Roundy's supermarkets have adopted a new policy that requires all customers purchasing tobacco or alcohol to show identification, whether they look 18 or 88.

The policy, called the "We Card Because We Care" initiative, took effect Nov. 22 at all Roundy's-owned Pick 'n Save and Copps Food Center stores in Wisconsin, according to Lynn Guyer, the company's communications director.

Guyer said the company's previous policy required cashiers to ask a customer for ID if he or she looked to be under 30.

"The ID policy we had in place for the prior years did a pretty good job, but we thought we could do better," she said. "One underage sale of alcohol or tobacco is too many."

Consistency in customer treatment and elimination of cashier judgment calls were cited by Guyer as positive effects of the policy shift.

One potential negative effect of the new initiative is customer annoyance, but Guyer said customers do not seem to mind.

"The majority of our customers and communities have received it positively," she said. "The stores are reporting 99 percent of customers have graciously responded."

Dave Randall, a Pick 'n Save customer visiting the Milwaukee area, is one such positive respondent.

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "I probably never would've started smoking if the grocery stores had always been carding."

Randall said he was not annoyed when asked for identification, and thought the policy would help curb underage smoking.

However, some customers feel the policy is somewhat excessive. Susan McBeth, a Milwaukee resident, said she thinks carding everyone is uncalled for.

"I'm not annoyed with it, but I can see how people who are 40 would be," McBeth said. "I understand what they're doing, but I don't think it's really necessary for them to be carding everybody."

Other area grocery stores also feel the policy is too extreme. Chuck Potter, owner of the Piggly Wiggly at 2201 E. Rawson Ave. in Oak Creek, said he has no intention of adopting a card-all policy for purchasing alcohol and tobacco.

Potter said all Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned. His store's policy is to card people who look younger than 30, and he said it has been effectively preventing underage people from obtaining the products.

The Open Pantry store at 824 N. 16th St. cards those who look under 30 or 35, according to manager Randy Keesler. He said the store has no plans to change its policy either.

Frank Brunner, store owner of Sentry Foods University Square at 2983 N. Oakland Ave., said his store's policy is also to card people who look younger than 30.

"All Sentry stores are independently owned, so policies may vary," Brunner said. "But the current policy is working very well for us."

Because of the existing policy's efficiency, Brunner said his store has not discussed the option of switching to a card-all initiative.

"We've been tested by the police and sheriff's department," he said. "We've passed every time."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 15 2005.