The other night, while playing poker at Lumiere Place, I needed a snack. Looking for something crunchy, I walked to the gift shop, found a small package of Planters cashews, and handed it to the cashier, who told me it would be 99 cents plus tax. I handed her my Lumiere players card, on which I have amassed hundreds of dollars in comps from all the hours of poker I've played there -- an amount that hasn't been depleted because I rarely buy anything while I'm playing.
The cashier took my card and asked to see some ID. She needed to verify that I was indeed the same Paul Harris whose name appears on the players card. I handed over my drivers license wordlessly, but inside my head I was asking, "Really? For a one dollar bag of nuts?"
I know it's company policy to ask everyone who uses a comp card to prove that it's really theirs, but if this weren't mine -- if I were engaged in some form of identity theft -- wouldn't I try to get away with something a little more expensive? Are there thieves who get their kicks from ripping off casino gift shops for a few salted nuts?
The funny thing is that I can use that same comp card to go upstairs to Lumiere's VIP dining room, where I can eat and drink as much as I want for free. And when I walk in, they just swipe my card without ever asking for my ID.
I guess it's a good thing they don't serve cashews up there.Labels: poker/vegas