Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 15 16

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:

Iamtheonwandlonely · 14/09/2023 06:54

I worked in supermarkets on the tills.
And I don't understand why they'd I'd the person not buying anything.
That's not what think 25 is.
It's to stop teenagers who look 18 but aren't to not buy alcohol.

ORYX99 · 14/09/2023 06:55

I got asked for ID in waitrose. I'm in my 30s and definitely do not look under 25 (it's the only rmtimw I've been asked for ID in 6 or 7 years). Her colleague was probably the same age as me and told her I'm clearly over 25 but as she had asked they still had to ID me. Didn't have any on me so went to another shop. I think they have it drilled into them to the point that they're scared of not IDing people.

WeWereInParis · 14/09/2023 06:56

Redwinestillfine · 14/09/2023 06:47

I got Id'd for non alcoholic beer 🤣

This is fairly standard. It won't be the cashier's call - the till will flash up and won't let them proceed without confirming that either they've checked your ID, or that you look over 25.

It's not the cashier's job to decide that the store's policy (and it's not an uncommon policy in supermarkets and some pubs) is wrong and they're going to sell it anyway.

daffodilandtulip · 14/09/2023 06:57

I'm in my 40s and still get asked regularly, which is odd but fair enough, just doing their job. But I have been refused the sale quite a few times now when I'm with my 14yo or 17yo.

PurBal · 14/09/2023 06:59

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? This happened to a colleague of mine in Tesco, yes they refused to serve her. Despite it being a couple of bottles of cider amongst an entire weekly shop. She wrote a formal complaint, I don’t know the outcome though.

ORYX99 · 14/09/2023 07:00

Redwinestillfine · 14/09/2023 06:47

I got Id'd for non alcoholic beer 🤣

Shops still need to ID for non alcoholic beer. It's to stop the advertisement of alcohol like drinks to children and to ensure no mistakes are made. Alcohol free doesn't always mean alcohol free either (just under 0.5%) so if you drank enough of it quickly enough you could probably still get drunk.

Eddyraisins · 14/09/2023 07:00

It is stupid and no common sense is allowed.

So you could get served with a 5 year old but not a 24 year old.

The law is 18 to the buyer. It's ridiculous. So that means never shopping with teens.

PurBal · 14/09/2023 07:02

Redwinestillfine · 14/09/2023 06:47

I got Id'd for non alcoholic beer 🤣

Yeah. I was IDd for tonic water at a corner shop. Bizarre.

VeloVixen · 14/09/2023 07:02

Quite common. I did a £100 weekly shop and two bottles of wine years ago when Dd was about 14yo. They refused to sell me the wine as Dd was with me! Since then I sent her away from me at the checkout, she’d go and sit on the bench and wait.

TickingOfAClock · 14/09/2023 07:03

Basically store managers put the fear of God into their staff when it comes to checking ID.
Everyone in my store hates working on tills because of this and some flatly refuse.
I wish there were separate stores solely for alcohol and cigarettes, customers moan like hell. Roll on when it all goes online, problem solved.

SofritoBurrito · 14/09/2023 07:08

I has this at the weekend. We had friends round on Sunday and tried to buy a few bottles of wine, had my 12 year old with me and they refused to sell it to me, had to leave it at the till and go to Sainsburys.

Hadalifeonce · 14/09/2023 07:09

When I was shopping with DD (20) not long ago, it was a full household shop including alcohol. DD was packing as I was unpacking, before putting the alcohol through, the cashier looked at DD and asked if this was her shopping, before she could answer I said absolutely not. She carried on putting everything through. If she had asked for her id I would have unpacked everything and left the shop.

CoffeeandCheesecake · 14/09/2023 07:16

When I've purchased alcohol at a supermarket and I have someone else with me (partner/sibling), it seems to vary, even in the same supermarket. Sometimes staff state they only need ID from the person purchasing, sometimes they state they need to see everyone's. So I have no idea what the actual policy is.

sandgrown · 14/09/2023 07:18

Checking ID is a minefield and people can be really abusive to staff . There are so many things in addition to alcohol such as knives, fireworks , energy drinks , laxatives and painkillers etc . The supermarkets have internal and external test purchases and staff and managers can be fined . The supermarket could lose their licence. Staff are constantly reminded of this and young inexperienced staff could be terrified of making a mistake. Challenge 25 is because it is pretty easy for some children to pass for 18 but not so much 25. I do understand your frustration but I have seen parents blatantly buy things like energy drinks and give them to young children when leaving the shop.

sashagabadon · 14/09/2023 07:20

It’s shop policy and they do have to follow through. They can get big fines if they don’t and there are lots of undercover shoppers from council etcthat are doing checks. Don’t blame the poor till worker

cantsleepwontcry · 14/09/2023 07:21

My almost 15 year old is 6ft tall, on a couple of occasions DH has been stopped from buying wine if he's with him. Now we do our shopping, then he wanders off while we pay. Extreme but hey ho!

reluctantbrit · 14/09/2023 07:22

I stopped buying alcohol when I have teen DD (now 16) with me for exactly that reason.

