Sainsbury's checking IDs

barvid

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

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.

I'm not, nor do I look, under-25.

In your opinion. Evidently not in hers.

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

I understand that it's their job to check ID

Why make a big thing out of it then? And why not take your ID in case they do their job and ask?

superscaper

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

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?

As I've already implied, she obviously wasn't going by store policy and so intervention by a manager would have probably prevented that particular member of staff from deviating too far from store policy.

ses6jwg

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

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?

They check everyone who looks 25 or under. It is at the discretion of the till operator who they ask for ID.

Perhaps the girl was new or nervous.

Sainsburys have recently been hit with huge fines for selling alcohol to underage kids. The poor shop floor staff have probably had it drilled into them that they face prosecution if they make an underage sale.

The shop is a privately owned company, they can refuse to serve you if they so wish.

A shop owner displaying their goods for sale is generally making an invitation to treat (Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists (Southern) Ltd [1953] 1 QB 401). They are not obliged to sell the goods to anyone who is willing to pay for them, even if additional signage such as "special offer" accompanies the display of the goods.

If you do not like the attitude in Sainsburys you're only option is to either take your business elsewhere or to buy a provisional drivers license and never have to be put in that situation again.

Blacksheep1979

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

How is that? The sign says that they check people under 25.

No, they check people who look 25 or under - looking an age is subjective depending on who is doing the looking. So to the checkout girl you may have looked 25 (or less).

I have to ask, being in such a rush, did it take more or less time to go to another shop, go round, select your extensive selection of cheeses, peruse the wine and make a selection, queue up and pay at this other shop than it would have done to speak to the manager at the first?

Bogof_Babe

I don't understand the significance of 25 . You are considered an adult and therefore allowed to purchase alchohol at 18 aren't you?

sarahg1969

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

I don't understand the significance of 25 . You are considered an adult and therefore allowed to purchase alchohol at 18 aren't you?

I think the idea is that if you look under 25, you could be underage. However, there's a vast difference between looking as young as 25, and looking as old as 25. You'd have to be completely stupid to think that a youthful 40 year-old might be a minor. However, I don't think they're paid to think that far.

Blacksheep1979

What they are trying to do is not upset people by saying they are underage but by saying anyone looking 25 or under will be ID'd - as a 17 year old could feasibly look 21 (which was the original policy most places had) they have to id people who could be underage.

If it was your shop/you serving would you really want to chance losing your licence/a hefty fine? Our local councils rather than tackling the problem where they maybe should (the demand) are going after the supply and will send in underage kids to try buy booze that look over 18.

rainbow_carnage

barvid wrote: »

In your opinion. Evidently not in hers.

In my experience. I would love to say that I look 21 but, alas, outside of this incident, I haven't had the pleasure of being mistaken for a much younger woman. I get that it's not always easy to tell someone's age. Is she 38 or 42? Is he 50 or 55? But the difference between 17 and 29 is huge.

barvid wrote: »

Why make a big thing out of it then? And why not take your ID in case they do their job and ask?

Because it's my only form of ID. I don't want to lose my passport. It's not a UK passport. Replacing it would be a hassle and an expense. There's a reason why people store them in safes.

Moreover, why should I? The store has a clearly-stated policy. I follow it.

And it's not a big thing. It was just a hassle. Fortunately, there was another supermarket down the street. But what if there wasn't?

rainbow_carnage

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

I have to ask, being in such a rush, did it take more or less time to go to another shop, go round, select your extensive selection of cheeses, peruse the wine and make a selection, queue up and pay at this other shop than it would have done to speak to the manager at the first?

Maybe it would've been quicker to talk to a manager, but I wasn't in a confrontational mood. Also, who in that situation pauses to think, "So, going to the show down the street will take 11 minutes; speaking to a manager will take 8 minutes..." I was annoyed, so I left.

Chocolate80

Rainbow_carnage... I'm also 29 and unfortunately, like you, I also look 29.

I can see why you were irritated!