'Home Bargains' finds thread 2. Please post any good offers you see at HB here.

benedictadams

Brockyman wrote: »

Sorry, slightly off topic but relevant.
Last week my Daughter went in to the Lancaster Half price or less store to buy a bottle of drink. When she got to the till she was asked if she could prove she was over 16. She obviously couldn't as she is only 14 so she was refused the drink, a bottle of coke. It turns out that the store, Lancaster at least, have a policy of not selling to anyone under 16 except at weekends. Daft thing is that they do not stop them going in or looking round and there is no notice about it anywhere. My daughter was really embarrased about it and felt she was being accused of doing something wrong.
This is a store that sells toys, sweets and stationery!
I have emailed head office to ask for an explanation, but to be honest I will now think twice before I go in there again.
Ian.

A lot of shops will not serve school-children during the school day.

The shop does not need to put a notice up.

At the end of the day a shop is a private business they can serve who they want so long as they have given a reason why they refuse a customer's business (presumably to ensure that shops are not racist, sexist or homophobic).

Without being rude why was your 14 year old daughter in Home Bargains when she should have been in school?

thepearce

benedictadams wrote: »

...Without being rude why was your 14 year old daughter in Home Bargains when she should have been in school?

I don't see it stated anywhere this was during the school day.

ianonline

benedictadams wrote: »

Without being rude why was your 14 year old daughter in Home Bargains when she should have been in school?

Maybe not rude, but perhaps a little presumptious and accusative - could have been during lunch break or after school. :coffee:

No doubt brockyman will be back to respond to this accusation. :think:

Brockyman

Deary me, there's always one isn't there. It was after school at about half past four. The school day ends at 3.10 which leaves 2 hours and 20 minutes for her to go to town and go to the shops!
Yes I agree the shop can sell or not sell to whoever they want but to allow someone to enter and go around the shop, to choose what they want and queue at the till only to be told at the till in front of everyone that they are not going to be served is unnecessary and thoughtless. If they have this policy they should have someone on the door preventing them from going in in the first place. As for giving a reason why they refused my daughters business it was merely because she is under 16. Not a very good reason in my opinion. She was on her own so they couldn't even use the excuse that she was in a group who were being a nuisance.
Like I say, my main gripe with this policy is that it is not clearly stated before a child enters the shop and that the shop has a thoughtless and possibly slightly hostile attitude.
Ian.

benedictadams

For a shop not to allow school-kids in a shop after school would not normally be normal unless they had been trouble with school children in the past, after all HB would make money from selling cheap pop, crisps and chocs.

Therefore the manager has to make the decision and unfortunately for your daughter a small minority of children in Lancaster has lead the manager to ban school children all day every weekday.

There may have been a notice on the window which for some reason got removed.

The shop assistants may have been hostile for any number of reasons, they may not agree with the managers decision, they may have had children in the shop earlier which caused the manager to make a snap judgement (which head office will later advise is against company policy, hence there not being any signs)

faded_flowers

My nearest H&B has a 'No school children' sign in the window. Actually I feel sorry for them, what with there being 2 high schools within walking distance and another two just a bit further away. But your shop should have had a sign up, it's very unfair to let her queue up and everything and then make a scene about it if she had no way of knowing.

panavia

The thing that pee's me off about this sort of shop policy is that once again the well behaved and decent kids all suffer for the behaviour of the bad ones!
I am sure these shops have many adults who behave badly etc etc... does that mean they should also ban all adults!!..
Personally If that were me, I would not allow my daughter to shop there even during the times they permit!! It is thier loss.

pudding

That's unfair they wouldn't sell her a bottle of coke..I have never heard of being 16 to buy one...My local HB is full of school children on a lunch time and they all get served and there are sometimes groups of them...I wouldn't be happy if my 12 hyear old was refused i would want to see some kind of notice up about it...It's embarrasing for her..

lynzpower

H&Bs shuld be thrilled that so many local kids are moneysavers

Interestingly I dont suppose this would come under the age discrimination legislation would it >?

benedictadams

lynzpower wrote: »

H&Bs shuld be thrilled that so many local kids are moneysavers

Interestingly I dont suppose this would come under the age discrimination legislation would it >?

If the ban is under anti-social behaviour legislation then this would allow HB to say that this is the reason for refusing to serve under 16s on a weekday and get out of the age discrimination legislation

If the ban is just cos the manager feels like it then it could be illegal