FARMINGTON (AP) – A 65-year-old woman who went into a Farmington supermarket to buy wine was turned away because she didn’t have an ID with her. But Barbara Skapa of Mount Vernon says that won’t happen again.

“I’ll be bringing my driver’s license with me from now on,” Skapa said.

She normally carries her license. But with her leg in a cast, Skapa was being driven by a friend when she went into the Hannaford Bros. market last week in and picked up several items, including a few bottles of wine.

The cashier told her it was policy to check for identification, said Skapa, who believes “no one would mistake me for 30 or even 40.” Skapa asked if her friend could buy the wine for her, but that was disallowed too because it’s considered “third-party” purchasing. Skapa asked to see the manager.

A spokeswoman for the supermarket chain, Rebecca Howes, said Hannaford’s new policy is to check IDs of anyone who looks under 45 and wants to buy alcohol. The previous policy was to check for proof of age of those who look younger than 30.

The policy is not unlike those of many other Maine businesses and chains who want to stop minors from illegally buying alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.

In 2005, the state Legislature passed a law that requires identification from those who look under 27 years old before they can buy either.

The Big Apple chain’s 90 stores in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont require clerks to require identification from anyone, regardless of age, who buys alcohol or tobacco. The strict policy went into effect after two Portland stores sold alcohol to minors in one night.

Earlier this year, some Portland establishments tightened their ID policies following an undercover sting of dozens of bars and convenience stores that led to 20 summonses for selling alcohol to underage customers. One restaurant, the Flatbread Co., told employees to card anyone ordering drinks who looks under 40.

A pilot program called Card ME was launched recently by the state Office of Substance Abuse and Maine’s Higher Education Alcohol Prevention Partnership. It gives participating businesses educational guidebooks and material to help employees spot fake IDs.

AP-ES-09-06-07 1148EDT

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