Kids in liquor stores.... First impressions?

[mickeyboat]

Well, I guess I am o.k. I take my kids in to the liquor store with me and I drink in front of them. But I don't even know what a Head shop is.

My kids know that it is o.k. for adults to enjoy a drink or two in moderation in a safe place. Alcohol is not evil in my house.

 

[smkiya]

I don't think there is anything wrong with bringing kids into a liquor store, as long as they are well behaved.

It seems that the judgment is with the mother smoking and paying with a check. If she was with her kids and bought the same amount of alcohol, had the same rapport with the employees, didn't buy cigarettes and paid with a credit card would the OP have had the same reaction.

In no way am I advocating smoking, but it seems that many people equate smoking with being a bad person and being a smoker with kids "bad parenting". Add that with the fact that she paid with a pre-written check so she must be poor 'cause she can't pay cash or use a credit card.

I think in this instance, a "mind your own business" is in order.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Unless the kids were running around the store, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

 

[Ceila]

Wow. I can't believe someone would even take the time to notice that a woman was purchasing alcohol with her children present, much less take the time to post about it. And God forbid children might actually happen to know the owner of a liquor store. They couldn't possibly be neighbors or friends with the owner's children or anything. Good grief.

 

[Tweevil]

I know! I was late to the party because I couldn't stop going around and looking at them all! LOL That, and I was trying to justify with myself getting a bottle of Baileys for $24 for our house.... We rarely drink in the house (it would just be for me since my husband would never have it), so there would be no real "need" for it, but I just love the stuff, and its so expencive when your out...

I have done that too! I love the bottles and little promos they have. And, being a Belvedere fan I gaze at those too.

Funny story though....once (only once) I found myself justifying Everclear to the cashier because he did the quick look up and down to me. I saw the look and went about explaining the use of it - walked out of the store kicking myself because I didn't have to do that. In retrospect though - I have to say, that young man was impressed with its use of cleaning /thinning for an air brush gun. LOL

 

[bgirldeb]

My kids know that it is o.k. for adults to enjoy a drink or two in moderation in a safe place. Alcohol is not evil in my house.

I feel the same way. Why hide it or make it look like it is something bad? I would think that the 'forbidden' factor could backfire and make overindulgence more appealing in the future.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Thank god I don't live where you people live. I'd hate to be judged for entering a liquor store.

We can buy liquor all over the place, so we must be heathens here. We can get it at the drug store, the market, the liquor store, and get this for you: our liquor stores sell candy! And chips! OMG!!!!!! And you can buy beer at the gas station! WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

As a candy-addicted child, I even had my favorite server at my liquor store. I loved Razzles.

 

[HelenePA]

lets see i've taken mine into state stores, they know which beer is mine in the fridge heck i even ask them to get it for me and I drink it in front of them... the only reason to hide it from the kids is if its wrong..

 

[disneyquestions]

I don't think there is anything wrong with bringing kids into a liquor store, as long as they are well behaved.

It seems that the judgment is with the mother smoking and paying with a check. If she was with her kids and bought the same amount of alcohol, had the same rapport with the employees, didn't buy cigarettes and paid with a credit card would the OP have had the same reaction.

In no way am I advocating smoking, but it seems that many people equate smoking with being a bad person and being a smoker with kids "bad parenting". Add that with the fact that she paid with a pre-written check so she must be poor 'cause she can't pay cash or use a credit card.

I think in this instance, a "mind your own business" is in order.

Sorry, you don't have it right at all. I mentioned the cigarrets because that was one of the 3 things she got (cigarrets, beer, and hard liquor). Personally, I dont smoke, and wouldn't smoke since I have kids, but thats a whole nother thread! LOL
And yes, I made a point of saying that she had a pre-written check, but not because I was trying to say she was poor "'cause she can't pay cash or use a credit card" but because it was a PRE-WRITTEN check, hence this wasn't her first trip around the liquor store, seemingly.

