John is probably some young kid who is just doing what he thinks is right. Something out of the ordinary like a card with merely a picture, name, and signature would probably raise alarms with me as well. I could easily make a card with a printer and a laminator using a different signature and claim that it's an official ID. Who would know the difference? Especially someone who works for Walmart.

I commend John for noticing something out of the ordinary and taking action. If this had been a real identity thief he would have been caught and everyone would have praised John for his tactics. By holding onto the card and the ID, John would have at least stopped the thief from using those items again.

I'm sorry Steve, but you should have praised John for noticing something "different", especially after working with police on identity theft matters. It's those people who ignore strange occurrences who allow identity thieves to continue to get away with people's money!

You can report this type of merchant behavior to Mastercard directly at (this links directly to the form):
[www.mastercard.com]

The form is for reporting merchants who: require IDs as a condition of accepting the card, require a minimum purchase amount, or who add a fee as a condition of credit card purchase.

(Visa doesn't seem to have an equivalent. Their site says to call your Visa cards issuing bank. Good luck on that one.)

@ecwis: Would it be ok to keep his ID if it were an employee at, say, Macys or Nordstroms. I would say that letting ANYONE at any store keep your ID is not a bright thing to do.

The employee doesn't care about your oh so important information. And just because someone works at Walmart doesn't make them dishonest, or you and your information special.

Half of the public will thank you for checking their ID and the other half gets offended.

I agree that a state-issued ID with a matching name should have been enough. But the fact that Visa and MC have policies which seem to favor theives is a little troubling. A cashier should never take a record of your info, but asking to check and make sure that the name on your ID matches the name on the card doesn't seem out of line.

Because if your card gets stolen and some jerk buys him/herself a new wardrobe, your first thought will be "If the cashier had asked to see ID, this would have never happened."

@KogeLiz:
Don't shop anywhere.

If people keep boycotting every business that annoys them they won't be able to shop anywhere eventually

@Buran:
I wouldn't think he's actually paid for it until the clerk completes the transaction.

I will tell you what. If i have already paid, THEN you ask for ID, forget it. Give me my card back.

Secondly, it is illegal for them to detain you for any reason after the transaction is complete unless you are suspect to a theft.

Dude should have called the cops, and i would be writing wallmanrt's brass to tell them the deal, and would want some form of compensation for the time wasted (ie your typical hourly charge that you would charge a police agency) for wasting your time.

I always show my Federal gun permit.... usually works....

I'm sure I'll be crucified for this, but I simply hate them. I just don't shop there because they absolutely suck so much. SUCK!

Sorry that the poor man had a bad experience, but why shop there? I mean, really? I try really hard not to shop someplace that makes their employees wear smocks. But that's me.

The important part is the customer needs to call the cops to get his side of the story in first before the punk calls the cops and give them his lies.

Retailers in WA are so scared of annoying their increasingly primary source of income as the US economy tanks, and they don't say much. If i don't really care to explain that they're in breach of contract by asking, they tend to get this ID. Or you can have my passport and that's always lulz...

I've never had a problem with anyone rejecting the card, and the clerk often will check ID.

Should any clerk retain my card or ID for any reason, it just might turn into a race to see who can dial 911 the quickest... Bet I'd win. :o)

Tomas

You know the sad thing is, WalMart just doesn't give a shit. So what if you never go back, or a dozen of your friends, there is plenty of fools that WILL and they won't miss your patronage one bit.

Agreed, should've called the police and pressed charges.

Fun activity for privacy "nuts": wipe the magnetic stripe on your ID!

[www.dailyspeculations.com]

See Also:

[www.dailyspeculations.com]

I the confusion when retailers swipe - swipe - swipe it unsuccessfully for returns, whatnot, before giving up.

If you don't feel like calling the police in such a matter, then another tactic to make use of state laws which make it a crime for any corporate officer to knowingly allow subordinates to commit crimes. Send a letter (return receipt required) to the CEO explaining what has happened, remind him/her that it is a crime for him/her not to immediately put a stop to such behavior, and ask for documentation what they are going to do about it.

Such documents must be kept, and are discoverable should anyone else have similar problems.

Simply refusing to accept a CC is not a crime, but rather an issue with the CC company. Don't waste your time with a phone call, send a letter to the CC CEO or head of marketing.

@KogeLiz: I think you're on to something here... ;)

So, let me get this straight. The guy knowingly passed a bad check ... and Walmart is the bad guy?

