Purdue student says CVS wouldn't accept his Puerto Rico ID to buy cold medicine

[Judi Lynn]

Source: The Hill


BY ARIS FOLLEY - 11/03/19 04:04 PM EST

A Purdue University student said he was unable to purchase cold medicine from a CVS store in Indiana because a member of the staff wouldn’t accept his Puerto Rican identification and U.S. passport as valid identification.

Jose Guzman Payano told a local ABC affiliate in an interview this week that he had gone to the local CVS store to buy “normal over-the-counter medicine” due to a sore throat.

Once he was there, he told the station that he scanned all his items at the local store, and “then I scanned my Mucinex bottle.”

After scanning the bottle, Payano said he was asked to provide identification. So he showed a store clerk his Puerto Rico I.D.


Read more: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/

[Laffy Kat]

1. WTH is wrong with people?

Please tell me that clerk was fired.

[cab67]

7. I'm guessing he was ignorant.

I've encountered college students who aren't aware that the people of Puerto Rico are US citizens. It's no different from a cashier not accepting a $2 bill on the theory that no such thing exists, so it must be counterfeit.

[Laffy Kat]

8. The manager, too?

Neither realized PR is part of the US? This was not only ignorance but racism. I wonder if the student was white and had a passport from Switzerland the outcome would have been the same?

[cab67]

16. Stranger things have happened.

A lot of people know Puerto Rico is a US territory, but don’t realize that makes the people of Puerto Rico US citizens.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. Yes. It is racism to not accept SELECTIVELY some US passports as valid ID. Period. . . . nt

[cab67]

31. They may have never had someone use a passport for this sort of thing.

Nearly everyone who uses ID to get medication uses a driver's license. That, or a state-issued ID. Passports don't show a street address, and some pharmacies use that to ensure large quantities of Sudafed aren't all going to the same place.

Not saying this wasn't racism - only that we should rule out ignorance and stupidity before we draw that conclusion.

[Polybius]

18. I'm not sure how old he is

But I didn't realize Puerto Ricans were US citizens until I was at least in my mid-20's, and I lived in NY. I'd imagine even less know in Indiana.

[aggiesal]

29. I'm from "The Region" in Indiana ...

This is the northwest region near Chicago and the rest of the state calls us "Region Rats".

There are areas that are predominately liberal and elect (D)'s, like the Chicago Region,
South Bend, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis & Evansville.

But the rest of the state usually vote conservative (R)'s.
Explains why you see someone like Pence voted as Gov.

Purdue is in West Lafayette, IN. about 125 miles from Chicago & 70 miles from Indianapolis.
This area usually votes (R).
West Lafayette is the heart of the 4th IN. Congressional District and is represented
by Jim Baird (R)
There are 9 districts in IN. 7 (R)'s and 2 (D)'s.
(D)'s are from Indianapolis and "The Region"

You'd think that having such a major university in the area
would introduce locals to liberal thinking.

Sadly, NOT.

[karynnj]

32. Back in 1968, when I started at IU Bloomington, I soon learned how the rest of the state

regarded those of us from "the region". I was from one of the suburban areas of the region, known in the region for being goodie good kids. So, I was very surprised that one of the Southern Indiana girls I met the first week seemed to disappear when I showed up after she had asked where I was from and I naively answered "the region". Later as we became friends, she told me that she was warned to avoid people from the region because we could be violent.

To make up for this, when I graduated and got a job in NJ, many assumed that I was a farm girl because I came from Indiana.

[gldstwmn]

34. No training. As long as employers

are unwilling to train their employees then they run the risk of all sorts of issues arising and facing potential lawsuits.

[RKP5637]

2. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This country is filled with so many stupid assholes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Here's the direct link to the article

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/468773-purdue-student-said-cvs-wouldnt-accept-his-puerto-rican-id-to

Why does he even have to carry a passport around? This is a damn shame.

SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS!!!!11111!!!!!

[ProfessorGAC]

25. Same Thought Here

My passport is in a fire safe.
But, this kid feels a need to take his to a drugstore?
That's not right.

[Jake Stern]

4. Back in the day

we had a book behind the counter that had pictures of different Fed/State/Tribal/Territory IDs.

[Igel]

5. Sure.

Sounds like a good idea. These days it should be online.

