Tesco and their alcohol policy!

jb66

Tesco wont refuse them, its in the checkout training pack for think 25

DrScotsman

Nor will Sainsbury's. I think the premise is that holograms can't be easily faked, and I'm guessing the truth of that premise hasn't lapsed yet.

loracan1

lufcgirl wrote: »

there was no notice displaying 'Challenge 25', there was no notice in the store saying of this rule about not allowing anyone to purchase alcohol who is with someone who looks under 25 so I think I had every right to be annoyed at it. And express my frustration at him.

Of course, I've never been in the store in question, but I find it hard to believe there are no notices displaying the Challenge 25 ruling. I'll put money on there being more than one.

If the till operator has the slightest suspicion (after undergoing the neverending ongoing age-restriction training) they have to request proof of age. Driving licence card, passport or card containing the pass logo. I've accepted police warrant cards before now.

It's not always easy to tell a person's age. Some folk look like they've had a hard paper round. Some women, especially if caked in makeup, can look anything between 15 and 40. Note I say 'some women' not many, it's a minority. We get the lads who're 18 and have the ID. They get refused because they're buying 3 litre bottles of cider and they've just been passed a fiver by their younger friend. Quite why they think having a hissy fit in full view of every single store assistant is going to help their cause is a mystery. (Far better to quietly walk away and try another till surely?) In fact their faces get remembered.

I woudn't request ID if someone is with their son/daughter - unless the son/daughter has tried to buy it first. I don't ID someone who looks 24 if they have broccoli, toilet roll and fairy liquid along with their 3 bottles of claret. I'll ID someone who looks 24 and is buying a pack of WKD though.

ETA: the oldest bloke I've id'd was 38, he didn't look young particularly, just that he'd bleached his hair a disastrous shade of yellow..for the life of me I couldn't gauge his age and the thought running through my head was 'surely no grown man would do that to his hair?'

lufcgirl

Well last night I spoke to my ex whose a police officer about all of it. She basically said they can refuse anyone regardless and it's to stop underage drinking. Although she did admit I had a fair enough point about it being me whose responsiblilty it should be and not the stores about who I sell alcohol onto.

So I accept her point, because I trust her immensely and I'm just prepared now for in future! I'll remember to go in on my own if I'm in the UK with anyone around my age for company with no ID!

mustrum_ridcully

lufcgirl wrote: »

Well last night I spoke to my ex whose a police officer about all of it. She basically said they can refuse anyone regardless and it's to stop underage drinking. Although she did admit I had a fair enough point about it being me whose responsiblilty it should be and not the stores about who I sell alcohol onto.

So I accept her point, because I trust her immensely and I'm just prepared now for in future! I'll remember to go in on my own if I'm in the UK with anyone around my age for company with no ID!

If the police actually did their job properly and nicked the underage drinkers who congregate in various places then they could nip the problem in the bud by removing the demand and we wouldn't have the stupidity we have now in the shops.

I know all about this as we had the problem of teenage drinkers near us and it took SO much effort to get the police to do anything. Eventually they did (as the people in the area got organised and so they probably did it to get us off their backs).

lufcgirl

I live in a small village and I can name at least 12 places where kids congregate to drink. We don't have a local police station, it's in the neighbouring town and their officers have enough to deal with. Theres regular stabbings, murders, theft so I think the police try to do as much as they can however other things take priority.

However if they are going to have a policy like Challenge 25, it should be everywhere, and that would make it more well known, kids wouldn't have the ability to get hold of alcohol so easily and at least I'd have known about it in advance to prevent this sort of problem.

Cromwell405a

That's the point though isn't it? Responsible retailers are following through on these measures, it's the not so responsible ones where minors are getting their booze from. That's why the law is being tightened and enforced more, in order to try to convince them being irresponsible retailers isn't worth it.

duchy

My favourite was refusing service to someone with no ID who looked a questionable 18 -his mate who looked about 14 then piped up -yes he's 19 I know he is -he's in my class. I looked just at the original lad who glowered at his mate and then stomped off.
Could have been a uni class I suppose but by the look on his face I'd say not

As for retailer responsibility -do what they do in the US. One strike and they lose their licence for a period of time (think it's a month). Works like a charm. Everyone knows to carry ID and most places routinely ID up to thirty. Frankly I'd rather carry ID than pick my way though bunches of drunken teenagers on the street.

lufcgirl

See, I dunno maybe I have a different view from everyone else. My whole problem lay with that, yeah I don't mind providing ID as I was buying but my OH was there. OH is Irish, had on them a credit card, debit card and a teaching council ID card.

Now would you expect someone (with a heavy Irish accent) to carry their passport around with them in a coat pocket on the off chance they may get ID'd. If the passport was lost then they couldn't get home so I don't think she should have to carry it around. I would've thought a credit card coupled with the ID card would have made it slightly viable under the circumstances. In Ireland it's a paper driving licence so again wouldn't have even brought to the UK with her as no point.

So I guess our circumstances were slightly different from normal, but I'm willing to accept she should have had more ID to be served and we'll know for next time.

Tigsteroonie

Back on the original subject of whether a person accompanying the purchaser should also carry ID to prove their age (I think the two threads are now getting confused) ....

Just came back from Asda. There are clear signs up about "Challenge 25" explaining that, if you want to buy alcohol and look under 25, you may get asked for ID. There are NO signs saying that you cannot be accompanied by somebody else (family, friend) who appears underage.