<a class="postlink" href="http://www.eddecker.com/2002/08/28/skinny-dipping-on-the-dock/#more-19" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.eddecker.com/2002/08/28/skin ... k/#more-19</a> But in unrelated news: I'm grateful to the people who got me booze when I was underage. The drinking age here is 19 and while 21 may be absolutely outrageous, I have a late birthday and I was into my second year of university before I could drink legally. And worse still, because most people in my program had already done a few years of university before me, I was one of about 5 people in my class who couldn't get into bars. It was such bullshit. I've never been approached to but I would have no problem paying the favour forward in the future. Not to random strangers in the parking lot per se, and within reasonable limits. In fact I'd make a moral argument that if one is in the position to do so he or she is obligated to give a teenager their first alcohol experience. It makes you cool and it's better than letting them have free reign with a handle of gin away from people who'll take care of them after they drink half of that bottle.
I had a similar, and arguably more inexplicable experience. I was in a supermarket that I don't want to identify, except to say that it was the Food Emporium on Union Square. The one right next to the escalators, you know on the east side? Register 5. Anyway, a friend and I (both, incidentally, of age) bought a bunch of groceries, including a six pack of super beer, a manly ultrabrew popularly marketed as Smirnoff Ice. When we got to the register, I paid for the stuff including the beers, because I had my id on me. The following conversation occurred: I didn't get that beer.
My sister used to ask me all the time when I was 21 and she wasn't. I would do it for her, or at least someone I know. But not for some random teenager. I don't need to get in trouble for a stranger.
Just an FYI about places that won't sell if you have underage people in tow, they can't do it by law, it's not a personal choice on their part. Being a sarcastic prick (though I admit, Nom's exchange would have been hilarious to hear in person) about it won't change the legality of the situation. Also, most people that have to refuse you because of that think the law is just as dumb as you do, but don't want to risk their jobs or have to pay the fine because of it. Am I the only one that knew about this long before I was 21? Some of you have a very weak grasp on the law of selling alcohol for a place that prides itself on debauchery.
Who needs proof? Just smack your damn kids. Even if you were mistaken about their guilt, odds are they deserved it for something else they've done. On focus though, I'm with the people who would buy it for friends and people they knew, but not strangers.
As others have mentioned, doing it for strangers is an absolute no-no. Do you really want to enter into a criminal conspiracy (that's how the law interprets it, anyways) with someone you don't know, for a few lousy bucks? Of course, with friends, it's different, and not something I mind, as long as they appreciate it. When I was underage, there would be some older students that would buy boatloads for two specific freshman, and then those two would share with another half a dozen of us. (We tipped) Made the whole process more efficient.
As someone who still gets carded for cigarettes, a practice I honestly thought to be near-dead, it isn't worth the trouble. I have a hippie haircut in my ID photo, but I'm walking around with just a bit more hair than a military cut, and most clerks study my ID like its the practice for the college course finals they'll never take. Going opposite the attitude most others seem to have, I don't see myself ever buying for my brother. The kid is 15 and fucking around with weed, the last thing he needs is a brother who buys him beer. For strangers, never. For friends, mine are all older than I. It's a trivial point for me, because at 21 I don't look any older, or in some cases as old, as the kids who would need a proxy buyer, so I've never had to deal with being asked, and I expect that by the time I do get asked, my response will be to jump out of my Town Car, cane in hand, cursing them young whippersnappers about the attitudes and depravity of their generation of unsightly miscreants.
Back in my underaged days, the legal age was 18 and driver's licenses didn't have photos on them. Just a piece of paper with name, address, SSN, DL#, DOB, height, weight, hair color and eye color. This guy Joseph L. Dickenson lost his wallet and I happened to find it. No cash, but something much more valuable: his driver's license and social security card. We had the same hair and eye color and were close enough on the height and weight (I was 6'3" at 14). Getting booze really wasn't a problem. So many have posted buying booze for friends. How old are these "friends?" Are they just a few months from hitting the milestone birthday, or are they high school sophomores from your online COD clique?
The one and only online I date I went on involved a female whose profile pic didn't accurately represent her current appearance. Or health. I'd guess her pic was at least 4 years old and 50 pounds lighter. But I still got her drunk and had sex with her. I am not one to judge.
Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways. I've never bought booze for anyone else, but I've had others buy it for me, in college when I was under 21 but had friends who were older.
Anti-Focus: I was one of those kids. Every weekend as a 16 year old back in high school, (and every other weekday after school). This was back when alcohol in itself was the end, when it was incredibly exciting and fun just to be drunk. It was a game - the whole night would hinge on getting booze. If not on the off chance we could walk in and buy it without getting carded (paying with a stack of mangled 5 and 10 dollar notes from everyone chipping in didn't help appearances) , we would ask passers-by to do it for us. Sometimes we would get lucky and a happily drunk stranger would cheerfully oblige us, other times it would take hours, and there were plenty of times we would just give up. The whole uncertainty of the operation meant that finally rocking up to the park (hey we made do) with the night's supply in our arms was like Saddam's statue getting knocked down all over again. Of the dozens of strangers that helped us out, I can only remember 1 dirty hobo type who expected something in return. Hence on those runs I would constantly be saying to my friends, "Man, when I'm 18 I'm totally going to help out those under agers, and I won't even ask for anything in return! Pay it forward yo!" Focus: Nah. Fuck that. I'm 21 now and couldn't give a shit about helping pubescent runts getting their kicks.
You are actually not entirely correct here sir, while in most states that is why, here in Texas, it is just the cashier being a prick. There is no current up to date law that states one can not sell alcohol to an adult of legal age if said person has underage people around them. I know this because about a year ago, I went to Kroger and had them refuse to sell me beer when I had my 14 yr old sister with me. He said, I can not sell you this beer because she is under age, when I brought up the fact that in Texas, a legal guardian of an underage person can legally purchase and serve alcohol to an underage, the cashier tried to tell me that my id was fake and he couldnt sell it to me. Long winded story short, he called his manager over, I refused to put the beer back, they called the cops claiming I was attempting to illegally purchase alcohol with a minor and an illegal fake id. When the cops showed up and realized my id was in fact real, the 14 yr old was in fact my little sister who I am legal guardian of, the store looked really, really stupid. Fact of the matter is learn your local laws when it comes to purchasing alcohol because in some states, it does not matter if someone in the party is underage, as long as the person making the purchase is over 21, they can legally sell it to you knowing full right you might turn around and provide an underage with alcohol. And if you are a cashier, dont be a prick to someone trying to buy beer, odds are they are just trying to forget about how shitty their life may be at the moment and will try to make yours worse if you give them shit like I did to that pimple faced little prick.
It was too late to edit, so apologies for the double post, but it can also be store policy. In Texas, stores have the right to refuse to sell to anyone for any reason. I meant to include this earlier, as part of the end of my experience, the police told me that stores have the right to refuse to sell even if you are not breaking any laws.
Being as I'm underage for another five months or so, I've had experiences with getting other folks to buy. I didn't drink in high school, but freshman and sophomore year I would usually get one of my friends with fakes to go to the local liquor store and pick me up a handle of something. Still don't have a fake myself - it seems like a waste of money at this point, so close to my 21st birthday. This year, my roommate is an alcoholic-in-training, and heads out every day on the weekends to pick up a bunch of microbrews. He usually offers to pick me up something cause he's a nice guy.
I took my cousin's birth certificate to the DMV and got a license with my picture and his info on it. This was back in '94 when they didn't take a thumb print or retain pictures. It was simply a laminated driver's license back then. You could technically just swap out the pictures if the info was close enough. That said, I don't think I ever had to use it. The first time I remember getting IDed was when I turned 21 and wanted to go into a strip club. Of course, being 6'4" 275lbs at 16 didn't hurt, especially when I hadn't shaved for a day or two. As far as buying for minors, it would have to be a friend's kid or a relative. No way in hell I am risking getting in trouble with the law for some random person.
Buying booze for somebody you don't know is just plain stupid. The few times I've been asked by strangers to buy anything for them I just say I'm a cop (I'm not). Watching their faces go white and start stammering dumb excuses is worth a million bucks.
I wouldn’t swerve my car to miss someone under 18 let alone do one a favour that exposes me to prosecution. All the boys look like pierced, tattooed ugly girls, and the girls look like they need to cut deeper next time. Fuck I’m getting to be a grumpy old man. Feels good.