An Odd Policy?

On 6-4-09 at around 8pm. I went to Fry's to purchase a few items, an amount totaling $130.00. As I was writing out a check, the sales person asked me if I had ever written one at Frys before. I explained that the checks were drawn from a new account and that while I hadn't written one from this bank I was sure I had made other purchases via check in the past. After dialing the phone (presumably to call my bank)and reading off questions from a list, eg where I live, what I do for a living I Was told that the store didn't have any way to verify my account e.g. VeriSign and that (despite having a valid form of ID that matched the information on the check)they wouldn't accept my check as payment.