This woman was so surprised about getting IDd at Walmart that she nearly forgot how old she was, making herself seem more suspicious.
For the most part, you can walk in and out of Walmart without carrying any form of ID. Rarely would you need it, but there are a few specific instances in which it’s necessary:
- Age restrictions: You need to be 21 and older to buy alcohol or tobacco, and some medications also have restrictions.
- Cashing a check: You usually need to show ID for verification. (They want to prevent fraud.)
- Return policy: When making a return without a receipt, you must show a government-issued photo ID.
In this case, TikToker Brittany (@socialbrit) was caught off guard while buying this common medication.
Unexpected encounter at Walmart checkout
“I just got IDd buying cold medicine at Walmart,” Brittany says. But that wasn’t what surprised her the most.
In a trending video with more than 45,000 views, Brittany explains that she’s aware people do some… interesting things with cold medicine.
She says she picked up the medicine during a busy time on a Sunday. So she notes it took a while to get to the register. When she was finally there, she says a worker asked her for ID to buy the medicine.
As Brittany pulled out the ID, she says the worker asked her age.
“I know that that’s like a tactic that they use to catch you if you are underage and you have a fake ID to make sure that age matches the year on your ID because some people just like say an age, and it might not match,” Brittany says.
Despite being well over 21, Brittany says she froze. She couldn’t remember if she was 27 or 28.
“I genuinely couldn’t remember in the moment how old I was,” Brittany says.
The woman told her that she looked really young for her age, which Brittany says she is used to since she often gets told she looks like a teenager.
Brittany adds that part of the reason she blundered on her age is because she doesn’t drink. So there are few instances in which she would get IDd.
“I’m always scared that when I do get IDd that people are gonna think it’s a fake ID because I do look really young. Like, I don’t look 28,” Brittany concludes.
Why do you have to show ID at Walmart to buy cold medicine?
This rule has been in effect since 2006, when the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 was signed, according to the FDA.
It pushed for the regulation of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter.
On top of that, it limited the amount individuals could purchase each month, required stores to start keeping minimum two-year purchase histories on customers, and started requiring ID with purchase.
Pseudoephedrine relieves nasal and sinus congestion. It is found in prescription and over-the-counter drugs that treat the common cold, sinusitis, and respiratory allergies.
But it’s controlled because, plot twist, it can be used as an ingredient to make methamphetamine (meth), a highly addictive illegal drug.
Commenters react
“I also struggle remembering how old I am 25?26? Idk I’m old enough lol,” a top comment read.
“For a few months straight I thought I was 28, when in fact, im 27,” a person said.
“I was 36 for like 3 years because I forgot,” another related.
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