I had a similiar issue one time while shopping with my grandmother.

In order to tell the story though, I have to explain about my grandma - she's very vain! She didn't like the picture she had taken on her drivers license, so she takes an old picture, and tapes (not like, with tape everywhere, just a circle of tape on the back of the "old"/New pic) and sticks it on top of the pic thats attached. Hard to explain, but trust me when I say that she didn't damage the original card AT ALL - all you have to do is lift up the "new" picture and see the old picture underneath.

Anyway, so we're checking out at Wal-Mart and the cashier asks for her ID after paying with a credit card. She shows her this license, and the lady just walks away from the register... we're standing there like, "Uhm...?" She comes back with an, I guess, CSR, and she was like, "We can't accept this ID as its been defaced. So wait, you mean you can't lift up the little tape on pic and see the real pic underneath? Wow. People talk about common sense... its apparently gone out the window.

What I presume is meant by "block out" is that he affixed a block of paper with glue/tape onto the parts of the ID he didn't want showing. Since it comes off easily it's not really "defacing" by any reasonable stretch of the imagination.

For what it's worth, a few years back, I got a legislator here in Ohio to introduce a bill allowing licenses and ID cards to be issued without address and/or date of birth. Alas, it didn't go anywhere. A revision to the bill would allow licenses to be issued with DOB, but with an age descriptor ("Age over 21." It doesn't matter what your DOB is, it just matters whether you're over 21, so it's fine for the license to just indicate that.)

I don't have access to the Visa/MC regs since I moved on from the processor. But, a rule change that impacted cardholders as directly as no longer permitting SEE ID would have been widely disseminated in all consumer-oriented media.

I had this very conversation with a Visa rep at my office as I was working on signature panel issues for client institutions. The rep HIMSELF used this method for his personal CC (but not his Visa corporate card!!!).

The USPS is violating their merchant agreement if they will not accept a SEE ID card presented along with a legitimate ID. Imagine that, a union clerk who gets half the story. That never happens, huh?

The credit/debit card issuer may have a policy of not requiring other ID, but the merchant may have a policy requiring it, at least in some circumstances. Heck, my bank teller sometimes requires my driver's license number to be written on a check I am depositing! Stupid, but many things are.

If he blocked out information himself then he has defaced government property and could potentially be in trouble.

But yes, some State-issued ID has little info on it. I was homeless for several years, and carried two such forms with my name, picture, birth-date, in one case a registration number, and my signature. One is the "non-driver ID": in my state, this is issued by the Department of Elderly Affairs (but you do not need to be elderly) for two dollars. The other is issued by the State's Transportation Authority (in my case, for elder/disabled rates) for about the same amount.

OTOH, a couple of decades back I was somewhat amused/bemused at receiving a driver's license with height, weight, hair color, etc. already filled in - but not gender!

You know what would make a great post? a link to the instructions for how to get these id cards in each state..... =) And maybe even reviews/security concerns about each states offerings... like WA State, based on the FAQ, I am not sure, but it looks like for an ID card, you're always going to get an RFID 'enhanced' card...

Who's to say the ID behind the plastic in your wallet isn't a bogus color copy on flimsy paper?

Don't shop anywhere.

No one has complained about this process yet. (Though once I used the wrong ID when trying to get through some airport security and they noticed the expired ID and I had to pull out my real DL.)

3. If it bothered him so much and he was right, just call the cops. I think 911 is a bit of overkill.

Hey, it's a tough road to exercise your rights. You either hold your ground and endure the waits and delays or you submit to the kid at the counter and go home before you ice cream melts.

1. Clerk had no right. But it's the clerk and not super evil Walmart. Grow up people.

2. The CSM might have gone his way, who knows? All you need to do was wait. Again, it's the clerk and not the store (at least he hasn't proven it was the store)

To all the Walmart haters or people that let ONE (I'm not talking about constant problems) problem stop them from shopping at a store, do you really think anyone cares? Do you think they're going to miss your few hundred bucks a month? Who are you really hurting? Now you have to drive further and pay more for what you've been fine with before this stupid incident.

Grow up people, don't make one stupid kid at a counter spoil your night AND cost you increased prices and more gas.

I now carry one "Check ID" card and one with my signature; the latter I use almost exclusively at the post office.

@MyCokesBiggerThanYours:

No, I believe the word you're looking for is "defaming." Thing is, corporations can't be defamed.

