NewJourneyStart

I found when I was drinking, that all the employees in all my local convenience stores recognized me as I was going in there sometimes twice daily to buy alcohol.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Has anyone else made an effort to find a different local store to buy alcohol from because they felt they were going to certain ones too often to buy booze?

Is this a thing or am I just imagining it?

Many thanks!

August252015

You are not imagining it. I found it amazing the extent of the "known" I had so, so many places.

If you feel this outright- or even since you have considered going to various places to mix it up - yep, it is almost certainly true. Attempts to do any kind of "I don't go here often," trying to pretend you're buying for a party or more people than yourself, enacting scenarios to create nonchalance etc - hallmark signs of alcoholic behavior.

I had employees know my preference and get that particular vodka off the shelf as I even approached the counter; even at restaurants I thought I didn't frequent that often, bartenders new my name or at least face, and certainly my cocktail or wine preference. I can think of more than one employee at some restaurants who clearly knew me - pretty well, as I must have had regular interaction, chit chat with them- and I simply cannot recall their names. It is an uneasy feeling to discover this.

Now, I don't go to those places or stores (certainly not liquor stores and I wasn't a big convenience store buyer, and my regular grocery store is not a place I bought a lot of wine, so being known doesn't include that- I did switch Publixes though, from the one in a neighborhood where I lived when I was drinking though) and to ones I do go now where I am still recognized, I just order water and move on; I don't go often enough for questions about why I am not drinking.

IMO this is one of the things we just have to move on from, change any habits that apply (the grocery store example since alc is still available there but we have legit reasons we need to go) and cross this off the to-worry-about list. It is a bit embarrassing but we can limit or remove our exposure to it.

Forward12

I use to do this all the time between 3 different stores as I was embarrassed that the clerks would begin to know me, and my alcohol problem. I since moved and only go to one now that is close by, and it's always the same guy working there. I've even gotten booze and christmas day and new years day as well, and I could see the look of pity in his eyes, it was really depressing,..

Behappy1

Yes, I had a rotation. It's embarrassing now. I bought all of my cheap vodka at carry outs. You're not imagining it.

entropy1964

Yeah its a thing.

Wastinglife

By the time I began to drink alcohollically, I no longer cared if the store clerks were recognizing I was a 'frequent' customer. I just wanted my booze as quick as possible so I would go to nearest liquor store. Although, on one occasion I was refused service because I had gone back a 2nd time the same day after I had already finished all my booze due to starting at 10am in the morning. Madness.

JD

It's very common. I used to drink a lot of a fairly uncommon beer. I'm sure I screwed up their inventory control when I stopped drinking. They probably still have a lot of that beer they don't know what to do with.

GnikNus

I used to go to mainly one store, but I would go to another maybe once or twice a week to avoid being in there "again." Now I shop at the same neighborhood store a couple of times a week. I stand in line behind people buying 12 packs ad I'm so glad that it isn't me anymore. The strongest thing they see me buy now is ice cream.

Anna

I bought alcohol to drink at home only, and yes, I shopped at a few different places and felt very self-conscious.

VirginiaWoof

Rueful smile from me - I tended to frequent large supermarkets more as the chances of 'being recognised' were smaller BUT yes, I used to rotate between local shops.

Behappy1

If I went to large super markets, I stuck the bottle of vodka underneath a bag of chips in case I ran in to anyone. Also looked around to be sure I was in the shortest checkout line - closest to the door. Man - ridiculous. How methodical buying liquor became. How stressful too.

VirginiaWoof

Yes !!!! And the amount of times I gave the cashier some story about my neighbour asking me to pick them up a couple of bottles of wine while rolling my eyes!

fripfrop

I would start drinking at 8 in the morning, on my way to work (when I had work), there was only one shop I could go in on my route, and the people who worked in the shop would reach for the vodka before I even reached the counter..yes..everyone who worked in the shop knew me

Soberwolf

What Anna said but il add this by the end any shop that sold alcohol I went into within a 15-20 min walking distance knew I was either an alcoholic or massive drinker

BBQBOY

My experience is similar to Wastinglife...I used to rotate stores to by my vodka because I was embarrassed with my consumption. Then after many years doing this...I just didn't care anymore. I went to the same store, it was also the cheapest store, every day. Just another symptom of this progressive disease.

SnazzyDresser

I got to know the clerks so well at the gas station where I bought beer every day, they literally invited me to one of their parties once. The part of me that was ashamed to be the local drunk I managed to keep tamped down most of the time.

GabrielleSolis1

Oh, yes. Absolutely. The last time I went to my local Tesco Extra, to buy a box of wine, I was [I] absolutely paranoid [I] about what the cashier must be thinking of me, that I was physically shaking so bad!! I couldn't get out of there fast enough... the next morning I phoned AA and that evening I went to a meeting. You are definitely not the only one to do this.

GAHaley

Definitely. I went to about 5 different stores and after a while they all knew me. And like August, at a couple they would have it ready for me as I approached the counter. I always hated that cause it just reminded me how low I had sunk.

Ruby2

I rotated stores so I wasn't buying alcohol at the same place, every day. If I had to go to the same place, I'd pretend that I was buying for a party.

It felt good when the clerk at one store I used to frequent asked "no beer today?" and I could respond "No. No beer."

2Wheelterror

I never cared about people recognizing me buying beer. I was more concerned about getting home to drink. So no I never rotated stores, same store day after day on my way home from work.