And of course, then you get the people who instead of thanking them for preventing their laptop from getting stolen yell that nobody asked to be protected! They're a big boy, they leave their expensive property out if they want to!

You can't win for losing.

I also wonder, since several people have mentioned rolling the window down the whole way to start with. Would officers be offended if I waited until they approached to roll it down the whole way? I've been told you should wait until you see their badge, if I'm alone on a highway.

She probably has her illegal Hispanics doing yardwork and housepainting.

I'm still wishing somebody would tell me what I'm supposed to do when I'm miles from what I consider a "safe" place to pull over (lighted areas, business parking lots, etc. to avoid being alone on the side of the road) because when I was learning to drive, a crazy guy with a blue light was pulling over women at night on the interstate to assault them.

So I'm always getting this conflicting advice of "don't go too far" and "don't be isolated, stay safe" and I never know what to do.

So their customer service is probably just as bad, but at least I just throw something on there for a price and leave it, no auction required. They also issue me the money through direct deposit, rather than waiting for payment from a customer.

But I'll continue to believe what I believe, and you'll continue to be convinced that everyone is out to get you and that only CONSTANT VIGILANCE can protect you.

I think my world is a much better place to live in. If, ten years down the line, I suddenly find myself victim of fraud because a cashier looked at my driver's license for ten seconds, I'll be sure to think, "Wow, that random person on the internet was right."

Cashiers aren't infallible. There are situations where they have participated in identity theft. A ten second glance at your ID when you use a credit card is not one of them. TEN SECONDS. That is what I'm talking about. Not about walking off with it, not about writing down your information on a check, not about even carrying your card to a kiosk to ring you up.

If you want to continue to think I'm running around shouting my social from rooftops or something, have fun with that. You obviously want to feel like you're on a righteous crusade and make a bigger situation out of this than I'm even talking about.

If you're going to think refusing to show your ID when you use your credit card is equal to the Declaration of Independence or the overthrow of the Roman Empire, I'm sure you're life is fascinating. I have better things to do.

I get my payments as Amazon gift certificates, so I can buy random things for myself (usually also through the marketplace) and it's pretty helpful. I do think they take a big cut out of your money, but I can't recall how much. But getting it out of my house is more important to me.

I don't believe cashiers and waitresses are too stupid to steal your information. I think they don't give a damn. I worked retail for ten years, I know I didn't care a whit about anything written on somebody's ID card. Most cashiers don't even LOOK, they're just asking to see if you present it or not. If you whip out the ID, they go "Look, they have it" and move on.

When you can show me an instance of a two second register ID check resulting in identity theft, I'll reconsider. But I don't think it ever has happened, and I don't think it ever will. You can stand on your invasion of privacy, that's a valid idea and I don't believe it but I can see how you would.

But protecting your identity? Next you'll be saying a police officer has no right to ask for your license when you get pulled over for reckless driving because he might memorize your address.

All that said, I still think if you have a problem and you're within the merchant agreement to refuse, then by all means refuse. That isn't going to stop most of the population from thinking you're overreacting and being bothersome. Why? Because we recognize that the cashier isn't some seedy identity thief waiting for the perfect idiot. They're just somebody who was told to ask for ID so they did, and you'll be lucky if they remember your name two seconds after you've walked away.

If the people who did these jobs wanted to be thieves, there are much better targets than a two second glance at your license.

I agree that they're cheese on toast, but honestly, the guys I work with like them and find them extremely useful. They cut traffic entirely out of the equation when they need to get somewhere.

If the person in front of me at the store turned around during an argument with the clerk and said, "Did you know that they can't refuse me this purchase if I don't show my ID?" I would happily say, "Yes, it is in violation of their merchant agreement, you should ask to call Visa from their phone."

If I still worked at a store, I would only be asking for ID if the card was unsigned (and thus not valid) or if it specifically said "See ID." Most stores seem to operate on that principle. If my manager told me to check everyone's ID, I would inform him of this clause in the merchant agreement.

Everybody who reads this article now is empowered with knowledge to do with what they will.

Also, I have updated my address. Which is evidenced by the little card hidden in BEHIND my license, which I can conveniently show to anybody that actually needs to see it. But they don't issue you a new license for an address change here.

As for the protection, you think it doesn't protect anybody to ask for ID. I think it does. The beautiful thing here is that we're free to disagree, and now we all know what we are and aren't allowed to do. You go on refusing to show your ID, and I'll go on happily complying by showing mine.

It's called picking your battles. I don't think this one is worth fighting.

In other words, this particular issue, I prefer they check a photo ID (where they can get no more information than my name, my social isn't on my ID card, my address is currently wrong on the printed card, so what are they going to find out, I'm an organ donor?) This does not present a security threat TO me, and does prevent one, so I'm fine with it.

I'm fine with receipt checking depending on the attitude and method.

The line for me is drawn pretty clearly at "Something simple that protects both me and the merchant." Both of these practices do that.

If they asked for my passport or wanted me to fill out an I9, yes I'd have a problem. If I got pulled over and was told to prove my citizenship (as some counties in Virginia are doing now) I would have a problem.

But showing my ID when I check out at IHOP? I have "SEE ID" written next to my signature.

It's fine that you can get all up in arms about this if you want to, but honestly, is it worth caring about? I say no.

Added bonus, he's only gotten better looking with age. Trust me.

The only reason I can see is the one you bring up, that the tests involved could create other health issues. But really, if one person found a tumor because of a self exam, then I think that qualifies as something that does more good than harm.

The piece of plastic on the front of the machine is useless. But a good hand tamper does the job.

I'm not sure which Robin we're talking about, it must be TV show Robin. Or maybe Jason Todd.

Because in the comics, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake _love_ asking questions and generally undermining Batman. That seems to carry over into the animated series as well, and Dick Grayson didn't seem like a complete pushover in the movies...

So all I can gather is we're talking about Burt Ward.

Agreed. I'd rather have the anxiety of finding something unusual and getting it tested/going to the doctor than the anxiety of knowing that a cancer has been there for months when I could have known.

I feel the same way about annual GYN exams. Sure, I don't like them, but I'd rather say I don't have cancer than say I'll pass on fifteen minutes of discomfort.

When it comes to cancer, better safe than sorry.

@meadandale: Maybe you don't see that what they're saying is that you level the grounds with the EDGE of the tamper. Anybody who has worked as a barista should be able to use a flat surface other than their finger to level grounds. If nothing else, have a knife on hand and level it with that.

Leveling with your finger really shouldn't be done.

*sigh* The post office gives those boxes out free to be nice to the people using their expensive services. When you abuse it, it's like stealing software, all it does is hurt other consumers.

This is very very clearly against their rules, which are really simple to find (I think it's printed on the boxes).

You may not like the rules, but you should still follow them unless you want to face the consequences of breaking them. People like this drive me insane. Stop griping that you got in trouble for breaking the law, please.

@DashTheHand: it is illegal to use priority mail or express mail boxes for ANYTHING other than mailing items Priority or Express. He was turning the boxes inside out and then using them to ship through cheaper channels, this is illegal. Plenty of people do it, but it doesn't change the fact that you're not supposed to.

(For the record, I wouldn't care if he had dumpster dived and used the boxes for moving or for packing up some personal stuff for storage. But using it for cheaper mailing is the bad part).

The comments state over and over again that these are bulk discs, purchased specifically by Netflix because of the volume.

The concerns were addressed, he said, "yes, that is correct" and that they would double check to see if they thought somebody really was pulling a great scam on them.

But honestly, the amount of work that would go into copying a disc and then sending in the copy instead so you keep the original...only to net you the original of a disc you've copied (no box art, or even a box at all) seems to be too much effort for too little reward.

And as Lyrai points out, anime companies are frequently putting out different editions of the same show. Episode counts would be different, labels, extras, etc. They do this pretty consistently, putting out individual discs and then a boxed set, followed by another "ultimate" boxed set, and then perhaps a "no frills" bargain boxed set... It's really hard to keep track.

So if min. wage requires you take home say, $50 per shift, and with tips you're still only making $30, the restaurant owes you $20.

Most waitstaff I know of don't rock the boat on this policy though, and I wish more would. Restaurants need to stop taking advantage of the system.

Though I still think that if an owner is working as a waiter and gets a tip, they deserve to keep it just as much as the other wait staff do. I'm very surprised at the people who seem to think that the money you give should go to the person you give it to, unless it's the owner in which case, they don't deserve it.

I think a lot of people commenting here have never worked for a place that does tips. In the coffeeshop where I worked, there was a tip jar and even if you were handed tips, they went in the jar. At the end of your shift, you counted the jar and took your share (depending on how many people were working at the time). Only managers were not allowed to take a share of the tips, and our supervisor very rarely would take them out of respect.

But considering that the owners ARE also waiting tables, I don't think it's outside ethics to take their share of the tips (they're doing the same work, they get their share) and putting it back into the business. Because it's THEIR money, to do with as they see fit.

This doesn't sound like the kind of place that is making a lot of money for the owners.

Show me news stories where this specific thing has happened. Not identify theft in general, but where the theft has been because of a clerk with a photographic memory or something remembering the address shown on an ID and stealing the identity.

I don't find it even remotely likely unless they leave your presence with the card. In which case, you could get cranky. But looking at it while you're standing there for two seconds? Really? That's an inroad to rampant identity theft?

Some people might have valid points in these arguments against showing the ID, this is not one of them.

I approve of this suggestion.

That's what I was curious about. Normally, wouldn't an interest rate like that have to be specified on the IOU and if it isn't, then I would assume they just owe her $300. Where did she pull this interest rate? Or is it inflation? And if it's inflation, then confederate dollars didn't inflate...

This particular version is a good company, that's why I chose them. I'm sure they have their faults, but honestly, Blue Cross =/= the same thing every time.

You are seriously afraid of this? Really?

I personally sign the card and THEN write "please see ID" in the corner. And then promptly forget and am confused when people ask because 90% of the time they don't.

This just goes to show there is no such thing as a common consensus. I'd say most of us would rather have to show ID so our accounts are safe, where a handful of people would rather not show ID and protect their privacy or whatever.

Good comment: "If the police department did behave this badly, the offending officer's actions need to be looked at. If he arrested somebody for this, then he shouldn't be working there anymore."

You don't even have to be so nice in the good comment, you just should maybe think to say "IF" and realize that who cares what information is available at the time? Ignorance is no excuse. Everybody who read that story knew that the police hadn't made a statement to confirm or deny. So you knew just as well that you didn't have the whole story.