Is it OK for a convenience store manager to prevent children from buying power drinks in his store?

You mean energy drinks? Hell yes it’s ok. The person should get a raise. Some of them can cause quite a bit of harm to your body, especially if it’s still developing. Biggest problem is they couple caffeine with high dose B vitamins. Kinda hard on the kidneys.

Only if they refuse service to all unaccompanied minors.

You can refuse service to anyone with cause but that cause must be consistent.

I’m ok with it. I don’t know if the law supports it.

They should refuse to sell that shit to anyone, but minors especially.

They’re potentially dangerous to young developing bodies. Shopkeepers have every right to refuse to sell them to youngsters IMO

Ever had a swig of the Mountain Dew every kid and many adults drink?
Try working with a room full of them after they had that for lunch….
Yow!

The FDA is currently investigating energy drink companies and their caffeine content (with an eye toward requiring accurate labeling of caffeine content.)

There is also a current suit filed against Monster Energy Drinks by the parents of a 14 yr. old who died. The coroners report stated COD as “heart arrythmia caused by caffaine intoxication.”

(It mentions also that she did have a hereditary condition which weakens the heart vessels, so it’s unclear what the outcome will be. But the cause of death was clear.)

Monster drinks contain 240 mgs. of caffeine (which is 7 times the amount found in a 12 ounce can of Coke). This girl had two cans in less than 24 hrs.

The crux of the case is that they had not labeled the caffeine content on their cans (even tho they’ve now changed their policy and will change their labels to include caffeine content.)

Most of the energy drinks currently do not label their caffeine content, thus leaving consumers totally in the dark regarding this vital piece of info.

I think this store owner is completely right to deny purchase to minors. Presumably that means ALL minors. So his criteria for refusal of service of THIS ITEM appears to be age. Presumably they can buy anything else they want from his store so he isn’t discriminating against them by refusing service altogether.

I don’t see a problem with this at all. No kid is going to die if they can’t buy an energy drink ( and apparently one has already died from drinking them).

He also refuses to sell them alcohol or cigarettes (because the law says so). So, regarding the energy drinks, he’s a step of two ahead of the law. So what?

Good for him. Apparently he has a conscience and is acting upon it. Perhaps he doesn’t want to see another kid die from drinking too much of this stuff. And because these companies won’t label caffeine content, how can a kid (or anyone else) decide how much is too much? So, he’s decided that it’s safer to limit kids purchases of these high powered drinks to zero.

I mean, it makes no sense financially speaking, for him to do this. There must be a hefty profit margin in these sugar water concoctions.

But, apparently, he’s giving up profit for the greater good (as he sees it)
And I think he has every right to do so and should be applauded.