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Original poster

Waitrose age ID check is bugging me

381 replies

Mothership4two · 14/09/2023 05:43

I was is a smallish busy Waitrose (not my usual shop) with DS (25) and I bought 6 bottles of (not cheap) wine, a box of chocolates and a handful of day to day food items. At the till I put the items on the belt and bagged them while DS stood waiting by the end. The cashier didn't put the wine through and asked my son for ID. I was a bit confused and told her that this was MY shopping (I'm in my 50s and sadly do not need ID). She ignored me and asked for his ID again. When I repeated it was my shopping she said it was company policy - other than that she was pretty uncommunicative. So DS went out to the car to fetch his ID and there was a bit of grumbling from the couple waiting behind who then went off to find another till. DS came back and she put it through without a word.

I wasn't grumpy with her, I was just neutral, paid and left. It was irritating but we weren't particularly outraged and had a laugh about it in the car. DS said he hasn't been asked for ID in years (he looks his age) and that no "youngster" would be spending £70+ on wine for a party. We thought it was odd though.

I know there are much bigger things going on in the World to worry about, but it has bugged me since then. I know the cashier isn't a mindreader but it was pretty obvious it was my shopping and very obvious that DS is an adult. And also what happens if you go around with your 16 year old child or younger and happen to buy alcohol, would Waitrose then refuse to let you buy it? I'm sure that happens in supermarkets up and down the country all the time - buying alcohol when parents are shopping with their children. I understand that supermarkets have to have a policy for not selling alcohol to childen via others but it was patently obvious that was not happening. The whole thing doesn't make sense.

AIBU and has anyone else been put in a similar postion?

OP posts:
PToosher · 14/09/2023 23:01

This is a load of shit because as an adult I can legally buy booze and take it home and let my 15 year old son drink it. That is legal.
What does it matter if he's with me when I buy it??

dayswithaY · 14/09/2023 23:17

”This is a load of shit because as an adult I can legally buy booze and take it home and let my 15 year old son drink it. That is legal”

Yep, I had a customer screaming this at me when I asked for ID. Of course, you can give your child alcohol, but I don’t have to help you do that.

No one wants to do Challenge 25, it’s always awkward and we get a lot of hate for it, but it us drummed into us. We will get named and shamed if the Secret Shoppers are in, fined, suspended without pay. I’m not risking that - who would?

Original poster
Mothership4two · 14/09/2023 23:18

BusyBees1234 · 14/09/2023 19:05

Don't shop there if you don't like their policy

I don't usually

OP posts:
socialdilemmawhattodo · 14/09/2023 23:19

fairyfluf · 14/09/2023 06:26

It is completely irrelevant that it is "your shopping" he was present at the purchase. Their policy is probably ID everyone who looks like they might be drinking the alcohol and is there or something like that. And once they've asked for it they've asked for it. Next time go round the shop separately near the end or make sure son has ID - he should keep it in his wallet really so it's with him. It's a really bad idea to leave it in a car.

Bollocks to that quite frankly, No one in the UK "needs" to keep id on them. And a store policy should never exceed the legal requirement. Clearly must meet it.

There is no legal requirement in this country for id, not certainly the recent trend of photo id. I'm also in my 50's and dont have a current photo id. Produces hysteria in most people under 30 who cant cope with that. Not my problem.

But yes my DC is just over 18 and keep joking that they can just go and buy a bottle of wine. I laugh and say not with me. They need to stand elsewhere

ToBrieOrNotToBrieThatIsTheQuestion · 14/09/2023 23:31

dayswithaY · 14/09/2023 23:17

”This is a load of shit because as an adult I can legally buy booze and take it home and let my 15 year old son drink it. That is legal”

Yep, I had a customer screaming this at me when I asked for ID. Of course, you can give your child alcohol, but I don’t have to help you do that.

No one wants to do Challenge 25, it’s always awkward and we get a lot of hate for it, but it us drummed into us. We will get named and shamed if the Secret Shoppers are in, fined, suspended without pay. I’m not risking that - who would?

Do you also refuse to sell sweets to diabetics, alcohol to alcoholics and chocolate to the morbidly obese - all because while they can consume those things, you don't think it's a good idea and therefore you don't have to help them do that?

Original poster
Mothership4two · 14/09/2023 23:34

My son buys beer from local shops and does have alcohol in pubs and restaurants. He doesn't think he has been asked for ID for about 6 years. I know it is difficult to age people sometimes but he does not look remotely 18 or younger. I think she may have just asked automatically without thinking.