I have no problem with people drinking (moderatly) in the house or out to dinner and infront of their kids. But to me, I would never bring my children into a liquor store. I'd wait till my husband was home to watch them, or there was a neighbor that could watch them for the 10 minutes it would take to get there, etc. To me, liquor shouldn't be that important. Just me. And sorry, but bringing your children into a wine tasting is not OK. Just me.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I don't like to take my kids in because it just feels unseemly. I have brought them in on occasion when I had to buy wine for cooking but it makes me really uncomfortable. I can't explain why I feel this way I just do

I don't know what I would have thought if I was in the OP's shoes but considering how uncomfortable I feel when I do it I suppose I would have taken notice of this other woman's lack of discomfort. Again I can't put my finger on why I guess that's something to consider, very curious.

Hmm...I think it's got a lot to do with how you were raised and how your parents/family viewed drinking. My parents rarely drank. They wouldn't refuse a drink if offered (out of consideration for the host), but they didn't go out of their way to find the alcohol at any gathering, either.

I think I've seen them both have a glass of champagne a time or two on a NYE and I remember seeing my father drink a beer once with my uncle at a baseball game (again when I was small). I'm vaguely remembering an egg-nog incident at a family gathering when I was maybe 7, which made my sister 4 and my brother 8. My poor mother had to quickly run around and find us when she realized that there was rum in the egg-nog and we'd politely taken our cups from the buffet like everyone else there.

Hey...how were we supposed to know? We were taught to be courteous and follow everyone else's good example. My brother was even being on his proudest and best behavior by being a gentleman and handing me and my sister our cups before taking his own. LOL!! Ahh...good memories.

Anyway, I digress. While we were raised with tee-totalers, we were also taught that other adults enjoyed spirits and that was nothing to be ashamed of. Dad frequently bought scotch, rye and whiskey as Christmas presents for relatives and the only place to get that was the liquor store with all the neat bottles that we weren't allowed to touch. If I saw children in a liquor store with their parents I'd probably think of my Dad buying spirits for someone else because that's my background and those are my memories.

 

[HelenePA]

so she wrote the payto out ahead of time and thats why your judging her? because she's trying to save some time? our stores dont sell anything but liquor/wine no chips, no candy no beer!

 

[disneyquestions]

Thank god I don't live where you people live. I'd hate to be judged for entering a liquor store.

We can buy liquor all over the place, so we must be heathens here. We can get it at the drug store, the market, the liquor store, and get this for you: our liquor stores sell candy! And chips! OMG!!!!!! And you can buy beer at the gas station! WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

As a candy-addicted child, I even had my favorite server at my liquor store. I loved Razzles.

Oh goodness, talk about taking something out of context and going obnoxious with it... Your right, you really must be a heathen..... As another poster said, its something that just doesn't sit well with me. Sorry if thats such a problem for you. I have no issue with an adult going into a liquor store, but when they have a child with them, I don't think its overly appropriate. JMO

 

[Carly_Roach]

Well, I guess I am o.k. I take my kids in to the liquor store with me and I drink in front of them. But I don't even know what a Head shop is.
My kids know that it is o.k. for adults to enjoy a drink or two in moderation in a safe place. Alcohol is not evil in my house.

My apologies. I thought it was a common phrase (and now you'll learn what kind of crowd children of tee-totalers mingle with )

•A head shop is a retail outlet which specialises in drug paraphernalia related to consumption of cannabis, other recreational drugs, and New Age herbs, as well as counterculture art, magazines, music, clothing and home decor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_shop

 

[simba20]

Growing up, right around the corner from my house, there was a liquor store that we as neighborhood kids frequented. I did this from age 7-college age (when I moved to college). All the kids in the neighborhood knew that the liquor store was THE BEST PLACE to buy snacks (chips, soda, candy, boiled peanuts, snack cakes, etc...) It was small store and the merchandise divided the store in half. Liquor was on one saide with mixers and general merchandise (the aforementioned snakcs) on the other. Beer and soda coolers were in the back, but sodas and juices were on the left side (where the general merchandise was) and beer/chiiled wine on the other -- towards the liquor. The register area was up on a platform so the owners could preety much tell where the kids were (we always stayed on the left side). The owners never minded, and it was common to see a group of neihborhood kids bikes lying out front on the curb of the liquor store. Oh mini bottles and smaller bottles of alcohol were kept on the wall behind the registers.