Thanks for playing, though.

What store was this, so I can thank them for helping prevent fraud?

I've been a victim, more than once, of card fraud due to merchants not giving a damn about whether the card being used is really being used by the legit cardholder.

You're complaining about a few extra seconds... while I lost quite a bit more.

1) Those public rules are not the complete set of rules. The complete VISA rules are bound to a NDA. In the complete set of rules a vendor is responsible for security measures and will be responsible for products and services purchased with stolen credit cards if the vendor is lax in their security measures.

2) VISA rules are superceded by the rules of the Merchant Bank that processes the cc's for the vendor. Merchant Bank rules are bound to a NDA as well.

3) My Merchant Bank clearly states the vendor is responsible for products and services purchased with a stolen credit card UNLESS the vendor views state issued photo ID's with each purchase. The word "views" should be huge letters as my Merchant Bank rules forbid the vendor from recording the information of a state issued ID.

Maybe I'm in a bad mood or I don't care anymore ... quit shopping at walmart. Problems solved.

Of course, if the card comes that way then it shouldn't be an issue. But I'm pretty sure the good people at Wal-Mart see a lot of state issued ID cards and wouldn't have a problem accepting it unless it were somehow altered.

Is there anyway to verify one-sided stories that are submitted? Or do updates?

A while back I got a notice from my bank indicating that I should NEVER provide a phone number or personal information when I use my Visa Card, as it promotes identity theft. The letter specifically stated that they (the bank) were issuing me credit, not the merchant.

THis is what always surprises me, it's pretty clear that this can't be done.

I guess people either need to suck it up nancy and do whatever they can to use credit or start complaining to Visa.

The problem is, Wal-Mart is a behemoth. What's Visa gonna do? Wal-mart will just stop accepting their cards. They do it at Sam's Club already. If they view the fee as too high, they won't accept the card.

Either way, it's lose/lose. First the OP altered his ID, which is illegal. The PFY manning the counter confiscated his cards, which is 8 ways illegal and could have put him back in the jobless line of the management used their heads for thinking instead of being like bulls in a china shop.
Someone needs to dig up their fax number, send them the regs from the card companies regarding IDs, and info regarding LEGAL forms of ID for that state as well. Oh, and CC the works along with this story to Home Office, Arkansas

This was my hometown until recently, and I knew a few guys who had worked security at that walmart. They were often hit with con-artists and fraud.

All that being said, it's really both of their fault.

Walmart should have never asked for ID unless his credit card said to on the back, which in that case he was asking for it.

You can't expect a cashier at walmart when handed a defaced ID to not refuse it. These are employees who are given little instruction and even smaller pay.

If this guy does work with gov't agencies he should be able to work on getting an ID without any of that information on it. The amish around here sometimes have state id's with no pictures on them?

By defacing his DOB, I know he would get refused at any liquor store. They would most likely take it from him. All liquor stores in PA are owned by the state, thus we call them "State Stores"

that's what i get for rolling out of bed an hour early on monday...

@MrEvil: this is mostly liquor stores that need to confirm age with the ID, not just with the credit card being used.

Since so many people are victims of fradulent credit card transactions and identity theft, it's hardly "paranoid" these days. It's not paranoia if there really are people after that information.

It is sad that one dumbass cashier can cause all this fuss. He obviously was NOT properly trained by Wal-Mart.

Thankfully, right now, I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Due to the large presence of the University and everyone's trust in the school, my school ID passes for identification purposes for everything except bar going. I even use my school ID to access my bank account.

@k8supergrover:

I have never heard of that before.
I have had both a Massachusettes State ID and a Florida State ID and both had all my information and there was no option to "block" the information out.
And If I were do "block" the information out myself, I would fear that would be a little suspicious... if not illegal.

Gave up your dignity. To a walmart employee. Man, what has happened to our country?

Not true.
I use my unsigned card at the post office every time I go and have never been refused. Never.

I find it odd that some stores require two forms of ID if you want to give them your money or your credit card. I've been in several Federal buildings post 9/11 and have never given up anything more than my name and who I work for. I've also never had my parts boxes searched by anybody. Aparrently getting the computers fixed is more important than security.

Rockband is rated T for Teen. Where did you think it was rated M? They have to censor out some of the lyrics for christ sake.

But I have a state-issued ID (as a NYS employee) which doesn't have anything more than an ID number, a photo, and the name of the institution. Would it serve as valid ID for alcohol purchases? No (no DOB). But for card verification, it should be just fine - it has my name and a picture that looks like me.

I did not cave in and get my ID, nor did I buy the product from that store. Got home, called Mastercard to complain, and the customer service drone hooked me up to a supervisor who explained that the merchant has the right to refuse any sale for whatever reason because "Mastercard doesn't dictate store policy". When I asked about that specific clause of the merchant agreement, she said that "merchant agreements are confidential" and she couldn't get into specifics with me, but basically, it's the merchant's call. So you people who think Mastercard has got your back are dead wrong, just like I was.

In all fairness though, both the store manager and the Mastercard CSRs were unfailingly polite. I still won't ever shop at that store again and Mastercard has also lost my business for the forseeable future. I have no problem with their terms, but they should update and clarify these policies to their cardholders.

Does anyone have a legal cite for this assumption? If so, then why am I required to jump through hoops and pay money for something that I don't even own?

Any store that requires an ID to purchase something besides beer loses me as a customer. 99.9% of the time the clerk withdraws the request because she/he has already rung up the purchase and doesn't want to deal with voiding and restocking etc. .01% of the time I walk out and leave my planned purchases behind.

If you don't like these policies, showing ID at purchase or showing receipt at the door, don't shop at these stores. 99.9% of these products are carried at other stores.

I don't see the problem. It's what I would have wanted if someone was trying to use my card. Use unrecognized IDs and expect trouble.

Please refer to Visa's Risk Management document found here, specifically the 'Dealing with Unsigned Cards' section.

[usa.visa.com]

Visa does not endorse this whatsoever.

@humphrmi: "Retraining"? Hardly. Either a pat on the back or they'll ignore it.

From the Visa and Mastercard info above, it is against the merchant agreements to reject a transaction just because someone will not show ID. However, in three different stores I went to over the weekend, there are signs at the registers that state, "Have your ID ready if using a credit card." It seems like they shouldn't even have those signs up if they can't reject a sale based on refusing to show an ID.

here's the thing - rock band is rated "mature", which means that the cashier has to enter a d.o.b. into the system to allow the sale. they started doing this at wal-mart religiously after the whole "hot coffee" incident & the crusade by the likes of joe lieberman & hillary clinton to get the government involved in enforcing the rating system.

the OP could be 90 & they'll still ask for his ID. i tend to think that is why there was such a problem when he showed an ID w/ no d.o.b. on it. & john exasperated the issue b/c he couldn't communicate that effectively.

failing to check ID on a "mature" game sale at some stores is grounds for dismissal - john probably just didn't want to lose his job.

Try that at the post office. The clerk there will not allow you to use any credit card that does not bear a valid signature. Check ID is not valid in the eyes of USPS

CHECK ID/SEE ID is a COMPLETELY VALID use of the signature panel. In fact, it is specifically mentioned in the regs as a good way for a cardholder to protect him/herself.

However, if this method is used, the cardholder must, upon merchant request, provide a government-issue ID that depicts the legal signature of the cardholder. If the signatures match, end of story.

walmart
[www.walmart.com]

What's hilarious is that unless your state requires you to present a birth certificate, other pieces of foundation ID and corroboration from certifiable third parties (your doctor, your lawyer) a driver's license is useless as an ID. In fact, it's not really an ID at all. It's just a permit to drive.

I agree that the title for this thread is misleading. The protagonist didn't complain, it was the cashier who actually did the complaining.

But this is not corporate policy...
You are slandering WalMart with the title by misrepresenting the issue. You are lying to propagate your own agenda.

I have to say though, when someone refuses to hand over your property, especially something like a credit-card, why isn't your , or at the very least second, thought "I'm calling the cops"?

"John" should have asked for a second ID because the one the OP presented is not considered valid. "John" had no right to confiscate any of it as it is considered the OP's personal property. The most "John" could have done when presented an invalid ID is refuse the sale.

¹ In WA state: year of birth + last two digits of ID number = 100. Other states have similar "coding". It's done to detect forgeries/alterations.

² State Seal, Holograms, U/V inks, etc.

³ These are used if you don't match your picture. At worst, your height will be correct.

Holding for something like this is unnacceptable and they should be held accountable. I'm 18 and this annoys me.

I've supported stores asking for ID in the past, but this is ridiculous. If, as he claims, he showed a valid state-issued ID card with a signature, there should have been no further issue.