It took us by surprise. I am sure both DS have been with me in the past several times as children and teenagers when I have bought alcohol and we weren't flagged. We are not raging alcoholics!

I do think it is daft, for all the reasons raised by people upthread.

Like I said in my OP, I don't normally shop at Waitrose and I won't be rushing back - not due of this, but because in my usual supermarkets (Sainsburys, Tesco, Co-op and Lidl) the staff are usually friendly and communicative and the Waitrose customers seemed as grumpy as the staff.

OP posts:
dayswithaY · 14/09/2023 23:36

I’m just following company rules. Why should it be easy for children to drink alcohol?

Original poster
Mothership4two · 14/09/2023 23:46

fairyfluf · 14/09/2023 06:26

It is completely irrelevant that it is "your shopping" he was present at the purchase. Their policy is probably ID everyone who looks like they might be drinking the alcohol and is there or something like that. And once they've asked for it they've asked for it. Next time go round the shop separately near the end or make sure son has ID - he should keep it in his wallet really so it's with him. It's a really bad idea to leave it in a car.

Well he was standing nearby. There were about a dozen other people 'present'. It was pretty obvious it was my shopping as I was handling it. There probably won't be a next time as both my DS are adults and don't usually come with me and I won't be going back to that Waitrose (or any). We were on our way to visit a relative and out of our area.

His ID was perfectly safe in his wallet in a bag in the boot. He didn't bring it in with him as he wasn't shopping, I was!

OP posts:
ToBrieOrNotToBrieThatIsTheQuestion · 14/09/2023 23:52

dayswithaY · 14/09/2023 23:36

I’m just following company rules. Why should it be easy for children to drink alcohol?

Edited

Why should companies make up rules that go above and beyond what our elected government has decided is right?

It is entirely legal for a 15-year-old to drink alcohol at home with parental permission. It is simply your / your employers views on whether or not they think it's wise that is the issue on this particular one.

Again - at what point do you decide that something can be simultaneously unwise but none of your business?

Next you'll be expecting Superdrug to refuse to sell bright pink hair dye to under 16s in case it contravenes the school uniform policy.

dayswithaY · 15/09/2023 00:07

If we sell alcohol (or any age restricted item) to a parent when we suspect they will be passing it the child, they throw the book at us.

The example I used was when a woman shouted at me that it was her right to buy a bottle of wine for her kid and let them drink it in the car park, because - it’s her kid, she can do what she wants.

Yes she can, but she has to go through me first and I have been told that I will be punished, fined or worse if I let her do this.

I don’t work in retail anymore due to the aggressive behaviour of customers who like to pick fights over things like this.

Tiredofbeingmental · 15/09/2023 00:56

Opposite for me....... my son (18) and I went to a pub to watch the match, he offered to buy drinks whilst I found us a table and he got served without needing id, barmaid came over and asked to see mine. Showed her and also mentioned it was my son she had served. She apologised and walked off (still without asking him for id 🤣🤣)

Original poster
Mothership4two · 15/09/2023 01:12

Well that's flattering @Tiredofbeingmental!

OP posts:
Tiredofbeingmental · 15/09/2023 01:38

Haha it was, I didn't mind and certainly made us laugh, he was more offended they didn't ask him

Madeinsuffolk · 15/09/2023 07:11

Many shops have a challenge 25 policy, if you look 25 and under you will be asked for ID. It’s really hard to work out someone’s age. Shops have test purchases from the council all the time and if they get it wrong there are a multitude of consequences from fines to the cashier losing their job.

the cashier will have noted your son is in the 18-25 age bracket and rightly requested the Id in case you were buying the alcohol from them, they rightly will not have judged the type of alcohol you were buying. They did nothing wrong and just did their job. It’s also not easy to ask people for ID for exactly this reason as people get cross and become abusive.

roseinthedark · 15/09/2023 08:31

Sorry, I’m dashing out the door to my train to London and I haven't had time to read the thread. Former Waitrose employee here. As others have said, it is policy to follow through with asking for ID. She shouldn’t have been so uncommunicative though - you can fire off a complaint/suggestion about that if you want.

Is your branch in a university or college town? One of my branches was. We had to be very hot on ID check, especially situations that outwardly looked like yours. Early 20’s looking people accompanying others that they may have asked to buy alcohol for them.

