Sainsbury's checking IDs

rainbow_carnage

Went into Sainsbury's the other day to buy a bottle of wine and some other things for a friend's dinner party. The girl at the till refused to sell me the wine because I didn't have any ID on me.

I'm 29. I look 29. I understand that there are people who look a lot younger than their age. I'm not that lucky. You would have to be blind to mistake me for a teenager.

The sign on the till said that they check IDs for people who are under the age of 25. I'm not, nor do I look, under-25.

I don't drive, so my only form of ID is my passport. I'm not going to carry it around with me all the time on the off-chance that I want to buy alcohol. I did that when I was 20, but then it made sense.

I understand that it's their job to check ID, but if you can't accurately guess a person's age, give or take a decade, you probably shouldn't be in a job that involves working with people. I mean, that's a third of my life.

It's not flattering. It's idiotic.

sarahg1969

Even if you do look as young as 25, they don't seem to have the gumption to realise that you couldn't possibly be as young as 17.

superscaper

Did you ask to speak to a manager who could have authorised it? It does sound ridiculous but they've probably been drilled into taking side of caution which is the sensible way around. Sounds like in this case they're taking that to extreme and only accepting ID and not bothering with visually filtering people. I very much doubt it's store policy which is why I'm wondering if you'd asked to see manager.

rainbow_carnage

superscaper wrote: »

Did you ask to speak to a manager who could have authorised it? It does sound ridiculous but they've probably been drilled into taking side of caution which is the sensible way around. Sounds like in this case they're taking that to extreme and only accepting ID and not bothering with visually filtering people. I very much doubt it's store policy which is why I'm wondering if you'd asked to see manager.

I didn't. I was in a hurry to get to the dinner. I just left all of the stuff at the till and went to another store down the street where they happily sold me the wine.

Even if the checkout girl can't visually tell the difference between a child and an adult, all she had to do was look at the things I was buying. It wasn't a 2L bottle of cider or alco-pops. It was a £12-bottle of cote du rhone and some posh cheeses. How many teenagers buy those things?

superscaper

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

I didn't. I was in a hurry to get to the dinner. I just left all of the stuff at the till and went to another store down the street where they happily sold me the wine.

Even if the checkout girl can't visually tell the difference between a child and an adult, all she had to do was look at the things I was buying. It wasn't a 2L bottle of cider or alco-pops. It was a £12-bottle of cote du rhone and some posh cheeses. How many teenagers buy those things?

I didn't mean whether she could actually tell, quite the opposite, I meant she wasn't even trying to and was simply IDing everyone no matter what.

robpw2

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

Even if the checkout girl can't visually tell the difference between a child and an adult, all she had to do was look at the things I was buying. It wasn't a 2L bottle of cider or alco-pops. It was a £12-bottle of cote du rhone and some posh cheeses. How many teenagers buy those things?

i guess just those who move in my circles lol
we were not all chavs who drink white lightning lol

ses6jwg

Buy a provisional license. They're only doing their job.

rainbow_carnage

robpw2 wrote: »

i guess just those who move in my circles lol
we were not all chavs who drink white lightning lol

Hehe. You must be very posh. I went to quite a posh school. We didn't drink White Lightening, but I don't remember ever going to the shop and coming back with £30 worth of cheeses.

donquine

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

I don't drive, so my only form of ID is my passport. I'm not going to carry it around with me all the time on the off-chance that I want to buy alcohol. I did that when I was 20, but then it made sense.

I still carry my passport around. Some places don't accept a provisional licence (not sure why - same security checks to get one) so this is my only option if I want to make sure I can always get served/buy alcohol.

I've noticed that the more high end the business, the less likely I am to get asked for ID. M&S for example never ask - I like to think the staff are well enough trained/experienced to realise I'm not a kid trying to sneak a dram. I'd probably have much cheaper stuff in my basket if I was.

Best is when I do my shopping after work - in a suit, with a debit card, buying posh ingredients. Common sense, please! I'm obviously over 21...

rainbow_carnage

ses6jwg wrote: »

Buy a provisional license. They're only doing their job.

How is that? The sign says that they check people under 25. I'm not under 25. If I was, I would respect the store policy and bring my passport. Is their job to ignore the listed policy and require that everyone show ID?

donquine

ses6jwg wrote: »

Buy a provisional license. They're only doing their job.

I've had that rejected so many times, I carry a passport now.

Was complaining about having to carry a passport to a friend whilst we checked out once in ASDA (I rarely go there as it's the wrong side of town for me, but she was driving) and the cashier said a provisional would actually be fine - it was ASDA policy to accept that. Good to know - sadly it's too far away for me to shop at regularly!

Not sure which other supermarkets do/don't accept a provisional licence as I don't bother carrying one anymore. Cornershops like Costcutters were always particularly bad, if I recall correctly.