Sainsbury's checking IDs

ohmsoft

Must say i'm 29 too and feel bad when they don't ID me as i'd like to feel i still look under 25! Do need to keep that in mind we're not talking of the difference between 29 and 17 (law) but 29 and 25 (policy) - it is subjective but when I've worked in a bar before its much better to be cautious.

Its not just legal prosecution but secret shoppers and risk of loosing job etc...if operator was id'ing everyone perhaps she's on a warning or something?

I completely understand the inconvienence and embarrisment but I remember it being quite a difficult job to guage everyones ages and the risks were really scarey.

spike7451

The's a ma hoosive thread on the same here;
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2112797&highlight=sainsbury

I worked for Sainsbury's for a while last year & they operate a 'Think 25' policy where they'll refuse sale of booze,ciggs or dangerous good's to those they think are under 25y/old.
Did the manager record the refusal in a book? That they have to do by law so I would ask to see that.
I even saw them refuse to sell beer to some soldiers rom the local camp even when the soldier in question produced his Army MoD 90 ID card.
Later,I queried it in a managers meeting & was told an MoD90 is'nt an official ID as proof of age.
So I asked why not & was told a veriety of reasons from it is'nt hologrammed (which it is) does'nt show date of birth (which it does) ect
Then I shot the manager's excuses down by getting my Army MoD90 out of my wallet!

Volvic

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?

It's down to the discretion of the operator who they think "looks" 25 or under. You could have been sent in by the Police for all they knew as stores like this have test purchases all the time sent in by Police. Has you have been 24 and this girl hadn't asked for ID, she could have been arrested on the spot and the store would have been fined. You should be happy stores have these policies to prevent the amount of underage binge drinking going on.

Volvic

spike7451 wrote: »

The's a ma hoosive thread on the same here;
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2112797&highlight=sainsbury


I even saw them refuse to sell beer to some soldiers rom the local camp even when the soldier in question produced his Army MoD 90 ID card.
Later,I queried it in a managers meeting & was told an MoD90 is'nt an official ID as proof of age.

An Army ID isn't accepted as a proof of age, the same as a Police ID card isn't. Stores have strict rules for things like this and to pass checks they have to be followed. Operators can be sacked and fined for accepting a Police ID believe it or not.

DCFC79

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

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.

was it a youngish girl, how does she know if you are older than 25 ? the sainsburys policy is if you look under 25 then they have to ask for id, the staff are given regular training on it and are given photos of 6 people and have to guess they're age. I used to work for sainsburys and i found it hard at times to judge someones age. The girl was doing her job, so what if she isnt very good at judging someones age, she has a job earning some money

Storck

The only acceptable forms of ID, as laid down by the act that changed all the licensing law in 2005, are a passport, a FULL driving license with both parts there and a proof of age card with a PASS hologram logo on.

As for them having to record all refusals by law that is rubbish. Stores are recommended to make note of refusals in case they ever do sell to someone under age, it shows due diligence.

Not sure about Sainsburys but in Tesco if you get refused at the checkout there is no point asking for the manager as they have a policy to back up their staff, even if wrong.

snapping_crocodile

Although it may be annoying, as others have said the girl was only doing her job! The policy is if you look to be under 25, and that is very much subjective. I can understand if you were 70 and were refused for having no ID, but clearly the girl thought you looked underage. I would hope that even if you got the manager involved he would have supported the till operator because you had no proof of your age. By law, if you had been underage and she served you, she could have received a hefty fine herself (if caught), along with the store. You may think you look over 25, but unfortunately she obviously didn't. I was in asda when i was 26 and got asked for ID as I was told i looked about 16!! :rotfl: I showed my ID, transaction complete, job done. I also used to work in sainsburys on the cigarette kiosk back when i was a teenager. Asking for ID was drilled into us, the girl was only following store policy

DCFC79

Storck wrote: »

The only acceptable forms of ID, as laid down by the act that changed all the licensing law in 2005, are a passport, a FULL driving license with both parts there and a proof of age card with a PASS hologram logo on.

As for them having to record all refusals by law that is rubbish. Stores are recommended to make note of refusals in case they ever do sell to someone under age, it shows due diligence.

Not sure about Sainsburys but in Tesco if you get refused at the checkout there is no point asking for the manager as they have a policy to back up their staff, even if wrong.

arent the refusals checked by trading standards at random times, on the last point i think sainsburys is the same as tesco,

Storck

Refusals are checked by trading standards but it isn't law that they are recorded, it just shows you are checking. It gives them a decent defence if they are caught at a later date. When I say defence I actually mean they can blame the poor checkout assistant. The other part of the defence is their training record card.

heatheryone_2

Volvic wrote: »

Has you have been 24 and this girl hadn't asked for ID, she could have been arrested on the spot and the store would have been fined. You should be happy stores have these policies to prevent the amount of underage binge drinking going on.

Surely not? It's not illegal to sell alcohol to a 24-year-old! Think 25 is there to ensure staff ID anyone who might conceivably be underage, not because it's illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under 25.