Because unlike others upthread that know every single form of ID issued by every state, at sight, and can tell those that are forged from those that are genuine, I know I'd have trouble. Because it would be judgmentally condescending, not to mention hypocritical, to assume that some random clerk somewhere in the US was something worthy of being dismissed for lack of such a rudimentary skill if the poster didn't possess that particular skill in aces. Still, once had a minister that said if he lived in Olde England he'd want to be the high executioner. (We found that an endearing fantasy on the part of a Xian minister. Not.)

I looked at a kid's non-driver ID for the state I lived in for 7 years and assumed it wasn't a valid ID. Had never seen one. Another kid had a probation card that I assumed was a prank. And those were for the state I lived in (in case that was missed).

[Jake Stern]

6. It is very real

Called the driver's license guide.

https://www.driverslicenseguide.com/

Surprised they didn't have a copy handy.

[Turin_C3PO]

13. Surely you're not defending this horseshit.

Because that’s how I read your comment.

[IronLionZion]

17. It's quite easy to check online or in the book

I've worked retail and had to check IDs from out of state. There is no excuse for what happened here. It reeks of racism where they think a brown Latino is foreign enough to stop him from getting over the counter cold medicine.

[LanternWaste]

30. Who up-thread is arguing absolute knowledge?

Or is that simply a fictional cover to better pretend relevant knowledge, easily researched, is just far too esoteric for your own mind?

[airmid]

22. I trained cashier's for over twenty years. We had these on every lane. Lack of training really is

an issue. I had the cops called on me a couple of years ago for a 1976 20 dollar bill the cashier thought was counterfeit. I can see this happening.

[mwooldri]

9. CVS wouldn't take my Green Card or my UK passport.

I had misplaced my driver's license and I needed to pick up some medicine containing pseudoephedrine. Had my wife pick it up in the end. Spoke to a state Rep about it, my green card is supposed to be OK. A UK passport? Not so much.

I find that if you want anything in the pharmacy world and it doesn't fit into the check-box world of the big box pharmacies one is better off going to an independent pharmacy. Specialist medicines, unusual IDs... CVS and Walgreens are no-go.

[forgotmylogin]

10. Mucinex is an expectorant - not even a narcotic! Why does anyone need to show ID?

Mucinex has no recreational use properties.

[MineralMan]

11. Mucinex DM contains dextromethorphan.

It's abused by some people, so many states require ID to buy it. In MN, I have to give my birthdate. Can't be sold to minors.

[keithbvadu2]

12. Dollar Tree sells their version of DM. Never been questioned.

Dollar Tree sells their version of DM.

Never been questioned.

[MineralMan]

26. It varies from state to state.

[forgotmylogin]

15. Ah, okay. I must have bought the kind that is just an expectorant version minus the DM.

Not that that should have made a difference though. She's supposed to be checking his age, not his country of origin. And it shouldn't have been a huge deal unless he was buying an entire case of the stuff.

[3Hotdogs]

19. Can I get a buzz off'a it?

[MineralMan]

27. Maybe. Teenagers were taking Robitussin, which also contains

dextromethorphan, to get buzzed. That's what led to those ID laws in some states. Apparently, DM can cause hallucinations in overdose quantities. I'm not sure of that, based on my own experience over the years, but then, I've never taken more of it than recommended.

[captain queeg]

24. There is a version that contains psudophenprine (however that's spelled)

With my back surgeries I was taking a lot of pain pills. No one ever checked my ID when I picked those up, but with this other stuff they copy my drivers license. In some states you can’t get it without a prescription.

[RobinA]

14. Maybe CVS

has a list of approved IDs and neglected to make provisions for forms they aren’t used to seeing. This strikes me as a training issue, not some random clerk’s malfeasance.

[LittleGirl]

21. It's Indiana!

My home state that I refuse to live in anymore. Because there are a bunch of hillbilly racists living there. G*damn it!

[virgogal]

28. What more tolerant state do you live in now?

[LittleGirl]

35. Europe!

[karynnj]

33. How terrible, but probably the result of a very poorly trained person working at CVS

I can't imagine the poor kid, needing medication for his cold, having to deal with being told he could not get it. I can understand that he might not have felt up to asking to speak to the store manager. He was sick and it likely was not his first time dealing with racism.

[MosheFeingold]

36. Try living in New Mexico

Everyone here has stories of being out of state somewhere or dealing with the social security office and some idiot demanding a visa or passport.

Heck about 10 years ago, a guy was denied his SS benefits because “New Mexico is a foreign country.”