he said.

Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Contact her at lrood@dmreg.com, 515-284-8549 on Twitter @leerood or at www.Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.