Sainsbury's checking IDs

27col

I was in Wetherspoon's earlier this year. The girl who was serving asked one of two girls at the bar, if she had some ID and she complained a bit at being asked. Then her mate started complaining because she had not been asked for ID.
The episode gave me a quiet laugh.
I can see that serving staff can have real problems at times. I am absolutely hopeless at guessing people's age. Though they have no problem working out that I am in silly old git territory myself.

Lil_Me_2

27col wrote: »

I was in Wetherspoon's earlier this year. The girl who was serving asked one of two girls at the bar, if she had some ID and she complained a bit at being asked. Then her mate started complaining because she had not been asked for ID.
The episode gave me a quiet laugh.
I can see that serving staff can have real problems at times. I am absolutely hopeless at guessing people's age. Though they have no problem working out that I am in silly old git territory myself.

The best one I had was when I was 20 and went into a wetherspoons in Cardiff at around 14:00 on a weekday (during uni holidays) and I got ID'd buying a diet coke! No alcohol, but apparently if you're under 18 you have to be buying food and with an adult to be in their pub. That was overkill!

Northern_girl_2

27col wrote: »

I was in Wetherspoon's earlier this year. The girl who was serving asked one of two girls at the bar, if she had some ID and she complained a bit at being asked. Then her mate started complaining because she had not been asked for ID.
The episode gave me a quiet laugh.
/QUOTE]

My worst one was going for a drink with my younger sister. We were sat outside, which made the staff suspicious because groups of kids send the oldest looking one in. My sister came out saying that they wanted to see everyone's ID.

After checking everyone else's I explained that I didn't have any ID on me. He looked at me, laughed, and said 'Oh, I think you will be ok..."

Gutted.

ells888

duchy wrote: »

Really though the biggest problem is supermarkets employing kids who can't judge ages (at 16 often anyone over 22 has one foot in the grave type thinking ) However all the social issues you've quoted above aren't down to the supermarkets but down to poor parenting and the government could do with dealing with the root cause instead !

I've worked in bars in the past and in all honesty it isn't that hard to tell unless someone looks particually young for their age and most in that situation carry ID because they know it's an issue from experience. One of my supervisors had that problem -she was in her early 20s but looked much younger - whenever we went out she always carried ID as she knew she'd be asked. Ironically she was also at times supervising the bar and checking IDs. She was VERY good at spotting those under age !

You quoted my message above your own post Ells presumably your comment was aimed at me -so I guess you're NOT very good at guessing ages but thanks for the compliment :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Yes, you are totally right i am not very good at guessing someones age and i hope everyone i ask for ID takes it as a compliment, I certainly did when i was told i couldnt get in a pub in my local village on a night out, but as a personal licence holder i wouldnt risk the consequences. Sainsburys employed me and im 28 and find it difficult to guess ages? so is it really the supermarkets fault? I really cant understand the problem with it??

barvid

OP, why don't you just post a picture of yourself and then we can all decide for ourselves whether you look like you ***COULD BE*** under 25.

Storck

Lil_Me wrote: »

The best one I had was when I was 20 and went into a wetherspoons in Cardiff at around 14:00 on a weekday (during uni holidays) and I got ID'd buying a diet coke! No alcohol, but apparently if you're under 18 you have to be buying food and with an adult to be in their pub. That was overkill!

Might be part of the restrictions on their license so if you turned out to be under age they would still get the same fine as if they sold you alcohol and could be closed down.

catch22

I never know why the UK has never followed the example of some Scandinavian countries - they have their pictures on the back of their bank card/visa card. It's been like this for many a year..

heatheryone_2

Those of you who work on checkouts and are posting saying you're only doing your job when you ask for ID - that's fair enough, and I understand that you risk being fined/sacked if you sell to somebody underage. However, often it's the way ID is asked for that causes offence. I was in a restaurant earlier this year with some colleagues - we were all between 21 and 24. We ordered wine for the table, and shortly afterwards a waitress came over and said to me, "I'm sorry, but because you're so young, we have to ask for ID." Two issues there - firstly, why on earth say "because you're so young"? I wasn't - I was 22. A jokey comment about youthful good looks, or a comment that everyone who looks under whatever age (be it 21 or 25 - I accept I may look under 21!) needs to be IDed, would have seemed less rude. Secondly, it turned out she wanted to see the ID of everyone at the table - so why address the comment just to me initially?

I was once in a shop, browsing a DVD that was 18-rated, and a shop assistant walking past said to me, "Don't even bother" - again, what?! For what it's worth, it was a couple of weeks before my 18th birthday, so I wouldn't have been able to buy it - but why make that kind of comment? Why not wait to see if I tried to buy it, and politely decline if I couldn't prove my age? Needless to say, when I did turn 18, I didn't buy the DVD from there!

In my experience, checkout operators mostly just scan the item and say, "do you have ID?", which is fine. But the age somebody looks is an emotive issue, so I think it's worth trying to be polite and friendly when IDing.

Storck

catch22 wrote: »

I never know why the UK has never followed the example of some Scandinavian countries - they have their pictures on the back of their bank card/visa card. It's been like this for many a year..

What would that prove, except it is their card. You can get a bank card at a very young age and you can be a second card holder on a credit card before you are 18.

ells888

heatheryone wrote: »

Those of you who work on checkouts and are posting saying you're only doing your job when you ask for ID - that's fair enough, and I understand that you risk being fined/sacked if you sell to somebody underage. However, often it's the way ID is asked for that causes offence. I was in a restaurant earlier this year with some colleagues - we were all between 21 and 24. We ordered wine for the table, and shortly afterwards a waitress came over and said to me, "I'm sorry, but because you're so young, we have to ask for ID." Two issues there - firstly, why on earth say "because you're so young"? I wasn't - I was 22. A jokey comment about youthful good looks, or a comment that everyone who looks under whatever age (be it 21 or 25 - I accept I may look under 21!) needs to be IDed, would have seemed less rude. Secondly, it turned out she wanted to see the ID of everyone at the table - so why address the comment just to me initially?

I was once in a shop, browsing a DVD that was 18-rated, and a shop assistant walking past said to me, "Don't even bother" - again, what?! For what it's worth, it was a couple of weeks before my 18th birthday, so I wouldn't have been able to buy it - but why make that kind of comment? Why not wait to see if I tried to buy it, and politely decline if I couldn't prove my age? Needless to say, when I did turn 18, I didn't buy the DVD from there!

In my experience, checkout operators mostly just scan the item and say, "do you have ID?", which is fine. But the age somebody looks is an emotive issue, so I think it's worth trying to be polite and friendly when IDing.

Im sure every shop assistant up and down the country speak to their customers like that :rolleyes: