Who Is Right?

[Gym_Class_Hero]

I was at a hobby store earlier this week (I'm not going to name names publicly, I will through PM), and I wanted to buy some B6-4s, and the cashier wouldn't sell them to me because I wasn't 16. When I told him that 14 was the minimum age, as it said on the package, he told me that it was something in the Patriot Act. What?!:kill:

So who is right?

 

[jj94]

I'd go with the stuff on the package. I don't know much about anything when it comes to regulations and such, but if the package is right, I bet the guy just didn't want to sell 'explosives' to younger people.

 

[les]

I have noticed when I buy engines from our local Walmart (in updstate NY), the register flashes a notice to the cashier to check if the person is 18. The same for spray paint. I don't know if they would even sell to a 16 year old, much less a 14 year old.

 

[11bravo]

Betting it's a company policy versus any law.

 

[WShoreRockets]

Any store has the right to refuse to sell to anyone for any reason.

It also depends on state and city laws as well.

Here, you can't buy spray paint unless you're 18. Which, IMHO, is stupid.

 

[rabidsheeep]

Here, you can't buy spray paint unless you're 18. Which, IMHO, is stupid.

At least they know the laws in your state. Last year in NY they raised the spray paint age to 21 for about two weeks. Mark Ecko (ecko clothing guy) sued the city, somehow won, and they changed it back to 18.

Problem is that nobody knows they changed it back!

 

[Indiana]

Any store has the right to refuse to sell to anyone for any reason.

That's not entirely true FWIW.

On the original topic, when I buy motors at my local WalMart, the cash register prompts the cashier as to whether or not the customer is over 14.

 

[steller_light]

On the original topic, when I buy motors at my local WalMart, the cash register prompts the cashier as to whether or not the customer is over 14.

Same here, I'm 21 and the lady took about 2-3 minutes of looking at my drivers license to determine if i was fit to buy them, lets see, nearly 6 feet tall, drove to WalMart, paying with debit card... .

 

[n5wd]

...wanted to buy some B6-4s, and the cashier wouldn't sell them to me because I wasn't 16. When I told him that 14 was the minimum age, as it said on the package, he told me that it was something in the Patriot Act. What?...

If that's a store you want to do business with on a regular basis, I'd suggest you introduce yourself and one of your parental units to the manager to smooth the way for any future purchases that you're going to do solo.

As to who's right and who's wrong about the law, consider this quote from someone's (I forget whose) signature line: "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" The clerk's reality won out in this case.

 

[ben]

As to who's right and who's wrong about the law, consider this quote from someone's (I forget whose) signature line: "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" The clerk's reality won out in this case.

Thats from Adam on Mythbusters

Ben

 

[Atlantis v2.0]

Same here, I'm 21 and the lady took about 2-3 minutes of looking at my drivers license to determine if i was fit to buy them, lets see, nearly 6 feet tall, drove to WalMart, paying with debit card... .

I got the same crap trying to buy spray paint at K-mart.

 

[dave carver]

Here our local landfill has an on-site recycling center. I go there once a year and pick up as many cans of free rattlecan spray paint as they have. I've saved a fortune on paint!

They take away the acrylic enamels and laquers in cans, though. They can be recycled like used oil.

Well, anyway. Possible source of cheap supplies for some

 

[shockwaveriderz]

I was at a hobby store earlier this week (I'm not going to name names publicly, I will through PM), and I wanted to buy some B6-4s, and the cashier wouldn't sell them to me because I wasn't 16. When I told him that 14 was the minimum age, as it said on the package, he told me that it was something in the Patriot Act. What?!:kill:

So who is right?

I think he'sulling your leg with the Patriot Act bit.

You didn't say which state you live in, and some states require you to be a certain age.

https://www.esteseducator.com/content/laws.php

I think the RI laws as stated on the above Estes site have been rescinded.

I can't find anything about any minimum age limit in NFPA 1122. (which may or may not be adopted by your state or city or cunty)

I would contact Estes and ask them to call or write a letter to the Hobby Shop.


terry dean

 

[Race58]

Any store has the right to refuse to sell to anyone for any reason.

I tend to agree here except for the "any reason" part. They can't discriminate but they can refuse to sell to you if they think you might do something wrong with the purchase or if they feel they will get in trouble selling it to you.

It also depends on state and city laws as well.

I agree.. There are many states/citys that have their own laws to fit the enviroment.

Here, you can't buy spray paint unless you're 18. Which, IMHO, is stupid.

Here is where I totally disagree. You have obviously never had you garage,house, walls etc. tagged with graffiti or lived near where it was done. Laws like that are made to protect against those things as well as making it easy for glue or paint sniffers frying their brains. Usually the kids that need the paint and glue for such things as rocketry,modeling,etc. also have responsible parents who will buy it for them and make sure that it is what it's used for.
Just my HO. and experience.

 

[poke44]

Its gerneally set by state laws for ages on items like this.

in Arkansas its 18

 

[SpartaChris]

I believe that stores can refuse the sale to anyone for any reason. They absolutely don't have to do business with you, especially if they feel you are suspect. It's one way they protect themselves from selling something to some wackjob who later tries to sue them for it. Discrimination? Maybe, but when we as a society started making it ok to blame and then sue others for our own misfortunes, people started acting accordingly.

As far as this circumstance goes, while the package might say 14, it could be that company policy says 18. Again, you're a minor, so if you do something stupid, somehow that hobby store could be found at fault. And while you personally don't plan on doing anything stupid, how many teenagers do you know who probably would?

