Editorial: Big Y fraternization policies go too far

By: Editorial Board

Posted: 10/13/08

Suppose you're 21 years old. You and a friend want to go to the grocery store to pick up a couple of items - some bread, some cheese, a little bit of fruit and maybe a six-pack for the weekend. Better make sure that friend is also 21; otherwise, you might not be able to buy the beer. Sound unfair?

Under a doctrine known as "fraternization," local Big Y stores have been refusing to sell students alcohol if they come with or speak to anyone in the grocery store who is under the age of 21. Big Y managers have refused to comment on this policy.

Although some liquor stores have had similar policies for years, Big Y's policy has gone too far. The devil in this situation is in the details: to begin with, Big Y is not a liquor store and doesn't sell any hard alcohol. Instead, the most students can pick up there is small quantities of beer or wine coolers, not nearly enough to fuel a party. Secondly, students go to Big Y mainly to pick up groceries, not alcohol. It is perfectly legal for students under the age of 21 to buy groceries, yet students must separate themselves by age (and not carpool) if they would also like to buy alcohol. Third, it is unfair for students to have to worry about who they happen to see or speak to in a public place. This is not communist Russia and we should not have to be afraid of a KGB-like monitoring system. If students happen to see people they know, they should be able to say hello without having it affect their ability to make a purchase.

Finally, the most troubling part of Big Y's fraternization policy is that it unfairly targets students. A mother shopping with her young child is unlikely to be targeted by this policy, but a senior would not be able to buy alcohol if shopping with their younger sibling.

Ultimately, this policy is both ridiculous and unfair. If a student is 21 years old, state law says they are legally allowed to purchase alcohol. Big Y is not the Supreme Court and it is not up to them to interpret this law.

In truth, the two local Big Y stores are largely dependent upon student shoppers as a stream of revenue. Perhaps students ought to take their business elsewhere, at least until Big Y reconsiders discriminating against them.