The judgment new staff face most often at a convenience store or supermarket till is the age check. Selling alcohol and tobacco to minors is illegal in many countries, and getting it wrong can make both the person who sold it and the store responsible.
The rule itself is simple, yet it wavers at a real till: when a customer who seems like a regular says "they sold it to me last time", during a long evening queue, or when a senior colleague says "that one's clearly an adult". This article covers how to practise those moments as onboarding scenarios.
First, the standard. The legal age differs by country and sometimes by product, and the way it is counted can differ too. Which IDs are accepted also varies by place and by store. This article does not ask anyone to memorise a particular country's numbers. A new hire's first task is to find where the store's standard is written down.
Checking, not guessing
Guessing someone's age from their appearance is harder than it looks. That is why many retailers set a threshold comfortably above the legal age and ask anyone who looks younger than it for ID. Challenge 25, used by many UK retailers, is one example.
The benefit is that it shrinks the judgment. Instead of wondering whether a customer is an adult, a new hire only asks whether they look younger than the threshold. If unsure, ask.
Four judgments where new staff get stuck
1. A regular says "they sold it to me last time"
A customer says they left their ID at home and that another member of staff simply sold it to them last time. The new hire does not want a scene, and assumes the earlier colleague made the call so it must be fine.
- Excellent: explain politely that without ID today you cannot sell it, and that the same rule applies to everyone. Ring up the rest of the shopping as normal.
- Good: refused, but gave no reason, and the customer left annoyed.
- Risky: sold it "just this once".
- Poor: argued with the customer and blamed the colleague who sold it last time.
When refusing, the key is not to sound as if you suspect the customer. Making the rule the subject, as in "we can't sell it to anyone without ID", keeps the conversation calm.
2. A senior colleague says "obviously an adult"
During a rush, a senior colleague says to just scan it. The new hire wants to trust their experience. But the responsibility to check sits with the person at the till.
- Excellent: check ID by the standard, then talk the standard through with the colleague later. If it keeps happening, tell the store manager.
- Good: checked the ID, but never raised the standard with the colleague.
- Risky: scanned it without checking, as the colleague said.
- Poor: followed the colleague's habit from then on and checked less.
3. An ID that does not match or looks borrowed
The customer hands over an ID, but the photo does not seem to match, or they hesitate when asked their date of birth. A new hire might want to take the ID away or argue.
- Excellent: check the photo, date of birth and condition of the ID. If you cannot be sure it is theirs, politely refuse the sale and tell the store manager. If there is a threat, follow the store's safety procedure.
- Good: refused, but left no record or report.
- Risky: sold it because an ID was shown.
- Poor: tried to confiscate the ID and got into a struggle with the customer.
4. An adult seems to be buying for minors
Students in school uniform wait outside while one adult comes in for several bottles. A new hire assumes the customer is an adult, so there is no problem. Many store standards allow staff to refuse a sale that appears to be on someone else's behalf.
- Excellent: follow the store's standard, politely say you can refuse a sale that looks like it is for someone else, and share it with the manager.
- Good: unsure, called the manager right away for a decision.
- Risky: sold it because the buyer is an adult.
- Poor: went outside to confront the students.
Practising the refusal
What new staff find hardest in age verification training is not the rule but the words for saying no. Scenarios should include saying refusal lines out loud.
- Make the rule the subject: "We can't sell this without ID."
- Say it applies to everyone: "We check with every customer."
- Ring up the other items as normal. You are refusing one product, not the customer.
- If the argument drags on, call the manager or a senior; if there is a threat, follow the safety procedure.
Notes for writing age verification scenarios
- Legal ages, accepted IDs and penalties follow the local law and the store's standard. Scenarios do not replace them.
- "Just this once" is never the right answer.
- Treating the customer like a criminal is not the right answer either. Firm on the standard, polite in tone.
- Add realistic pressure from colleagues, regulars and rush hours. Most real mistakes happen under pressure.
Age verification checklist for new staff
- Confirm which IDs the store accepts, physical and digital.
- Confirm the store's age-check threshold.
- Practise three refusal lines out loud.
- Find out who to contact when an ID looks suspicious.
- Confirm the store's standard on sales that look like they are for someone else.
The age-check quest in First Run
On the convenience store map, the Counter & Checkout role has a quest where, at 10 p.m., a customer who looks like a university student shows a photo of an ID on their phone instead of the card itself. A coworker whispers that they are obviously an adult. Checking the date of birth in the photo and selling is Risky. Making the customer wait while your lead decides is Good. Calmly explaining that without the physical ID, or an official mobile ID the store accepts, you cannot sell the alcohol or tobacco, and ringing up everything else, is Excellent.
The whole convenience store map is set out in Convenience Store Onboarding Scenarios, and the order for handling an angry customer in Complaint Handling Onboarding.
Try workplace scenarios as onboarding quests
Pick Counter & Checkout on the convenience store map in a new game and play the age-check quest yourself. Play the Onboarding