She either goes ahead and waits outside or doesn't come in at all.

WeWereInParis · 14/09/2023 07:25

CoffeeandCheesecake · 14/09/2023 07:16

Edited

There's probably not an official policy that spells it out exactly. They'll have been told to be aware of proxy sales, where alcohol is being bought for someone else.

If you had two teenagers buying alcohol, one had ID saying they were 18, the other didn't, I think a lot of places would refuse that sale because it's not unreasonable to assume they might both be drinking.
A parent with a young child, the vast majority (if not everywhere) will be absolutely fine with that, because it's unlikely you're buying wine for them.
A parent buying a pack of Smirnoff ice with their teenager? Maybe the teenager needs ID.
It's generally down to the cashier to decide, but shops put such a strong emphasis on this that a lot will just err on the side of caution, even if it seems ridiculous.

VesperLind · 14/09/2023 07:26

Our local Waitrose asks for ID from everyone buying anything on the list, no matter their age or who is with them. Easier to apply a blanket policy like that I suppose than leave it to the cashier’s discretion. It is very annoying, but then so much about Waitrose is annoying.

itsgettingweird · 14/09/2023 07:27

I've had it I. Tesco self service numerous times. Ds wasn't even 18 so ID was pointless.

Buying beer for my dad as even I don't drink.

I don't buy beer from Tesco anymore because of it! Ds is 19 now but often doesn't bring his wallet out when I'm doing weekly shop!

Mstxxx · 14/09/2023 07:29

Oh god I've had this before when I was younger with my Mum in Tesco and it caused murders and just recently in Sainsburys with my brother...

The Tesco one I was about 22 and my Mum was buying a bottle of wine for someone as a last minute gift and Tesco was closing. I actually didn't have my ID with me either. The girl who was younger than me refused to serve my Mum the wine if I didn't have ID and like your lady in Waitrose wasn't explaining why and was rude about it. We weren't aware of the policy around this at the time either so that didn't help. Ended up with her telling my Mum and me to get out of the shop and we had to go home and google it as we were confused and she didn't explain.

A few weeks ago I went to Sainsburys with my 16 year old brother who is disabled and I was buying him a bottle of Mountain Dew, no idea it was an energy drink. Still don't know if it actually is but it beeped for ID for 16 or over on the self checkout. He wanted to see my ID and prove my disabled brother was 16 who doesn't carry ID. Thankfully weren't as much as a big deal but just a pain.

Purplerain0505 · 14/09/2023 07:30

It seems a bit silly that you can’t take a teenager shopping with you if you’re buying alcohol. And what if you’re buying alcohol to give your teenager to drink at home anyway? That’s your choice and perfectly fine to do.

nottaotter · 14/09/2023 07:33

Sounds like the cashier was a bit off with you, I've worked in supermarkets and always asked for ID politely and would have spoken to you and explained.

If anyone sells to and underage person they can be personally prosecuted, not just the supermarket. So we were always careful.

Spudlet · 14/09/2023 07:37

I got ID-ed in Waitrose a couple of years ago buying some iron tablets. No booze involved and I was on my own so no kids either! What was that all about, does anyone know?

Farahilda · 14/09/2023 07:52

It's not the law. You can sell alcohol to people accompanied by children

It's shop policy, because it can be an offence to sell alcohol knowing or suspecting that it will be supplied to someone underage. That person doesn't even have to be in the shop, according to the law. ID-ing third parties with the shopper does not actually counter that.

I have bought alcohol many times on shopping trips with actual children and with young adults who might be u18. And I've never had a sale declined or the third party asked for ID.

Person on till is only doing their job. But they are following a policy that is either wrong in itself (being with someone is not sufficient grounds to suspect that illegal supply is about to happen, unless specific conversation/action gives grounds for such suspicion) or the staff member has got it wrong and does not realise it does not automatically cover all people who happen to be present.

I think there is a move towards greater bossiness, and a total lack of common sense sometimes. Worst example was when someone just finishing her shift was not allowed to buy a bottle to take home with her as she didn't have ID with her despite store, as employer, knowing her age as she was selling the stuff five minutes earlier. People may be nervous of getting it wrong, but that does not mean the customer should accept egregious examples of mistakes in application

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 15 16