Ablar · 15/09/2023 09:15

Yes they will refuse service if you have a 16 year old. Have had it happen to me. Also work in a shop and we have to refuse service if we ask for ID when a child is present and they can't provide if we suspect the product is being bought for the child. It's a pain, but id not worth loosing our jobs and having a massive fine over. Once the question is asked, we have to see ID or we refuse the sale

Pandor · 15/09/2023 09:29

The easy solution if an adult is buying alcohol and is accompanied by someone who is an older teen/looks under 25 would be for the cashier to ask the customer to confirm that they are buying the alcohol for themselves and not on behalf of anyone under the age of 18.

Assuming the customer says yes the cashier could then log that they carried out a verbal check and in the absence of any reason to believe the adult customer was lying they proceeded with the sale.

Obviously if there were genuine reasons to be be more cautious (like a group of teens coming in and one buying a large amount of alcohol, taking money from one of the others, or overhearing someone saying that will pay them for that bottle of booze they’re buying, then the cashier could take additional steps to confirm people’s ages by asking for IDs).

That seems like a reasonable safeguard, and far better than just assuming that customers are out to break the law and can’t be trusted.

Everanewbie · 15/09/2023 09:29

Ablar · 15/09/2023 09:15

Yes they will refuse service if you have a 16 year old. Have had it happen to me. Also work in a shop and we have to refuse service if we ask for ID when a child is present and they can't provide if we suspect the product is being bought for the child. It's a pain, but id not worth loosing our jobs and having a massive fine over. Once the question is asked, we have to see ID or we refuse the sale

I really do understand that ID'ing people accompanying the purchaser is about stopping proxy sales to under 18s. I get that. But ironically, a parent shopping with a 2 year old is unlikely to have that 2 year old ID'd based on a proxy sale concern, so what age should we start effectively banning alcohol sales to parents with accompanying children? 8? 10? 14? 17? If they are 18, do we need to tale them to bring ID incase I decide to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home?

Any semi-intelligent person can make a fair assessment of when a proxy sale is happening, and it isn't a middle aged (sorry OP) woman buying chateau neuf du pape along with brioche, olives and sourdough.

dayswithaY · 15/09/2023 09:51

As previously stated, it doesn’t make any difference what kind of alcohol it is. The till will flash up with a restricted sale warning and you only have limited time to make a decision. There are strict penalties for getting it wrong.

Elaina87 · 15/09/2023 10:02

It is a strange one becauswe like you say, can you not buy alcohol with your child with you? I have a 5 year old, am I allowed to buy it when she is with me or will they stop me in case I am buying it for her?! Where do they draw the line...

Everanewbie · 15/09/2023 10:32

dayswithaY · 15/09/2023 09:51

As previously stated, it doesn’t make any difference what kind of alcohol it is. The till will flash up with a restricted sale warning and you only have limited time to make a decision. There are strict penalties for getting it wrong.

Yes, the till flashes the message. Its a prompt to the cashier. Thats all.

FrogsWormsandCaterpillars · 15/09/2023 10:45

Comments about leaving the shopping are so annoying. Leaving it on the belt won’t inconvenience the people responsible for the policy, only the people who have it drummed into them constantly that they could be personally fined and lose their job if they sell alcohol to someone underage, or to someone buying it for an underage person.
Yes we are told to use common sense when it comes to teenagers with their parents, but when the council and the police send people in regularly to do test purchases it’s no wonder the checkout staff err on the side of caution.

Ablar · 15/09/2023 11:10

I agree, it's the cashiers judgement. I wouldn't ID someone with a 2/8/10/12 year old but if they look older but not old enough we have too. Like I said, I'm not risking my job and up to £10,000 fine.

Mintcake84 · 15/09/2023 11:14

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Everanewbie · 15/09/2023 11:41

Ablar · 15/09/2023 11:10

I agree, it's the cashiers judgement. I wouldn't ID someone with a 2/8/10/12 year old but if they look older but not old enough we have too. Like I said, I'm not risking my job and up to £10,000 fine.

Well I have sympathy that you've been put in a position by your employer where you feel forced to take a ridiculous position instead of a risk based common sense approach, and no doubt have to deal with the backlash from customers who see the lunacy in such a policy. The scenario the OP describes is clearly not one of a proxy sale and a sensible policy should not inconvenience the OP.