Archived Should I keep quiet about M rated games?

[StrawberryBanana]

As long as someone over 18 is paying for it, its not your responsibility to question who the guest is buying it for. If a parent wants to buy for a child that is there responsibility. there is nothing illegal about them giving it to their child. Our Job at Target is strictly to verify the age of the person making the purchase. After that we are not responsible or liable for who they choose to give it to, same goes for any other age restricted item, whether its spray paint, Nyquil, or Alcohol. If I ever saw one of my guests questioning a guest like they OP did, I would be passing it on to the LOD and they would def be getting a corrective action as they are not only opening up the store to liability, but also breaking policy when it comes to age restricted items that states we can only ID the person physically paying for the item.

Maybe it is different these days, but I always thought if the cashier had reason to believe you were going to give an age restricted item to a younger person you aren't supposed to sell it.

There was a grocery store that I went to a lot to buy alcohol when I was in my early twenties and the people at the liquor section knew me and they also knew I didn't drink beer. I once stopped in to purchase a case a beer before going to a party because my friend asked me to bring her some. They knew it wasn't for me so they told me that I should just be careful who I give it to (meaning don't give it to anyone under 21). It wasn't a thing they told everyone, but because they knew I didn't like beer so it was obvious it wasn't for me. But they did sell it to me. Another time when I was 17 I was with a friend (who was 18) and we went to a gas station so she could buy a pack of cigarettes. I guess we were acting suspicious/weird and the guy asked to see my ID and I told him I was only 17 and he said he didn't feel comfortable selling my friend who was 18 the pack of cigarettes.

 

[Life201]

I'm just surprised Target doesn't seem to have an official policy in place so cashiers know what to do or not to do.

I understand some parents might not care what their kids play or listen to & they might even become angry - those parents will also get angry if you tell them not to allow their kids to run around the store & pull things off the shelves.

A good business doesn't worry about offending negative customers, they concern themselves with impressing the GOOD customers & letting them know they will get excellent service when they shop at Target & that Target cares about them.

 

[Jack of all Workcenters]

I'm just surprised Target doesn't seem to have an official policy in place so cashiers know what to do or not to do.

I understand some parents might not care what their kids play or listen to & they might even become angry - those parents will also get angry if you tell them not to allow their kids to run around the store & pull things off the shelves.

A good business doesn't worry about offending negative customers, they concern themselves with impressing the GOOD customers & letting them know they will get excellent service when they shop at Target & that Target cares about them.

They do have a policy in place and that is the age restriction that pops up on the register when you ring up a rated M game.

 

[redeye58]

As long as someone over 18 is paying for it, its not your responsibility to question who the guest is buying it for. If a parent wants to buy for a child that is there responsibility. there is nothing illegal about them giving it to their child. Our Job at Target is strictly to verify the age of the person making the purchase. After that we are not responsible or liable for who they choose to give it to, same goes for any other age restricted item, whether its spray paint, Nyquil, or Alcohol. If I ever saw one of my guests questioning a guest like they OP did, I would be passing it on to the LOD and they would def be getting a corrective action as they are not only opening up the store to liability, but also breaking policy when it comes to age restricted items that states we can only ID the person physically paying for the item.

Then why even prompt for ID?
I've had a few angry moms at the service desk try to return an opened game because they got a look (or a clue) at the content.
Their rage went up several notches when they were told that yes, there was an age limit but an ADULT had to have shown ID to purchase it & she should take it up with whoever bought it for them (non-custodial dad, ex-con older cousin, crazy aunt who wants to be liked, etc).

 

[Blackbutler42]

No, just check them out and move on. It's not your place telling parents what thier kid can and can't play and the guests could get pissed off and complain to managment.

 

[Kompa]

I hated people like TC when I was younger. I'd ask my mom for a game and a soccer mom cashier would try to stop the sale. It's a dick move to the kid. There's nothing worst than going to the store trying to get Gears of War and leaving with Wii Sports because someone wanted flaunt their PC ways. If a parent doesn't ask, you dont tell. It only fuels your ego. Most 'kids' games suck and I can see why someone would want a more mature game.

 

[Bosch]

I just ask if they know its rated M and if its a game I know explain what it is. Some parents pass others buy anyways but you sell it. That is the parents job. I can't say much cause my mom let me watch and listen to things I probably had no business seeing it hearing but we would talk and you can only hope they do the same.

 

[redstripes]

My generic script is
"So because this particular title is age restricted, I will need to zap an ID at the register to verify we're 18 or older."

If the parent is tuned in at all they now know that they are buying something that is age restricted. They can ask why or let it go.

 

[RedDelano]

I'd just do the M rating thing like a PSA.
You can't make parents care.

And that's why the rating system should be enforced.

