Refused booze in tesco again

LittleMissAspie

The laws don't add up.

It is legal to drink alcohol at home over the age of 5.
It is legal to drink alcohol in a restaurant over the age of 16.
It is illegal to buy alcohol under 18.
It is illegal to buy alcohol for someone else who is under 18.

nickmack

Very interesting thread and it seems that some of the supermarket policies have gone somewhat over the top. Any store can refuse to sell anything to anyone for any reason, but some of the excuses being trotted out for alcohol are bordering on farcical.

There are instances of some parents being refused when they are accompanied by a minor, even though common sense would dictate the alcohol is not going to be given to an under 18. For example an expensive bottle of wine/Guinness/Real Ale are unlikely to be the tipple of choice for a teen or younger child.

Who is putting pressure on supermarkets to go to these lengths in trying to 'protect' minors? Local councils do purchase tests and police forces sometimes trace where alcohol has been bought when confiscated from minors. Media outbursts about binge drinking don't help and may scare some stores into implimenting over the top policies.

Erring on the side of caution is understandable, but simply refusing to sell alcohol because your 17 year old helps you unload your shopping onto the conveyor belt and has therefore 'presented' the alcohol is verging on ridiculous. If the minor is salivating and making comments about how much they will enjoy the alcohol in front of the cashier, fair enough, but common sense should prevail here. The problem is the cashiers and their supervisors are just blindly following company policy because they're required to. It's these policies or the way they're being relayed to staff that seems to be an issue. There's often no discretion because staff are terrified of losing their jobs if they get it wrong.

Of course, home shopping throws another dimension into the mix. I regularly buy alcohol in our home delivery. Sometimes, my 18 month old son comes to the door with me when the shopping arrives and starts to 'help' unpack. Should the driver take all the shopping away because he may touch my bottle of Innes and Gunn?

Hypothetically, what happens if I have a 5 year old with me at home and whilst receiving the order, I crack open a bottle of Organic Honeydew Ale and let my child have a swig? As long as the alcohol was bought by me and not specifically for a minor, they may legally drink at home. If you were to announce this in the supermarket at the till, I'd guess it's likely you'd be refused the sale.

Responsible drinking behaviour does begin at home, and other European countries, although not immune to binge drinking, generally have much less of an issue. France, Italy and Spain spring to mind as countries where children are introduced to a small amount of alcohol with meals from a younger age.

Gerrard_8_lfc

The law is a shamble kids can drink if the parents say so in the house.

I shouldnt really but store polices annoy me so much its good to watch them being uneasy with your forward approach. " you got id" "yes" and the wait.

totally disagree with mothers and father not being able to get booze cos the stores policy or .... sorry the young check out agent I have yet to ask for there age and ID yet which I will do because I feel sorry for familys who want a bottle of wine for a relaxing night after work and companys ruin it.

I have a licence to sell booze now so I might be mean and cause a stir in the supermarket to stick up for the dad who wants beer and the mum who wants wine lmao watch this space ( Ill no doubt gt told im a waste of space but hey ho)

Mutter_2

My daughter was refused Champagne Truffles in Thorntons without I.D!

williham

Mutter wrote: »

My daughter was refused Champagne Truffles in Thorntons without I.D!

Aparrently the law is 16 for alcoholic chocolates.

RedCanadaHat

I'm 26 and when I buy wine at the local Co-op I get ID'ed every single time. Even by the same shop assistant. He knows me for gods sake! I guess they have to do it in front of their security cameras.

valos_mummy

The only thing that worries me a bit with this is we'll soon start to see groups of children stood by the entrance waiting for the adult to finish paying for their shopping. Not only would it block up the entrance, but it's only going to take one child to wander off into the carpark; and if anything bad happens (walk into path of a car, someone tries to make off with them..), all hell is going to break loose against the supermarket. It is an incredibly stupid rule.:mad:

I don't usually mind getting ID'd myself because I'm 29! In fact me and my best friend have a running contest of who was the latest to get ID'd! I'm 30 next month, so if I get ID'd then I'll be very happy

I bought a PASS card as I don't drive or have a passport; It's cheaper too, only a tenner so more mse than buying a learner license to use as ID:money:

before_hollywood

i moved recently, due to my age (28) the only official i.d i have is my passport and driving license.
driving license needs to be sent away for address change and passport is in a locked safe at another house, which means driving 10 miles to obtain and return it if i want alcohol before i get my new license

davetrousers

RIGHT that's it!

It's a Driving Licence!!! when spelt license it is a verb!

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

Going to lie down now.

Salz

If they refused to serve alcohol to anyone who had kids with them in my local Tesco they wouldn't have any customers left:rotfl: