Baby Nic Addicts

Well, my title might be a bit missleading, I am not writing about infants with smoking parents...

Tonights Rant is about teenagers who try to buy cigarettes from me...

Well, as I'm sure you know, I am a slightly moral person (Quiet Shannon! you speak lies!!!)... And my boss even made mention during my last review that I am exceptional when it comes to following underage laws in regards to tobacco and tobacco related products...

But...

Over the weekend I had a customer come in and say "There are some kids outside trying to buy 'Export A Medium'"... I thanked him for informing me, and he carried out his transaction and left...

There were no other customers at the time, so I called up the non-emergency police to ask them if they could stop by...

Lesson number one learned that evening, don't bother calling the non emergency police...

They have lame hold music, and after more than ten minutes on the line, I didnt get through...

My guess is that the only receptionist was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend... But I digress...

Since the police thing was a no go, and since I knew the brand the kids wanted, I decided to take matters into my own hand...

I vowed to refuse sale of cigarettes to anyone who came in and ordered exprt a medium, whilst the kids were still nearby...

Thisd was a potentially dangerous thing, as I was working by myself, and some people can get quite irate if you prevent them from getting their next fix (nicotine is more addictive than heroin or cocaine)... But I figured it would send the message to the kids that they wont be able to get cigarettes at Petro when I'm at work...

Anyways... About five minutes later, a really sketch guy comes in and orders a pack of canadian classics king size and a pack of export a medium... And heres the kicker... He asks if he can get it on seperate bills!

I flat out, say no.

he asks why...

I inform him that there are youth outside trying to buy cigarettes and that I would not aid them in getting them...

He asks what I mean...

I inform him that since I know that they are trying to get export a medium, I am not going to sell cigarettes to anyone who orders them...

He freaks out and starts calling me every name under the sun...

When he calms down a bit, he tries again, this time ordering two packs of Canadians...

I tell him, again flat out, I have the right to refuse sale to anyone I want for any reason I want (well, asides from racially or sexually discriminating reasons, of course) and that he would not be purchasing cigarettes from me tonight...

(Then I fibbed a little bit)

I told him that when he went outside to give the kids back their money, to also tell them that i had already phoned the cops and that they had promised me they would be on their way...

He screamed at me more, so I said 'fine' grabbed a pack of canadians scanned them through the till, then I asked him for some ID...

He gave me his drivers liscense...

I started writing down the number, the DOB the address (actually, I got about halfway through the name before he figured out what was going on)...

He said f-it, asked for his liscense back and left... He politely lifted his central digit in support of my plight against teenage smokers when he walked past the window (heading east)...

I saw him about 30 seconds later heading west around the back of the pumps (presumably he though he was out of my view) towards the kids...

They dispersed... I was victorious!

My second story happened tonight... Whilst working with another employee...

Someone whom I know to be underage attempted to purchase Export A Lights, I tried to conceal my laughter when he asked at the counter (I was mostly successful)... In order to humour him, I asked him if he had any photo ID... he didn't, and so I informed him no...

He gave me the "buuuut I waaaaaant iiiiiiit" look that you often get from little babies (hence the title of this post) and I told him where to go (maybe not in the most polite way)...

Him and his buddies did go... Around the corner... to solicite adults to purchase them cigarettes...

Again, since I knew the brand, I knew what to look out for, but since I wasn't working by myself, I decided to play this one out a little different...

I told the person I was working with to buzz me if someone bought Export A Lights...

Nothing happened for about 15 minutes...

Then she buzzed me...

A relatively attractive young lady (with proper identification) was purchasing Export A Lights...

When she went outside, I follwed her...

And watched her hand the cigarettes off to the kids... I quickly wrote down her liscence plate, and then approached the youth...

I told them, as sternly as I could to give me the cigarettes...

They played dumb at first (how they could have missed my standing there watching them while the entire thing unfolded is beyond me) but I repeated myself, adding the lines "or I will phone her in and report her"...

They stop playing dumb a little bit, and ask "How are you going to report her?"

I show them the piece of paper with her LP on it... and add (another fib, I know) "The other GSA has her name from her liscense inside"

Being good little boys they handed over the cigarettes, I gave them back the money they paid for them with, and I told them not to come back...

I'm attempting to have at least one of the kids permanently banned from the store (I know his first name and I know hes trouble...

Anyways, just a short little update for you all...

Gnight