?
Now, why might Rite Aid have such a policy? There are organized groups who literally exist to try to ensnare retail establishments that sell cigarettes and liquor by sending in under-age young men and women to try to buy beer or cigarettes or whatever. I'm guessing several Rite Aid stores got caught through some clerks' misjudgment, and Rite Aid is either doing more than is legally required so as to boost clerks' vigilance, or some regulatory agency may have imposed this on Rite Aid in that state.
I don't know about other places, but here in Illinois, those organized groups are state and local police agencies.