Which is honestly sad. Would we ideally not show equal respect for those who don't care to have their ID registered for every little thing? Isn't that a reasonable thing to want anymore?

If they're loud, obnoxious or stubborn about it (if they don't accept a reasonable explanation), that's obviously something else. I'm not talking about people being a dick. Just the general principle of taking that moment to explain the why rather than assuming anyone who doesn't immediately comply with a "hand over your ID for registration" order must have security called upon them as in the example above.

Full disclosure: I'm also this kind of person. Needed to authenticate myself to get a phone number (a regular phone number, both pre and post paid at different times so that's not the difference) at a local office. The person behind the register takes my ID, I figured she'd check and we'd be good, but then she puts both sides under some reader. I happen to know it's illegal to copy the national identifier code (BSN in Dutch) but I don't want to be obnoxious right? Not as if she's a lawyer, she's just doing what she's told to. So I just ask (politely, I thought, not stopping her or anything) which field(s) the machine copies. Well now did I want to let her do her job or should I find myself another carrier maybe? was the retort.

Hotels, similar thing. Photocopying an ID in that situation is illegal for the same reason. Employees get hostile faster than a tesla gets to 60, and I'm left feeling of a different generation before I'm even 30 years old. Anonymity is not an option, heck even complying with GDPR is not something one can expect, but refusing to even inform me what they're doing? That's off limits now?

They made no explanation to tell me what was going on, and as I pointed out I had purchased the same product many times before (as in buying a single once or twice a year over the last decade, not every day).

If they want to control the sale of it then they can put it behind the counter or put a giant advisory sign nex tto it on the shelf. But they don't do that because it will hurt profits. I don't care about their problems with meth heads.

This is not just about the situation of buying one kind of cold medicine. I'm in my 50s, why should I need to present ID if I wish to buy a beer or attend a show? Sure, the answer is 'we have to minimize our liability' but the answer to that is not to violate everyone else's privacy and autonomy.

I'm an easygoing responsible person who doesn't do stupid shit. I'm just running out of patience with public and commercial entities handing me the metaphorical bill for every imaginable security issue. The USA has turned into a nation of paranoids where people are interrogated over things like nail clippers.

Well I am not familiar with the law but if it doesn’t specifically mandate some sort of warning or sign then it’s not surprising pharmacies want to cut costs as much as possible. You can vote with your time and wallet and go to a more upscale pharmacy with presumably better service.