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

Definitely suspect you're not getting the full story. This is hilarious 😂

16yr olds can get married.

That's a nonsensical argument.
Under 18s are legally distinct from over 18s and lots of businesses will not allow them unsupervised....men/asians/50-60yr olds are not a distinct legal category like a minor is....MNers love to point out how young an vulnerable even 18-21 year olds are much of the time.

So there is a legal basis for excluding unsupervised Under 18s in a business that not only contains a number of potential H&S risks (B&Q frequently make tannoy announcements that all children MUST be supervised at all times) but also has access to lots of age restricted products.....which could fairly easily be stolen.
If a product is stolen no amount if age checks at the checkout is going to help.

Our local pub let's my kids in with me....they do not allow unaccompanied groups of U18s even if they aren't drinking alcohol.

I imagine if its a store in a location two 15 Yr olds can just pop into they get a lot of teens popping in to shop lift....more so than the large stores most people drive to

To shop alone. With an adult is fine.
Seems reasonable to me given its fairly unlikely a 15 Yr would need something from a DIY store they couldn't get elsewhere ....yes there are legitimate reasons to go to a DIY store but there are more illegitimate reasons.

Whether purchased or shop lifted....or just kids in the passed messing about causing damage/getting hurt I can understand why they don't want to have to monitor teens wandering round the store.

Solvents
Stanley knives and other blades
Fork lift trucks

Our local coop doesn't let kids in alone and they don't have those things.

This is my understanding, too. I would go with her to homebase and ask where in their policy it says 18+ in the shop.

The shop,could easily have a policy of over 18 only. They are permitted to do that.

@Neriah

Except they were allowed to continue walking through store pick up items and then go pay for them

Well done to your daughter for standing up for herself. If there is a rule then it should be clearly displayed at the entrance. I think most of us would rightly feel quite out of we went into a shop only to have someone tell us we weren't allowed to shop there for some spurious reason that wasn't indicated anywhere.

In my local DIY store, the unaccompanied teenagers are usually well behaved as they go on for a purpose. It's the kids going in with their parents and who don't really want to be there that tend to run amok!

This girl is the daughter of an MNer.
Have you ever seen anyone post on here that their DD is rude and bad mannered?
Of course not.
It just wouldn’t happen.

😉😁😁😁

You post about this earlier this week, OP?

Otherwise, there's someone else out there whose daughter was refused entry for being under 18, rather suggesting it's a 'real' polcy?

It's probably because if under 18s are caught shoplifting police won't do anything because of their age, so store loses out. They're will be plenty of adults encouraging under age kids to steal items from there, it's not just because staff took dislike to your daughter.

Children can enter into contracts. Buying sweets in a shop is a contract.

You can't take out a mortgage until 18 though.

T&c on the website don’t allow under 18s to purchase from the website, but nothing about stores other than some items are age restricted

so that last bit to me implies under 18 can buy in store unless it’s an age restricted product.

The only restrictions would be if they were to buy knives and possibly power tools? But is it unaccompanied kids? I'm sure my son has been loads of times on his own. I don't recall a sign anywhere restricting age and in was in one today.

If they had been in there with an adult it would have probably been ok.

Except it isn't bollocks, so get over it. (A) a shop can deny anyone entry, so if you haven't heard of that, it's sad you don't know much about the law; and (b) the store manager confirmed this is their policy.

It's probably health and safety being a DIY store

Sure, the stores can remove customers. But I do think all these age restrictions in regular are kinda messed up (not talking about shops for restricted products) and wherever I see one of those on the door, I kinda roll my eyes.

No that's your spin on it... doesn't necessarily make it so.

I’m sure wickes has this rule, Costco certainly does as DS (13) was escorted back to me when he wondered off to look at the giant TVs.

What they’ve all got in common is that they have high warehouse style shelves and moving machinery. I think it might be a health and safety thing.

What makes you think that?

Legally you can enter into contracts under 18 for ‘necessaries’ such as accommodation, but it’s not common.

My understanding is that it won’t be a blanket corporate policy. Individual locations from multiple retailers have started banning teens to combat shoplifting.

i’m not saying I agree with the policy, just stating the reality.

Our HA used to rent to 16 year olds. My best friend lived in one. They had a block that used to get visits a number of times a week. But she was the tennant, had a key, could come and go as she pleased