I'm a HUGE gamer, and it disgusts me when parents are buying games that aren't appropriate for their kids. Then what happens when a game comes out that has nudity or excessive violence? The parents cry, and the news complains about the game.

How does it usually go?
Media: This game is violent and not for kids!!
Developer: It's rated M and not intended for kids.
Media: Well...the kids are going to get their hands on it anyways! Bad game! You should be ashamed of making this!

This should not be how games are treated. When Mortal Kombat came out, there were kids trying to get the game, and stores refused to sell it to them. The parents then stormed into store demanding that they sell this "toy" to their kid.

If an adult is buying an M rated game, and there is a kid with them who seems interested in the game, then I say by all means let them know the content of the game. As Hardlinesmaster said, some kids trick their parents into buying these games. On one trip to Gamestop I watched someone try to buy GTAV for their 8 year old, and they denied the game to their kid when the employee told her exactly what was in the game. Surprisingly it wasn't the violence and language that turned her away (it should have) but the torture scene.

If a parent is buying a game with a kid around who is showing interest in the game, then by all means tell the parent what's in the game. Know your product, and encourage others to know what they're buying as well. I really wish we (store employees of all companies) could start treating strong M rated games like NC-17 movies, restrict sales to certain ages, and be giving the right to deny a sale if the situation calls for it.

I hated people like TC when I was younger. I'd ask my mom for a game and a soccer mom cashier would try to stop the sale. It's a dick move to the kid. There's nothing worst than going to the store trying to get Gears of War and leaving with Wii Sports because someone wanted flaunt their PC ways. If a parent doesn't ask, you dont tell. It only fuels your ego. Most 'kids' games suck and I can see why someone would want a more mature game.

And then when you grew up you realized how wrong you were right? This has nothing to do with being PC or fueling egos.

 

[NitroKing2110]

Maybe it is different these days, but I always thought if the cashier had reason to believe you were going to give an age restricted item to a younger person you aren't supposed to sell it.

This may vary based on laws. In my state, for alcohol, if I have "reasonable suspicion" that the person buying the alcohol is going to furnish it to someone under 21, I'm supposed to refuse the sale. Reasonable suspicion is subjective, however. Some cashiers at my store are more strict than others because in my state if Alcoholic Beverage Control can show that I should have had reasonable suspicion, then the store can be fined upwards of $1,000, and I personally could lose my license to sell alcohol and face fines of up to $600.

 

[LadyCynide]

Part of me is like, no, let the kids get what they want. If their parents didn't do any research or so much as read the case before buying, then that is their problem as a parent.

The other part of me wants these little 10 year olds off my GTA because they are obnoxious, so I'm all for telling the parents.

 

[FiestyPlano]

I am not a fan of children so when I was in electronics and a child tried to buy a rated m game I would tell him I need a parent in order for him to buy it and then he got pissed. I have also enjoyed telling parents that games have sex and violence. Kids get super pissed at me

 

[redeye58]

Kids get super pissed at me

You LOVE bursting their bubbles

 

[Kompa]

And then when you grew up you realized how wrong you were right? This has nothing to do with being PC or fueling egos.

Nope. I'm still right. I would never actively discourage of the sale of a game to a 10 year old. Now of a parent asked me to pick out something for a 10 year old, then yes, i would go through the ratings but why should try to stop the sale of AssCreed, Halo or Cod just best it's raiting M? I hear worse on the morning news.

 

[Bosch]

Nope. I'm still right. I would never actively discourage of the sale of a game to a 10 year old. Now of a parent asked me to pick out something for a 10 year old, then yes, i would go through the ratings but why should try to stop the sale of AssCreed, Halo or Cod just best it's raiting M? I hear worse on the morning news.

I just like parents to know that maybe you want to talk while playing so that they get the hint that the game might be over the kids head a bit. Or they might have to explain what a hooker does and a conversation will happen sooner than later. But I am going to sell it.

 

[Phoenix26]

Maybe it is different these days, but I always thought if the cashier had reason to believe you were going to give an age restricted item to a younger person you aren't supposed to sell it.

There was a grocery store that I went to a lot to buy alcohol when I was in my early twenties and the people at the liquor section knew me and they also knew I didn't drink beer. I once stopped in to purchase a case a beer before going to a party because my friend asked me to bring her some. They knew it wasn't for me so they told me that I should just be careful who I give it to (meaning don't give it to anyone under 21). It wasn't a thing they told everyone, but because they knew I didn't like beer so it was obvious it wasn't for me. But they did sell it to me. Another time when I was 17 I was with a friend (who was 18) and we went to a gas station so she could buy a pack of cigarettes. I guess we were acting suspicious/weird and the guy asked to see my ID and I told him I was only 17 and he said he didn't feel comfortable selling my friend who was 18 the pack of cigarettes.

Comparing Alcohol and tobacco to video games is comical. Movie and Video game ratings aren't mandated to be restricted by law, in fact any restrictions based on age by a retailer are voluntary. A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 (Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association/Entertainment Software Association) found that video games are a constitutionally-protected form of expression, and that laws restricting their sale or rental based upon violent content are unconstitutional. Target as a private business like most retailers voluntarily restrict sales based on the rating. If a parent feels the game is appropriate for their kid, then thats their chose not ours.

Target Policy on Alcohol sales clearly states we only ID the person paying. It goes against policy to ID anyone else even if its a group of young adults. The only exception to the policy would be if it is overridden by state or local law.

Then why even prompt for ID?
I've had a few angry moms at the service desk try to return an opened game because they got a look (or a clue) at the content.
Their rage went up several notches when they were told that yes, there was an age limit but an ADULT had to have shown ID to purchase it & she should take it up with whoever bought it for them (non-custodial dad, ex-con older cousin, crazy aunt who wants to be liked, etc).

Why prompt for ID you ask? simple, As Target Voluntarily follows the rating system and restricts their sale based on the ratings. Therefore we prompt for ID to make sure that the Purchaser is of the recommended age to buy it. Plus its our policy to Id the person paying same as it is with any one buying any age restricted items. Heck Target Policy on Alcohol sales clearly states we only ID the person paying. It goes against policy to ID anyone else even if its a group of young adults. The only exception to the policy would be if it is overridden by state or local law. Its not our resposability as to what is done once the product leaves the store.

 

[StrawberryBanana]

After that we are not responsible or liable for who they choose to give it to, same goes for any other age restricted item, whether its spray paint, Nyquil, or Alcohol.

Comparing Alcohol and tobacco to video games is comical.

I wasn't trying to compare alcohol/tobacco to video games. Your original post stated that for any age restricted item (including alcohol) Target has no responsibility and wouldn't be liable if the person the you sell it to gives it to someone under age. I didn't think someone would get in trouble for giving a video game to a kid, but I could see people getting in trouble for alcohol. I thought it seemed odd that it wouldn't matter if someone purchased alcohol and you had reasonable suspicious to believe the buyer would in turn give it to a minor which is why I wrote about an experience I had involving purchasing alcohol rather than a video game. Then @NitroKing2110 did explain that in his state his store would be fined and there are personal repercussion as well.

 

[daemon]

... and that laws restricting their sale or rental based upon violent content are unconstitutional. Target as a private business like most retailers voluntarily restrict sales based on the rating. If a parent feels the game is appropriate for their kid, then thats their chose not ours.

I would never restrict a sale if someone of age, according to targets policy, was buying it, even if I knew it was going to someone under the age and I felt it was wrong. I would simply make sure the parent wasn't the one getting the wool pulled over their eyes by the youngster. "Yea..gta 5... its the next mari0 game! not violent at all!"

 

[2Spooky4U]

Today, OP faces a question that has haunted business for as long as it has existed: "should I be a good person, or do I want to make money?"

 

[Joejoe12]

I was working electronics when call of duty came out. You know the one one where you kill a whole bunch of people in the airport. This kid came in with his mom he must of Been around 10 and wanted it. I'll never forget the look on her face when I explained to her the airport scene needless to say the kid wasn't that happy

 

[Kompa]

I was working electronics when call of dusty came out. You know the one one where you kill a whole bunch of people in the airport. This kid came in with his mom he must of Ben around 10 and wanted it. I'll never forget the look on her face when I explained to her the airport scene needless to say the kid wasn't that happy

Scumbag move

 

[Joejoe12]

Scumbag move

Ehh if you say so

 

[oath2order]

I personally don't say anything. It's the parent's responsibility, same with rated r movies. If a parent wants to get their 10 year old kid gears of war, that's their choice. Now of course I wouldn't do that if it were my own kid, but I don't like telling parents how to parent.

this.

 

[Lazy]

I was working electronics when call of duty came out. You know the one one where you kill a whole bunch of people in the airport. This kid came in with his mom he must of Been around 10 and wanted it. I'll never forget the look on her face when I explained to her the airport scene needless to say the kid wasn't that happy

There was an option to turn the scene off.

 

[desertcoyote]

When GTA V came out, a pair of grandparents came in with their grandchild. They had called and put the game on hold so when I was ringing it up for them at the service desk I needed their ID. When they was asked why I mentioned it was an M rated game and had them read the back cover. The grandmother whipped out her iPhone and googled the game. Needless to say, the kid didn't get it but they let him pick something else out. The grandfather was laughing and said he wanted to play it after reading about it LOL.