English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

The cashier stated that it was in her rights to refuse to sell energy drinks to children even though the major gas station chain (corp) has no policy on that matter. How wrong was she? I don't usually let my 14 year old daughter drink energy drinks but she was not with me at the time. What would you do in this case? I am interested in all views and opinions.

2007-04-11 04:21:31 · 19 answers · asked by DewDrop 2 in Politics & Government Law & Ethics

19 answers

I would talk to the manager of the store (assuming it wasn't that cashier) and tell them of the cashier's actions. I doubt the manager will appreciate the cashier exercising her personal views when it comes to the store's bottom line, unless there are real legal or moral issues involved (like say, selling a condom to a 14 year old boy).

It doesn't sound like something worth making a federal case over, but how far could someone carry this? A Mormon cashier refusing to sell any drinks with caffeine because it's against their religion to consume such beverages? A nonsmoker refusing to sell cigarettes to anyone of any age because of the known health risks and possible effect on the health care costs and insurance rates of nonsmokers?

Another good angle to examine is what the medical community has to say about some of these drinks. Something with a high dose of caffeine might be OK for an adult, but dangerous for a 6 year old child. The clerk may be protecting themselves and the store from potential lawsuits by refusing to sell anything to a minor that could possibly have any sort of health risks involved.

2007-04-11 04:44:36 · answer #1 · answered by peytonbarclay 3 · 1 0

It is a gray area - many national stores with no policy leave the decision up to local managers to set store policy and it could be the cashier was advised by the manager of the local store not to sell without a parent present or under 18 due to fear of liability of being sued should the child ingest it and suffer health problems because of it.

If your daughter had health issues, such an undiagnosed heart problem, the chemicals in such a beverage could exacerbate them or even cause her to go into cardiac arrest. There have also been an increasing number of ER room visits where the patient turns out to be suffering seizures and it turns out to be from caffeine poisoning, usually from drinking multiple cans in a short period of time.

The difference between a 14 year old being allowed an a 18 year old is that the 14 year old is still considered a minor and an 18 year old is not.

Personally, I would prefer that the limit to buy energy drinks be raised to 18. I bought a 4-pk of an energy drink recently and my son and his friend drank them within a few hours (they were told no more than 1 per day) and they were excited, talked fast but without coherent thought and twitchy afterwards. They "crashed" a few hours later and became very cranky and irritable and wanted to know if we could go tot the store to get more (of course we didn't). I have not been keen on them since that time.

2007-04-11 04:42:52 · answer #2 · answered by bottleblondemama 7 · 1 0

Those things are really bad for anyone, especially children. You are arguing with someone who was looking out for the best interest of your child? Personally, as a parent I would go down there and thank her for her common sense and caring - I mean soda is bad for a kid but at least it's not loaded with a cardiac jolt of caffeine that could drop a horse.
Had your daughter bought that - drank it, and oopsy turns out she had an undiagnosed conduction issue with her heart and the caffeine jolt kicked her into a fatal arrythmia you would be on here trying to sue the store for selling your child something harmful!

I beleive that all stores have the right to refuse service, and in this case they did you and your daughter a favor. Have a talk with your daughter about her behavior when she is out of your site -- what is not allowed with mom is not allowed just because mom isn't there.

More store owners need to take a stand - when it says not for children, it means don't sell it to kids! It takes a village to raise a child.

2007-04-11 04:38:32 · answer #3 · answered by Susie D 6 · 2 0

i agree with the cashier. energy drinks are no good in the first place, can even be fatal.
what i dont understand is why would a 14year old need an energy drink?? kids are supposed to be full of energy and shouldnt need these kind of drinks
i think that the cashier was just doing something they felt morally/ethically right. just because there is no store policy, doesnt mean u cant have your own ethics about what is right and wrong

