The Shop Logs

I was eating at the bar alone last night, don’t ask you don’t want to know, and I got carded.
The lady, with a boyfirend/husband on the adjoining side of the bar drunkenly kids with the bartender, “Hey, No Fair!” He carded me, but not her. (This bartender knows the lone woman is not as likely to get drunk, at least not THIS lone woman, it is a butter-ya-up move, c’mon lady!)

After they had left, and one of them was drunk so the tip was significant, he brought me ketchup for my fries and we talked about the incident. He mentioned that was awkward & it was awkward. I said how it must be rough telling some people’s ages. He concurred and offered that “there are these shoppers, not from the liquor board, but some place the restaurant hires, that send in 19 year olds to see if we ID everyone.” I gasped and said “Really?” I was one beer in and hadn’t planned on doing a shop, but I probed…. He added that they must find the “hardest looking 19 year-olds” or the “youngest people of age.” I encouraged the conversation as only a half in the bottle mystery shopper can do and found out that one shopper was in there with his ‘parents’ “and both the parents vouched for him that he was in college and 21.”

1. This is tricky. I hope no MS company promotes this scenario.
2. I volunteered that next time he could offer to cut the child in half and count his rings - surely true parents would object….ala King Solomon! (might have been drunk by this point)
3. I realized I was talking to a bartender that had been stung by this little MS operation - - - NOT a fan I guess!

P.S. 4. I was buttered up - I tipped over 20%