Anyway, during that time (80's/early 90's) there was never a sign on the door saying "No one under 21 permitted without parent" as I see on liquor stores today. There were also rumors about the owners, that they kept a loaded shotgun under the register area to ward off robbers, and the occassional story that at night, there was an attempted robbery and the owner pulled it our on the would be robber. Those stories pretty much kept us in line and not to try to pull any "funny business" in the store. We'd walk in, go tto the left, pick out our snack, maybe chat with one of the owners for a minute or two (telling him the 10 year old gossip of the neighborhood) and then back out on our way to explore on our bikes.

Anyway, having said that, I probably wouldn't let my child go in a store by herself, but if I am shopping there and DD is with me, then I don't have an issue. In fact DD has been with me when I stopped at Sherlock's once.

 

[bluesaturn]

Oh goodness, talk about taking something out of context and going obnoxious with it... Your right, you really must be a heathen..... As another poster said, its something that just doesn't sit well with me. Sorry if thats such a problem for you. I have no issue with an adult going into a liquor store, but when they have a child with them, I don't think its overly appropriate. JMO

You have 14 posts, and this is what you decide to start off with?

 

[deegack]

It wouldn't bother me to see a kid in a liquor store. I would probably bring my DD into our local wine store (they sell all kinds of liquor) if I wanted some wine for later that night or if we were going out to a BYOB for dinner. Drinking responsibly is not something to hide. I personally don't drink anything if I am alone with DD but have friends who will have a glass of wine or two after the kids are asleep.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

we have always taken DD into the liquor store with us - mostly at the holidays when we have wines and Asti on hand. It is a store, not a bar.

I wouldn't have thought twice about any of it.

for the record we are light drinkers. I have posted on here that I would rather not have every event - especially revolving around kids - be turned into an excuse to drink. So, I am a little bit sensitive about drinking and kids, but I don't see this as an issue.

ETA: if I noticed the pre-written check, I would most likely assume she was getting all of that for an event and was the one in charge of picking it up for the group. or that she was getting it for someone else as mentioned.....

 

[kidzmom3]

why bother even making comments.

 

[C.Ann]

Sorry, you don't have it right at all. I mentioned the cigarrets because that was one of the 3 things she got (cigarrets, beer, and hard liquor). Personally, I dont smoke, and wouldn't smoke since I have kids, but thats a whole nother thread! LOL
And yes, I made a point of saying that she had a pre-written check, but not because I was trying to say she was poor "'cause she can't pay cash or use a credit card" but because it was a PRE-WRITTEN check, hence this wasn't her first trip around the liquor store, seemingly.

I have no problem with people drinking (moderatly) in the house or out to dinner and infront of their kids. But to me, I would never bring my children into a liquor store. I'd wait till my husband was home to watch them, or there was a neighbor that could watch them for the 10 minutes it would take to get there, etc. To me, liquor shouldn't be that important. Just me. And sorry, but bringing your children into a wine tasting is not OK. Just me.

You do realize that there are supermarkets in many states that sell liquor, wine, beer, and cigarettes in there as well - right? Would it have bothered you if she was buying these things and had her children with her in the supermarket?

And do you know for a fact that the "pre-written" check was "her" check - and not her dad's; grandfather's; neighbors; - that the owner allows because he/she knows all of them personally? I can send my DD to the pharmacy for me in the little town up here at the lake with a pre-written check from me and they have no issues with it because I get prescriptions there at least once a month for the entire 7 to 8 months that I'm living up here at the lake..

I'm really not understanding why this was so upsetting for you and how you possibly could have jumped to such huge conclusions from what little you saw..

 

[allison443]

I have no problem with people drinking (moderatly) in the house or out to dinner and infront of their kids. But to me, I would never bring my children into a liquor store. I'd wait till my husband was home to watch them, or there was a neighbor that could watch them for the 10 minutes it would take to get there, etc. To me, liquor shouldn't be that important. Just me. And sorry, but bringing your children into a wine tasting is not OK. Just me.

My dh would sometimes stop at the liquor store if he was running errands with our dd. The cashier gave out lollipops so mine wasn't the only kid that went there. It was a very nice, clean, well lit store. Nothing seedy about it.


OP do you shop at Costco? Do you feel differently about that, because our costco carries a great variety of wine, beer and liquor.