do barcodes on alcohol bottles keep records of who purchased it?

Question

if you buy alcohol and give it to a minor and that minor is later caught, can authorities know who purchased the bottle originally buy scanning the barcode? this is just to settle a bet with a friend

Answer 1

Did you use cash or charge. How the hell would they know, the bar code gives the price information. Now if you have a store card that keeps track of your buying information (usually gives you the sales), then that information could be used to send you coupons, get to know what type of customer buys what product. But no, the barcode can't tell who bought what.

Answer 2

It is highly unlikely, as the bar code will be the same on every bottle of that particular product/size.

I don't know if you have store loyalty cards, like in the UK - these do link the purchase to the buyer, and so build up a profile of what products you buy. You then get special offers by mail appropriate to your regular grocery shopping (so that vegetarians aren't offered discounts on meat, for example).

But this wouldn't record who bought a particular bottle. The bottle would have a production lot number, which probably allows the manufacturer to track which wholesaler they sold it to, but not to an individual.

Answer 3

What the heck kind of question is that? Think about it. If you pay cash for something there is no record that you, Joe Blow, bought the product. Plus, the barcodes only represent a product code, not a specific bottle of booze.

Settle a bet? Yeah right.

Answer 4

The bar code only tells the computer what the price is, and keeps track of the sale for inventory purposes. How would it know you bought it? Each bottle doesn't have its own code; every bottle of Gordon's Gin of a certain size would have exactly the same code, for instance.

Answer 5

Hey x,

Of course not! BUT...

I would hate to buy my little underage friend a case of beer or a bottle of booze, have them take it with them, drive out of the parking lot, kill someone and then they see your picture, minutes ago, buying that same case of beer or bottle on the markets surveillance camera's

OR, not that minors brag to their friends...

Tommy gets into trouble for being drunk in school. Tommy's Mommy and Daddy swear they are not drinkers and there is no booze at their house. The school threatens to expel Tommy from the 10th grade, unless he tells them who is supplying him with booze.

Tommy doesn't owe you crap. Tommy knows that you will buy him booze, so he calls you and asks for your help. As always, you feel sorry for the bastard and you go to Piggly -Wiggly to get Tommy his bottle of Cuervo. You drop the bottle off at Tommy's, he will give you money to pay for the booze, you accept and give him change and walk out of the house.

A cop will walk up to you and shows you his I.D., he will explain that he is attempting to find out what the circumstances were that you brought booze over to Tommy's... I wouldn't want that video of my purchase, or the marked bill that I now have in my wallet to be used as evidence in the trial that will screw up my life for the next few years.

I hope Tommy will be able to pay your rent while you are looking for work! (Oh, unless you are in a job that puts you in contact with minors, like day care. Then you have to change fields...).

Here's LOOKING AT YOU!

JR

Answer 6

No. The barcode is just the product and price. They would have to alter the barcode after you purchased it to add more info, and that is impractical and unreasonable.

Answer 7

NO..RFID is only used to track inventory from supplier to retailer, and most alcohol suppliers are not currently using the system

Answer 8

Yes. Big Brother is watching. 1984 is coming real soon.

Answer 9

Not now, maybe next week. I hear the Bush administration is working on it.

Answer 10

No. Currently that data is not stored anywhere.