daughter was asked to leave homebase because she's under 18?

Pointing out the store's "no unaccompanied under-18s" policy is not "treating people like shit".

If this policy isn't signposted on the door, it doesn't exist. There's no such thing as an "unwritten rule", only people being unreasonable by setting expectation traps. If this policy is real, the staff member could have summoned the manager or store security. So either the DD did nothing wrong or the staff member mishandled it.

It’s definitely possible. I was living alone at 16, 26 years ago. Social/council housing houses anyone 16 & over. So do private landlords in my experience. Particularly HMO’s. I was never asked for a guarantor either. Thank goodness because there are plenty of young people who have to support themselves & don’t have anyone to turn to.

What? You might have been a miscreant but young people are pretty nice, on the whole. If you leave the house, they probably serve you in shops, cafes and other areas. What is it you're up to that makes you so damning and suspicious? Heavens above!

If you can't see a difference between questioning an instruction that seems unfair or unsafe and "kicking off", that's a "you problem".

Teenagers have got to be the most reviled age group. Adults detest them for deigning to exist in public spaces - if they're hanging out in the street then they're loitering, if they're in a shop then they're trying to shoplift. No wonder they spend so much time online when society treats them like criminals when they leave the house.

I remember being a nerdy, quiet 15-year-old in a Tesco with my mate and getting followed by security the entire way around. We paid for our stuff and the security guard asked to see our receipt, despite watching us pay.

It's not okay to treat nice children like shit, just because they are children.

Pointing out the store's "no unaccompanied under-18s" policy is not "treating people like shit".

Some teens cause a lot of trouble - yours might not, but because others do, there is a blanket ban.

No-one ever died because they couldn't get a houseplant or a heated blanket.

So you go to the airport and kick off when security asks to search you as they’re in a position of authority? You sound ridiculous

I read it as being directed at B&Q and not me as well, don't worry!

Not to mention ageist.

All power to your daughter. All power to you that she can talk to you.

Wayne Couzens and David Carrick were uniformed sworn police officers. Being staff is no guarantee that a person is safe to be obeyed.

"Their shop, their rules" is constrained by the law, including the Equality Act. "Right of admission reserved" ceases to apply when the staff member is discriminating ad hoc without good reason on the basis of a protected characteristic, such as age. A written policy, scrutinised by the legal department and created for objectively justifiable reasons that will stand up in court, is not the same as a staff member making it up as they go along.

As I already said, if the staff member was really in the right, she'd have summoned the manager.

If she is the type who "tells it like it is", I think she's unlikely to have said "I think you are mistaken. Would you mind showing me your shop's policy". She was probably much more rude blunt outspoken forthright. . . Yes, we'll leave it at forthright.

Curious as to what you thought sounded rude or entitled?

Some young people live independently before they're 18. But what does that have to do with shopping in Homebase at 16? It's like Mothercare having no one under 11 or over 50. Or people having to do a literacy test before entering a library. Give your head a wobble.

FWIW OP, there’s a big difference in someone being able to stand up for themselves in a polite and diplomatic manner, rather than being rude and entitled about the situation. It sounds like your DD acts/acted in the latter way. It’s not something to be encouraged or proud of.

I'd be fuming if a shop asked my 15 year old to leave for no reason.
She definitely should have been allowed to buy a houseplants a heated blanket- it's batshit they asked them to leave.
I witnessed my DDs being treated similarly in a department store. I'd sent them to choose a birthday card whilst I was browsing kitchenware dept just across the aisle.
They were on their way back to.me with the card when they were approached by a store detective asking what they were doing! Clearly he thought they were nicking it!!
It's actually terrible how shops treat young people. I bet there's a fair few middle aged shoplifters about!!
It's just prejudice.

You can buy knives in all supermarkets, places like John Lewis. B&M, Home Bargains, and Dunelm. They don't ban under 18 year olds.

How was the girl rude? I think it's assertive. They went in for a plant and whatever. And what's all this: "You've only heard half the story" nonsense? Some young people just want to get a few bits to make their rooms a bit nicer. They're not all miscreants. It's not a bleeding knocking shop. If it's an 18+ policy to shop there, it should be made clear.

Very silly to have a blanket policy to exclude under 18s (although it isn't clear if this was really store policy rather than some over-zealous staff member).

At 17 I was already at university and obviously shopping and living on my own. How bizarre to think that any store would have had issues with me being on their premises...

Assuming that all teenagers are potential shoplifters and trouble-makers is really offensive.

Your D D should have done what she was told. Sounds like she has a problem with authority.

You say like its a bad thing to stand up for yourself to an "authority"

They can in Scotland.

that’s ridiculous and wrong to exclude someone on age grounds alone. And it’s clearly not because of safety as there’s loads of little kids with parents bombing around.

I can't claim to know the rules of homebase, but I went to school with people who worked there when they were under 18. Would seem odd to refuse customers under 18 whilst allowing staff of the same age.

I think teens are infantilised by a rights culture. “Waah, waah, waah, it’s not fair!”

Some kids took some paint from our local Wilko when it was still open went up to the multi storey attached to it and chucked paint at people walking down the ginnel. People have had tomato sauce and eggs as well. They have made the sides higher but kid's always find a way. Sadly the minority spoil it for the majority of kids.