As far as having to be 18 to buy spray paint, I'm glad for that, because it made it harder for taggers to spray our walls and such. No, it didn't solve the problem, but it made it that much harder to do, so I'm ok with that.

 

[SCE to AUX]

I believe that stores can refuse the sale to anyone for any reason.

Not ANY reason. A "place of public accomodation" refusing service to a customer based on race, religion, or gender is prohibited. Some states also ban discrimination based on things like sexual orientation.

As far as having to be 18 to buy spray paint, I'm glad for that, because it made it harder for taggers to spray our walls and such.

Actually, it probably causes would-be graffiti artists to add shoplifting to their budding criminal skills repertoire...

 

[SpartaChris]

Not ANY reason. A "place of public accomodation" refusing service to a customer based on race, religion, or gender is prohibited. Some states also ban discrimination based on things like sexual orientation.

Right, but you'd be hard pressed to find any place of business who offers those as their basis for refusal. It wouldn't come in the form of discrimination, it would come in the form suspicious activity or something like that.

Actually, it probably causes would-be graffiti artists to add shoplifting to their budding criminal skills repertoire...

Yeah, but they were gonna shoplift it anyway, regardless of the age provision. And I dunno how they do it in other states, but here in CA, all of the paints are locked up and you have to hunt someone down to get them, which kinda of cancels out most shoplifters.

 

[dpoceta]

And I dunno how they do it in other states, but here in CA, all of the paints are locked up and you have to hunt someone down to get them, which kinda of cancels out most shoplifters.

Really? I know in my local HD and Dixieline, all the paints are out there for anyone grab off the shelf. You do have to be 18 to buy them though.

 

[SpartaChris]

Really? I know in my local HD and Dixieline, all the paints are out there for anyone grab off the shelf. You do have to be 18 to buy them though.

No kidding?

Man, every Home Depot, Lowes, Wal Mart, whatever has them locked up, so I always have to hunt someone down to get them..

Eh well, lucky you then!

 

[Necromancer]

Are you serious?
I've never seen spray paint locked up. Everywhere i've been its always available to anyone that wants it.

 

[Bigander]

Are you serious?
I've never seen spray paint locked up. Everywhere i've been its always available to anyone that wants it.

It's California:rotflol:. They're afraid that if you hold the can you'll get cancer and sue the store.

 

[talkin Monkey]

I experienced some "Culture Shock" when I moved from NorCal to Central WI. Instead of locking up the spray paint, they lock up the people that abuse it. Whuddah concept.

 

[kelltym88]

Same thing happens to me when I try to buy beer. :surprised: Oh, wrong thread.... Yeah, you gotta be 18 here in California. And yes, the paint is all locked up, even at Michaels. The suggestion to have your parents buy it and introduce them the store is a good one. Pretty soon you can just say "Mom, here's $20 can you go by so and so and pick up some motors for me."

 

[Bigander]

All the stores i am with are fine if i'm there with a parent. I can carry the stuff to the register and then i hand the money to my parents and they hand it to the cashiers.

 

[Race58]

It depends on where you live. More gang/tagger activity will result in those items being locked up and having someone get them for you.

Are you serious?
I've never seen spray paint locked up. Everywhere i've been its always available to anyone that wants it.

 

[gpoehlein]

No kidding?

Man, every Home Depot, Lowes, Wal Mart, whatever has them locked up, so I always have to hunt someone down to get them..

Eh well, lucky you then!

I bought some paint from Hobby Lobby a while back where they have all the spray paint out on the shelves for easy access. When I got home, I discovered the spray nozzle was missing. I took it back expecting to have to exchange it and the cashier opened the register drawer, took out a nozzle and handed it to me - she said the cashier I bought it from should have given one to me then - apparently they sell the paint cans, but remove the nozzles and give them to the customers when they check out. (They've never carded me, but then at 51, bald and gray at the temples, it's fairly obvious I'm over whatever age they cut off paint sales to! )

 

[SCE to AUX]

I bought some paint from Hobby Lobby a while back where they have all the spray paint out on the shelves for easy access. When I got home, I discovered the spray nozzle was missing. I took it back expecting to have to exchange it and the cashier opened the register drawer, took out a nozzle and handed it to me - she said the cashier I bought it from should have given one to me then - apparently they sell the paint cans, but remove the nozzles and give them to the customers when they check out. (They've never carded me, but then at 51, bald and gray at the temples, it's fairly obvious I'm over whatever age they cut off paint sales to! )

They do that at one of the Home Depots around here, as well. The reasoning has nothing to do with preventing kids from buying the stuff, but to stop idiots from "test spraying" the cans all over the paint aisle, apparently to make sure that the paint is actually the color that the label says it is.

The whole shelf area around the spray paints was covered with splotches of every conceivable color. Looked like Walt Disney threw up....

 

[RimfireJim]

re. California stores locking up their spray paints:
While it may be the law here (not sure about that), implementation varies a lot from store to store. I've seen it range from always unlocked at the Home Depot I usually patronize, to the most ridiculous at my local Michael's where they wouldn't even let me carry the can around the store after taking it out of the locked cage - had to have the clerk take it to the counter while I shopped for some more items. Not sure what they thought I was going to do . . . tag the inside of their store? pass it off to a minor (who would still have had to go through checkout)? One and only time I bought spray paint there.

 

[dr wogz]

they were supposed to do somethign similar here; locking up the paints. but no go.

One local politician was trying to push through a ban on rattle cans, complaining about all the grafiti between downtown & the west end (the airport). But dosen't mind the 120+ billboards that adorn the hiway edge.

(And soemone has recently taken to painting 'band-aids on various bits of infrastructure!! Quebec is known for deteriorating roads & bridges..)