Beyond that, I have the solution for this whole ID issue, when done within reason. Have a sign on the front door: XYZ will be required for payment by check. ABC will be required for payment by credit card. Receipts may be required upon exit. Tell prospective, but identity-vigilant, shoppers about these "invasive" policies before they waste their time shopping. Let everyone else reap the benefits of lowered prices due to fewer charge-backs and reduced inventory shrinkage.

I was in a store in Florida with my father helping him buy some stuff for his house. His credit card has his picture on the face of the card, but they still asked him for picture ID. He pointed to the picture on the card, which seemed to put the cashier into a loop of confusion for a few moments. When she opened her mouth to ask for ID again, he cut her off and said that's why his picture is PRINTED ON THE FACE OF THE CREDIT CARD. You could tell she really wanted to protest, but my father, a now-retired chief executive, can summon up a tone of voice and bearing that says "don't waste my time with this nonsense and use your head".

I have since moved down to Florida as well, and it seems that at least 75% of the time, I get asked for ID for any card transactions, even for minor purchases. But its not consistent, even at the same stores.

I sure as hell wouldn't give up my credentials to some retail do-gooder. Not even purchasing anything? Run, don't walk, to the nearest exit. They wont let you out? Then find your way to the nearest emergency exit and set off the alarm in the process.

The ID I tried to use was a concealed weapons permit - which is way tougher to get than a driver's license.

They took my ID in back, refused to give it back, and refused to let me even go in the room where they had it. I was told they had to call the police station and verify my identity.

Oh, and here's the kicker: I wasn't even buying anything. It was checked because I was in the vicinity of someone buying cigarettes. Yea. In the vicinity.

I complained of course, but the Wal*Mart manager didn't seem to understand what the problem was and sent me a $20 gift card for my troubles.

Consumerist didn't pick it up when I sent the story to them, but if you'd like to read it - it's here: [gthing.net]

As for minimum transaction issues - I totally understand where small businesses are coming from. If it is a large business, fine, stick it to the man. But if it is a small mom and pop - they're getting charged most of their profit. Give'm a break.

[consumerist.com]

I do think the OP should have called the police and filed a theft complaint against the guy, though, the moment he refused to return the card(s).

And so you are in Canada and know what Pennsylvania ID cards look like? No, this state ID was altered to block (blacked- doesn't make any difference) out information by this individual. That is against state law.

Regular PA State ID's look just like the driver's licenses, with different colors. The exact same information.

When dealing with the evil scum that is corporations like Wal-Mart- cash only!

Our Wal-Mart is the same way. However, when most stores ask for my ID, and I decline, I do pull out a mini-copy of the Visa merchant agreement, and flip to the section on checking IDs. Most employess don't care, but managers do. However, if they refuse the sale without ID, I just don't shop there anymore.

He's in a town without a Costco..

I forgot to mention there is a target about 4 minutes away also. lol

IIRC, in Illinois, if your state-issued ID is taken as a suspected fraud, they are required to contact the police. I think it works either way.

Anyways, that would've been my threat.

As you said,

the saddest thing is how little often anyone ever checks the back for that..

Therefore, your effort is in effect worthless since people rarely check ID. Also, fake IDs are very easy to make.

Credit card companies have advanced methods to prevent fraud. Let them worry about it. With your credit or charge card, you will not be responsible for any fraudulent transactions.

So this guy intentionally blacked his ID out...no way the state issues such a blacked out ID. Sounds like a crime to me.

That oughta do it, eh?

I have a question in regards to this ID policy that both card companies have.. mind you being in Canada also semi-complicates things...

So, what if I, fearing that some *jerk* will go to town with my card if it ever gets stolen or lost... I have the words "CHECK ID" on the back? Does that counter what the companies policy is?

I have that on the back of my VISA since a kid got my card info from a gas station I was filling up at [Read as had a good enough memory to memorize the card # in the very brief time he had the card to swipe it.] and did exactly that. Thankfully the police busted him with my, and several other people's card info... joy of joys. Since then, when I got a new uncompromised card, I put that on the back and have no problem providing proper picture ID with my signature and DOB on it. [Nothing more then that, aside from a notarized signature from a Provincial head] Mind you.. the saddest thing is how little often anyone ever checks the back for that... mind you I do so at work and politely ask for ID when I do see those words.