2007-04-11 04:28:41 · answer #4 · answered by chickadEE 2 · 4 0

Energy drinks are rarely as powerful as they are advertised and if your friends do not mix their drinks with alcohol, they should be just fine. Energy drinks are made to give the body a stimulant when people feel tired or require energy for something needing more energy than they have. While the amount they intend to drink may seem big, i doubt it will have any ill effects upon their health, unless they drink that amount often, or mix their drinks as i mentioned. But naturally, stimulants should not be taken often or in such high amounts if you can prevent it. Long term effects are always uncertain. Its likely your friends will be hyper and really energetic for a while, then really tired when they hit the withdrawal stage. I hope this helps -Kieran-

2016-05-17 09:18:15 · answer #5 · answered by audrey 3 · 0 0

It is within her rights. Just as if your daughter had purchased a bunch of these drinks, drank them too many to fast raised her blood pressure and she had a heart attack, passed out had a seizure, died, any number of things, then someone would eventually want to pass on the blame...

Just as a server/bartender does not have to serve anyone they do not want to.

These drinks can be dangerous, I see what these young folks do with them. While some drink them in moderation, some do not. So it is within her rights to refuse the sale of high energy drink to young minors.

There have been a number of reports issued about how if consumed too much, one can end up in a number of bad situations...physically because of them.

My boyfriend is an Athletic Trainer at a high school and sees a number of student "hyped" up, often watch them especially during sporting games, which can lead to dangerously high blood pressure, possible heart failure.

I to would refuse to sale to someone I thought my be to young. For me the age would be 18 legally, if we could only make that a law.

2007-04-11 04:56:05 · answer #6 · answered by HappyGoLucky 4 · 1 0

I'd be interested to know why she thinks its in her rights not to seel energy drinks to 14 yr olds? Is she afraid its going to harm your daughter or something? Though, I doubt that she thinks that.

It probably has something to do with that energy drink scare a couple months ago. I don't know what the big deal about that was. I drink a can of Monster Energy drink a day during the work week (5 days). On the can it says you should not drink more than 3 cans in a day.

No point in suing, just write a letter to the company execs telling them what happen, and then say you are shopping elsewhere....even if you don't.

Ofcourse, you could go in there with your daughter one day, buy a can for her, then hand it to her in front of the cashier. But that's just to spite her. lol

And as far as I've ever heard, there is no age limit to drink an energy drink.

*EDIT* Can of Monster energy drink says "Consume responsibly - Limit 3 cans per day. Not recommended for children, pregnant women or people sensitive to caffiene"

But what I'd like to know is, what's the difference between a 14 yr old drinking it, and a 18 yr old drinking it?

More importantly, it has to do with who's sensitive to caffiene.


A can of energy drink, drank slowly over the course of a day isn't going to harm most people. Its only when they are drank quickly and with other caffiene drinks.

Bottleblondemama: "The difference between a 14 year old being allowed an a 18 year old is that the 14 year old is still considered a minor and an 18 year old is not."

What I meant was physically, not legally. Is there a very big difference, physically, that would permit an 18 yr old from better ingested an energy drink than a 14 yr old? I don't believe there is....but I'm not a doctor.

2007-04-11 04:34:58 · answer #7 · answered by Humanist 4 · 0 5

I would talk to the manager and ask them to post a sign regarding their policy, and address the situation at the national headquarters too.

I don't think children should have access to these drinks, but unless there is a law or something is clearly posted as to a store policy I believe you have the right to complain or to make a suggestion.

2007-04-11 05:04:45 · answer #8 · answered by trollunderthestairs 5 · 2 0

Energy drinks aren't for kids and I think it says on the can that it should NOT be used by children. I'm glad she didn't sell that stuff to your daughter. Maybe you should do some research on what exactly is in that Energy Drink and go from there.

2007-04-11 04:27:07 · answer #9 · answered by furballchaser 6 · 4 1

As wrong as it is, I would just let it go. Unless you really want to start a dispute. Then you should go talk to a lawyer and find out your options. But the thing I would do is just stop going to that gas station.

2007-04-11 04:32:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers