She refused the adult based on her own (completely legal) judgement call that the child was the one the game was for.  The child was holding the money.  She was well within her rights to make that call.  

That is exactly the problem.  I'm sure if he hadn't done that the cashier probably wouldn't have cared but she decided to check and that's that. 

 Are you even reading what we're writing?  I know your Gamestop says one thing but, well, they're wrong.  They have the legal guardian rule to keep themselves from getting in trouble.  If anyone 17 year old could buy any 15 year old any M rated game you know the kind of trouble Gamestop could get in if one parent decided to throw a hissy fit?

By saying the legal guardian has to buy the game, they're protecting themselves from bitchy parents.  Parents can bitch and moan that their kids are playing terrible M rated games, but as long as the parent bought it there's nothing they can do to Gamestop.  If some other little snot bought the game then the parent has a case.

You can't buy alcohol in a store with a minor at all (cigarettes you can, as long as they don't suspect you to be buying them for a kid).  Your right, the main problem is that he took the cards from the brother, and that gave her the right to make the call that he was buying the game for him.  If a legal guardian had been given the gift cards by his son, then it would be a perfectly legal transaction and the cashier would have no right to make that call. 

And her judgement call was BS. I can make judgement calls to everyone that comes into my store and refuse to sell any of them anything and it would be within my rights. I've never ever seen parents walking around with legal documentation saying they were the legal guardian so I could tell them all to blow off when they try to buy a game with their kid around, and guess what, I'd get fired. 

The fact that he can't even get his money back makes it even worse. I say it was a pretty poor judgement call.  

WHAT?! What state are you in? That really sounds... anal I guess would be the right word.

I don't even think that a legal guardian had to have those gift cards, I'd be singing a different tune if the older brother had produced those gift cards.

No, you wouldn't be within your rights.  You wouldn't be within your rights to refuse a lone 21 year old man the purchase of a game.  You would be within your rights to refuse a 21 year old the right to buy a game if you had valid reason to suspect he was buying it for a minor he was accompanying who he was not the legal guardian for.  I'm sorry, but you clearly don't understand this law, and you are blowing this way out of proportion.  It's a system in place to protect stores.  Have you ever worked in an electronics store at a register? 

 If I came in with a 15 year old (I'm not going to use the 4 year old example because it's silly), went up to the register, took money from him, bought the game, and then the next day the parent called bitching they would veyr much get the Gamestop in a heap of hurt.  The Gamestop wouldn't lose money but more than liklely the manager would get fired and possibly the employee that sold the game.

Indiana, and yeah, it's pretty conservative around here. Actually though I'm wrong.  You can buy alcohol with a minor around, just not in a liquor store (where they aren't allowed in).  Again though, the store owner has the right to make the judgement call that you may be buying that alcohol for the minor and refuse you sale of it.

I meant anyone with a kid. I work at Gamestop...