The only thing to stop a bad minor with an egg is a good minor with an egg.
This is apparently not the philosophy of a Pennsylvania grocery store that recently displayed a sign stating that minors are not allowed to purchase eggs between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1.
Local resident Frank Tkachenko told The Huffington Post that he posted a photo of the sign -- which states the age restrictions are due to “safety concerns” -- online after his friend sent him the snapshot. Tkachenko said his friend took the photo at a Redner's Market store in Langhorne, but noted that he's heard of similar signs at other Redner's locations. The company operates 44 warehouse markets and 20 “quick shoppes” in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.
A customer service representative from the Langhorne store confirmed they had such a sign, but was not able to answer further questions. The Redner’s Market corporate office has not returned a request for comment.
Lancaster Online reported last year that the "no eggs to minors" rule is a chain-wide policy during the week surrounding Halloween, apparently to prevent eggings.
Pete Bourey, assistant store director in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, told Lancaster Online at the time that “there’s usually not a good outcome” when teens purchase eggs in late October. He also said he had not heard any complaints about the policy.
Adam Fletcher, director of nonprofit youth advocacy group The Freechild Project, told HuffPost that he sees some clear problems with the policy.
The policy assumes that all people under the age of 18 throw eggs around Halloween, and that no person under 18 could have a legitimate reason for buying eggs during that timeframe, Fletcher said. Moreover, he pointed out, the policy ignores that some minors are the primary purchasers of food in their homes -- like in households where minors are more physically capable than the adults in the home, or in households made up of legally emancipated minors.
“Ultimately, this sign exposes distrust, disdain and even antipathy towards people under 18 and their parents,” Fletcher said. “As a parent, I'm offended; as a youth advocate, I'm thoroughly disappointed.”
Some locals are also skeptical of the rule.
“Come on. Really? I mean, it's an egg,” Quakertown resident Wayne Mackiewicz told Fox 29.
Contact the author at Hilary.Hanson@huffingtonpost.com