A Purdue University engineering student showed his Puerto Rican identification card to two CVS employees who said he couldn’t buy cold medicine. The customer service representative and a supervisor at the Indiana store said he needed to show a valid U.S. ID card or visa. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

José Guzmán Payano told reporters his point of view:

"And then when she asked me for a visa, I was in shock at that time. It wasn't worth talking anymore. It is weird because we're such a broad campus at Purdue. There are people from everywhere. But I can't use my ID from Puerto Rico? Not even my passport? This shouldn't happen here. Period."

Guzmán Payano also explained the situation to his mother, who relayed the story on Facebook, which attracted attention. Although Guzmán Payano filed a complaint with CVS, it took more than a week for the company to respond—after the story appeared in a local newspaper. The company told The NY Times this was an “an isolated incident,” and confirmed, “We absolutely recognize Puerto Rican driver’s licenses to be a valid form of U.S. identification.

A spokesperson for CVS said the company will investigate:

"We are committed to ensuring that every customer receives courteous, outstanding service in our stores, and we apologize to the customer for his recent experience. We are fully investigating this matter to learn more about what occurred."

CVS exterior image source. CVS interior image source.

Discussion:

• In Guzmán Payano’s mother’s Facebook post, she wonders how this could have happened: “Was it his accent? Was it his skin color? Was it the Puerto Rican flag on the license?” What do you think?

• How well has CVS handled the situation to this point? What, if anything, should the company have done differently? What should they do now?

• In an updated post, Guzmán Payano’s mother asks people not to harm CVS employees. This isn’t the first time we have seen violent reactions following social media posts. What’s your view of this?