I honestly would not be happy if I found out that was something I can't do... definitely would be even less happy if some fool tried to hold onto my card as well. [It isn't going to happen unless I KNOW YOU]

Figured I'd bring this to the table as a thought, especially as I intend to visit New Hampshire next month, and while never encountering this problem during previous trips, am now concerned. [I definitely am NOT going to go to Wal-Mart, that's for sure!]

To put it bluntly, there are plenty of ways for people to pull up such basic information as your address and birth date. Its public record and services like Lexis can do it with little hassle.

So foor this guy being an expertt on credit card fraud, his actions of defacing his ID seem paranoid.

Oh and isn't it a crime as well to deface your state issued ID? The ID is property of the state and he messed with it. So yeah if you want to call the cops on the Walmart cashier, then throw the book at the guy who defaced his ID by blocking out information on it.

The cashier doesn't know the policy and was scared. That's why they got the CSM. While Wal-Mart was at fault here, they're still going to be Wal-Mart and nothing will change here. So hold your ground and gain whatever victory you think you may gain out of this, or show your ID and move on with life. No one will steal your identity from showing your ID......

The second ID I showed to her and her manager (who agreed with this moron) was my Blockbuster card and somehow that proved all they needed to know.

These people must get off on making us do these things.

Requesting Cardholder ID
When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance . Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID . Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures . Laws in several states also make it illegal for merchants to write a cardholder's personal information, such as an address or phone number, on a sales receipt .

From MASTERCARD

9.11.2 Cardholder Identification
A merchant must not refuse to complete a MasterCard card transaction solely because a cardholder who has complied with the conditions for presentment
of a card at the POI refuses to provide additional identification information, except as specifically permitted or required by the Standards. A merchant may require additional identification from the cardholder if the information is required to complete the transaction, such as for shipping purposes. A merchant in a country or region that supports use of the MasterCard Address Verification Service (AVS) may require the cardholder's ZIP or postal code to complete a cardholder-activated terminal (CAT) transaction, or the cardholder's address and ZIP or postal code to complete a mail order, phone order, or e-commerce transaction.

Seems pretty clear to me.

WalMart sucks.

I'm not saying the OP is wrong, but I am guessing there's part of the story left out here. I believe part of the story was probably a speech from the OP about he was an expert on these matters and made the employees making minimum wage nervous and worried about making a mistake.

Don't get me wrong. The employees had no right to hold his ID and card. And the employees have no clue, some credit cards like MasterCard even forbid requiring showing photo ID to use your card. But I also am betting the OP went overboard as well and created a situation where the employees felt they needed someone in charge. Sometimes when you scare people, they do very stupid things...

A state issued ID is property of the state. Taking it and not giving it back is a criminal act of varying degrees depending on your state.

AND, they are total thieves, at every level (which you all know). At my local Devil Stand, a guy wrote a check off a just-closed bank account, figured it out within an hour, and went back and wrote another check off the new bank account. The Devil would not give him back the original check and then had him arrested for writing a bad check. And the Devil had already cashed the new check, too. Wal-Mart is the devil.

Certainly Steve should file a complaint with WalMart corporate about this and make a call to the store manager.

But the best revenge may be to contact any local TV affiliate that has a consumer watchdog feature and work with them do a story about how WM was terribly wrong and to educate consumers about their rights.

Anyway, shop or don't shop at walmart. Unless we all band together, walmart will bowl over anyone

Ended up not buying anything, but did notice an older lady standing by the exit with a highlighter (a la Costco), and it appears to be a permanent fixture now. Someone walked right out without stopping (although everything WAS in a plastic bag) and she kinda just nodded her head and pretended (to convince herself) that she had let that customer through and that it was okay by her. How funny!

Anyway, I thought about putting up black tape on my license blocking my ID number, address and birthday (I don't cover the birthdate if going into a club) but haven't done it yet. I wonder how many women gets followed home after a bouncer checks (and memorizes) their home address from their IDs. Scary.

[insert comment about not shopping at walmart]

If they don't give me my card back, that's fine: I can call American Express and have a new one overnighted to me. But allowing the Wal-Mart employee to keep an ID is very dangerous.

At least I had the option of hanging up. This poor guy's card was in limbo. I do wonder if he has some kind of case for harassment or similar, but I have no legal knowledge whatsoever so I'm probably just making that up.

I could understand if they were selling restricted items, but it's Rock Band, for goodness sake. The Asset Protection Manager should have better policies than that to prevent shrink.