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

Perhaps they don’t want groups of teenage boys hanging round aisles with knives, hammers etc. Im happy with that policy and have no doubt my own children will be sensible, responsible 16 year olds who could be trusted to shop in there. The rule is there to protect everyone from those who can’t be trusted.

"Don't be daft. Rules are rules, and they're generally in place to keep people safe."

This is pathetic. It's okay to question and receive a proper explanation.

The shoplifting thing is ridiculous - some teens shoplift. So do some adults. It's not reasonable to ban a whole group of people because other people from the same demographic may have behaved badly!
It's not okay to treat nice children like shit, just because they are children. OP's dd is hardly an out of control mini criminal, out there raising hell either her plant and heated blanket!

The ‘strange adult’ in question is a Homebase worker. Their shop, their rules.

I can imagine places like B&Q having rules like that because they have fork lift trucks being driven around the shop. I don't recall seeing FLTs in Homebase though.

To be honest I think there are very few 16 year olds who would want to be in Homebase. A large number of products in there could be used to cause harm so I can totally understand why you wouldn’t want 16 year olds in there. They are usually also in out of town areas rather than the centre of town (where teenagers would be shopping together). Obviously, there will always be exceptions to that rule - your daughter wanting a plant is one. But they obviously have to look at the bigger picture.

God no wonder our teens are infantalised and they turn into young adults who haven’t got a clue about everyday life, when society at large classes them as ‘too young’ at 16 and not to be trusted.

At that age I was given the task (which I’d asked if I could help with) of painting the house windows, up and down on ladders on a busy main road! I’m sure if I’d had to pop to B&Q for more paint it wouldn’t have been a problem, except B&Q didn’t exist then 😬

Wickes has a similar policy. All children must be supervised by an adult. There is a notice right by the entrance door. In reality, a well behaved 15/16 year old wouldn't be a problem. If they were suspected of shoplifting, running round the store or generally being a nuisance then they would be asked to leave. Oh, and yes they do employ 16 and 17 year olds but they prefer not to as it is so restricted as to what they can do. It's all to do with safety.

It's likely that the store staff have had problems with children shoplifting. This doesn't excuse the staff making up policy as they go along.

My nearest corner shop has a sign on the door saying "no more than two school children allowed at one time". If there's no sign, there's no rule. You can't expect a child to obey a rule that's not written down and displayed clearly.

Good on your daughter for refusing to tolerate ageism and challenging this arbitrary request. Kids blindly obeying every adult they see makes it easier for molesters to kidnap kids. Kids should be taught to challenge orders given to them by strange adults for their own safety.

If the staff member was really in the right, she'd have used her earpiece to call the manager or security over.

You can buy decorating materials elsewhere without going to a DIY shop if you are under 18

@notacooldad sounds like we have similar jobs!

Actually when I’ve been in supermarkets recently I’ve not seen knives for sale. The only other places I’ve seen knives for sale recently in store are dept stores and ikea and they certainly wouldn’t sell to teens. Supermarkets if they do sell them wouldn’t sell to teens. Markets I’d expect the stall holders not to sell to teens.

My local Homebase and B&Q both have areas where teens can hide and walk around undetected apart from by cctv and the B&Q has 2 floors with a lift and upstairs car park.

I emailed Homebase this evening to ask if it is a widespread policy, or at the discretion of individual stores.

They have responded, very quickly, to confirm…

“Sadly, single rolls [of turf] aren’t available for home delivery but we do offer this service for bulk orders” 😂

I'm 50-60 with a limp... definitely more trouble.

bloody menace I am.

Under 18s are housed by social services. https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/help_if_youre_homeless_16_and_17_year_olds

This was trivial to look up. You can use search engines instead of wondering, it's allowed!

Also with respect OP you sound as if you think DD can do no wrong ever. You’re probably the type who let your DD run around a restaurant when they were younger and did nothing or very little to stop them.

If you can buy knives or other weapon type items or liquids to cause harm then yes the shop is right to bar them.
well that would include Tesco, most cut price stores, The Range, Aldi, Lidle, markets etc.

It’d be very interesting if the store shared the cctv footage of your daughter and her friend as I bet it would tell a different story to what you’ve heard from them.

I hadn’t read the whole thread when I posted after @DrunkenElephant so it’s a cross post. However there are housing associations that support young people with flats and rooms. I’m part of a service that supports them and help make their place look good and personal for them to help give a sense of pride.

I also think it sounds like she was rude rather than the refusal making her sound like a strong young woman. I’ve seen a security guard trying to remove teens who refused and I felt for him. I was pretty vocal when I felt injustice at her age but I think I’d have still left and asked for clarification from management - and obviously complained about the member of staff if it went against the rules/if I was not clowning about in there. Not saying your DD was!

OP, in your post it literally says that the manager agreed with the employee. Why are you doubting reliable info re: store policy when your only other source is your DD, who doesn’t work there and therefore knows nothing about it?

Daughter probably gave it entitled attitude rather than eg I was buying eg a light fitting etc for myself/DM.

If you can buy knives or other weapon type items or liquids to cause harm then yes the shop is right to bar them.

Also, you weren’t there as her mother, they could have well have been trying to shop lift.

I have to agree with this.

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

My dog is allowed in and he's definitely under 18. Sounds like they may have had a problem with teenagers and she was letting your daughter and her friend know she was keeping an eye on them? 🤷🏼‍♀️