Wawa Tests New Age-Restricted Sales Policy at Select Stores

PHILADELPHIA — Some Wawa Inc. convenience stores in Pennsylvania have posted public notices that they will begin carding everyone who wishes to purchase tobacco, vape or alcoholic products.

Wawa cashiers are now asking for valid identification for any such purchases, regardless of the apparent age of the customer. The company told Patch the policy is "a test in select stores."

"We continuously work to ensure our store teams have streamlined processes in place to support them in consistently complying with the law," said Wawa Public Relations Manager Lori Bruce.

The new store rule appears to be a reaction to several developments over the last few years, especially in regard to certain types of prohibited sales. In 2019, Congress passed legislation raising the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21 and requires sellers to check the ID of anyone who appears younger than 27. There have also been multiple lawsuits brought against e-cigarette companies accusing them of deliberately marketing vapes to underage youth, including a case that proceeded to trial in Minnesota last month.

Wawa has itself occasionally struggled with compliance under the new regulations. According to Patch, a north Philadelphia c-store received a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), finding it had sold cigars to an underage customer. Additionally, at least three other Philadelphia area locations — two in upper Darby and one in Drexel Hill — have been fined in the last six months over failures to adhere to FDA requirements, though none have been issued a no-tobacco-sale order, a more serious sanction for repeated non-compliance.

As of now Wawa has not released a statement on when or if the company plans to extend the new ID policy to the rest of its c-store network in the state.

Pennsylvania-based Wawa operates nearly 1,000 c-stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.