In May 2008, on my 18th birthday (18 is the legal drinking age in NZ) two friends and I went into town after visting other friends, we were going to buy our own drinks from a liquor store and then go home to drink and celebrate. We stopped at Betty's Liquor Store on Colombo Store simply because we were passing it, upon entering the store and walking towards the drinks I was confronted by a woman that demanded to see my I.D, I told her that I didn't note a sign outside that said that the store was restricted to 18+ year olds ( I havn't known another liquor store to exclude access to under 18yr olds). She said she needed to see my I.D immediately, I handed over my licence and told her it was my birthday, she said 'so it is' in the most sarcastic tone she could muster she then accosted my friends who were with me and demanded their I.D they also asked whether the store was restricted to 18+ yr olds, she didn't answer. When she checked one of my friends who didn't have I.D though she was a year older than me, she was escorted her the 3 feet to the door and told her not to come back in. When my friend indicated to me that she would wait at the door the woman told my friend to 'go away' and 'stop hanging around' my embarassed friend walked back to the car alone, I quickly selected my drinks and went to pay while I was paying the woman told me off like I was her child and said never come back with someone that doesn't have I.D, I grabbed my drinks and told her she didn't need to worry because I wasn't going to come back at all. Outside I noted there wasn't anything to indicate that people without I.D could not be in the store. I thought she was rude and I believe I was discriminated against because of my age.
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