To think challenge 25 has gone too far?

Challenge 25 is to give a "safe buffer" so that the cashier isn't trying to work out if someone looks over 18 or not, as someone who is 15/16 can quite easily look over 18, but that same person won't look over 25. Its there to prevent accidental underage sales. Believe me, retail staff don't WANT to I.D you for kicks, they're doing it because it's their job, they've been trained to use this policy, and in a lot of businesses signed paperwork to agree they will use this framework for every restricted sale. If they are found to be not following the policy, they can lose their job. Yes, it's bloody annoying but it's there to prevent teenagers accidentally getting served restricted items. They aren't asking you to prove you're over 25, they're saying you look like you "could" be younger than 25, so they need to check you're over 18 so the sale is 100% legal and above board. Every business that adopts the challenge 25 policy is subject to spot checks and mystery shoppers. They will deliberately send people who are in their 20's to check the policy is being adhered to. A failed challenge 25 is not taken lightly, and means the premises is subject to more frequent checks, and potential fines. Yes it's not illegal to sell alcohol to someone between the ages of 18-25, but by not asking for id they are not following the policy that they've agreed to implement and the consequences of that are felt grossly by the entire premises, but mainly the cashier. No one wants groups of underage teens, getting drunk and causing trouble and that's exactly what the policy is there to prevent. Yes it's a ballache, no it's nothing personal. Just remember your I.D problem solved. And if you forget it, that's on you. Doesn't matter that you're "obviously over 18" that employees job is on the line if they don't follow the policy... The policy that absolutely has it's place and does a good job in protecting minors from underage drinking.

I get them wanting to make sure they strictly abide by the law, of course; but if they then add further restrictions of their own, what are they actually hoping to achieve - apart from fewer sales?

If they're so haughty and self-righteous about 'the wrong kind of adults' buying it, nobody is forcing them to sell booze to anybody - just take it off your shelves and replace it all with ginger pop and elderflower cordial, then you needn't worry your little heads about it at all. And I say this as somebody who is tee-total by choice!

I was asked by a young lad in Iceland on a Tuesday whether I was over 60 (you get 10% off on a Tuesday) when I was 46. It didn't bother me in the slightest, as it's all just personal perspective, and everybody over 30 was probably really old to him.

In fact, he might well have been a man already into his second quarter-century of life, yet here I am - and especially considering that I have been his age, whereas he has never yet been mine - calling him 'a young lad', as though he was 6!

Would they accept a photo of your licence on your phone?

I was refused buying an alcoholic drink the other day when out with my teenage daughter despite asking her what she wanted (a soft drink) and ordering it for her before attempting to order a drink for me. Just in case I was going to give it to her. Madness!

It's nothing new for me, as I have never ever been asked for ID to prove I'm old enough; although I was routinely questioned as to whether I was young enough for a half fare on the bus when I was still 3 or 4 years younger than the cut-off.

The best of all was when I was 21 and I showed my UK student ID to get the concessionary price at an attraction in mainland Europe. The woman in the kiosk read a (handwritten by the issuer) British 77 in the birthdate box as a European 11 and was looking suspiciously back and forth for a few seconds between the card and me, trying to decide if I really could be an extremely well-preserved 87-year-old. I don't know what I would have been trying to achieve, as an actual 87yo would have got the concessionary price anyway

I expect they are hoping to achieve avoiding their licence to sell alcohol, which can be revoked if they are caught selling to under 18s or not checking. Better safe than sorry if it is something that makes a difference to their profits. Many small shops run on tiny profit margins, being fined and losing a valuable income stream could make all the difference.

When I worked tills, if I was unsure I'd look at their shopping. 10 x Bacardi breezers = ID. broccoli and toilet roll = no ID.

Oldest guy I id'd was 41. He was buying cider and had bleached his hair to an odd shade of yellow - I think I just couldn't comprehend that an adult would do that to their hair.

Occasionally got folk waving their car keys as if that were proof of age. The only thing it proves is that you're carrying a set of keys.

If you don’t like the semi-random approach, the other option is that everyone shows Id, every time, regardless of age. It’s a simple step that protects the retail worker.

I wish someone would ask me for id to buy alcohol. 😊🤣

Just coming on to comment the same!!!

Except…what if the person is so obviously over 40, say? Then the explanation doesn’t hold up.

That's true. Our local paper recently carried a case where an 85 year old man was asked for ID when buying a bottle of wine. He didn't have a driving licence so sale refused.

I understand about the buffer when dealing with younger people who could possibly be underage, but there is no upper age limit on sale of alcohol and common sense needs to be applied.

Meh - just take your ID.

I work in a shop and them's the rules. They do send secret shoppers out to check if we are doing under 25 checks properly.

The getting asked for ID and being refused if you have an older child with you and they don’t have ID and you look well over 50 is real. I used to send DD out of Tesco before I went through the till with my weekly shop as they wouldn’t sell me wine if she was with me, the default inference is that the Villa Maria bottle of Sauvignon Blanc was for the 15 year old.

The policy isn't about being blatantly obviously not 17 or younger though is out, it's about looking 25 🙄

I know someone stopped from buying wine because their (underage) teenage daughter was with her. She was helping her do the 'family shop ' but were denied it because 'she may have been purchasing it for her.
She complained to the store who agreed with the assistant so she asked how they could get round this in future, no response so she now shops elsewhere and has never had an issue.

I once got ID’d when with my DC. I said I have 3 DC (who were about 5,6,7) how do you think I managed to have all of them before I turned 18? She was like “they could be someone else’s” so I said I wasn’t in the habit of taking someone else’s kids to the shop in order to purchase wine and she was welcome to see my stretch marks. She let me have the wine.

Also once got refused when with my younger brother who was about 16 at the time incase I was purchasing it for him. I had my ID that time but she still wouldn’t let me buy it.

I know someone who drove their car into a petrol station and got refused petrol without ID.

I am very nearly 51,and get ID’d its not about whether you look young it’s about checking.staff could be in trouble otherwise

Which Think 25 covers perfectly - but has no relevance to their bizarre independent decision to refuse a sale of alcohol to somebody who has proven to them that they are aged 18-24 and fully legally entitled to buy it.

I wonder how the shop would react if customers claimed to be concerned about child labour, and so refused ro be served by any adult under 25, as they were deemed 'too risky'? Or indeed any staff member with a foreign-sounding accent, in case they had been illegally trafficked to work there?

I am 35. Very, very occasionally get ID'd. I just show them my ID and leave feeling very flattered.