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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:
LlynTegid · 14/09/2023 18:04

I am with the shop on this one.

Mind you, I never shop with others unless to give assistance to someone who cannot do so without it.

DemBonesDemBones · 14/09/2023 18:06

@enchantedsquirrelwood if I think they look under 25 they could be 35, 24 or 17. So I ask.

CM1897 · 14/09/2023 18:12

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?

She can lose her job if she doesn’t check. It’s annoying but not her fault and not worth worrying over. Yeah they can refuse to serve alcohol if you’re with a child

Destiny123 · 14/09/2023 18:16

I mean I recently got ID'd for wd40 the rust removing spray...on clarification it's a 16 age limit (I'm 32) as you can sniff it. I don't carry ID as I don't drink.. they wouldn't take ID saying I was a Dr, car keys nor credit card to prove I was not sub 16...told them to leave it and my bike can remain rusty

ThomasinaLivesHere · 14/09/2023 18:16

Twenty years ago when I worked in Tesco I’m pretty sure this was the policy so nothing new. I know it’s frustrating but they will ID people you’re with. I don’t think it’s a great law/policy as if you were secretly buying for those underage they’d hardly just stand by you. They’d be waiting outside.

Although thinking about it I’m pretty sure they won’t refuse to sell you alcohol if you’re with children as I remember accompanying my mum shopping and she’d buy alcohol when I was a child so not sure what age they start IDing at 😂

Luckyduc · 14/09/2023 18:17

But your son is 25 and its challenge 25, therefore if he looks 25 or younger she would ask him, regardless if its obvious that he's over 25. I bet you couldn't guess most people's ages ...its easy to say your son looks his age as you know this but you probably couldn't guess the cashiers age. I work for a similar company who was fined 2 years ago £500,000 but they reduced this in court to £200,000 with a condition that if it ever happened again the fine would be 1 million. Companies will not risk being caught out, nor will a cashier lose her job because your son doesn't have his I.D on him.....and plenty people would spend that and more on alcohol. Usually if the kid touches the alcohol bottle such as putting it on the belt the cashier would straight away refuse the sale....company policy for many places.

frumpalertt · 14/09/2023 18:33

I think this is absolutely mental. You are buying the wine. It is your card/money. You are clearly over 18. The age of whoever is accompanying you does not matter. You are the customer. I feel like this smacks of some weird sexist shit where women aren't allowed to buy things and men are.

Tonightsthenight91 · 14/09/2023 18:36

It’s pathetic tbh. I don’t know why anyone confirms to absolute nonsense like this. In situations where it is OBVIOUS an ID check isn’t needed it is nonsensical to do so and really reminds me of people conforming to the bs we got pushed on us a few years back“coz it’s law.”

If I get ID’d when I have cash on me I just leave the cash on the counter and walk out with the item. They can keep the change.

Thebeachut · 14/09/2023 18:38

feel like this smacks of some weird sexist shit where women aren't allowed to buy things and men are.

Eh?

FictionalCharacter · 14/09/2023 18:40

Desiredeffect · 14/09/2023 06:18

I had done the same when I worked in a supermarket. Don't take it personally it's shop policy and the law. She could get fined and even prison if found to be selling to a minor even if your shopping. As he was standing there she has to I'd and she was only doing her job.

It isn’t the law though. The law says you can’t sell alcohol to a minor. It doesn’t say you can’t sell alcohol to an adult who happens to be accompanied by a minor, that’s the shop’s policy and they could change it if they wanted to. It’s mistrust of the customer.

It’s a stupid policy. Any adult buying booze for a child would just make sure the child isn’t with them.

I was refused a beer in a restaurant once because I was accompanied by my kids (it was at a football stadium on match day so thousands of people were drinking). That didn’t make sense either. Restaurants serve alcohol to adults and soft drinks to the kids all the time.

SOWK · 14/09/2023 18:41

I’m in my 40s and Waitrose asked for ID when I tried to buy calpol. Madness

TiredArse · 14/09/2023 18:41

It would be very helpful if they could decide on a policy and publicise it so everyone knows where they are. There would be none of this today you can, tomorrow you can’t crap.

bobotothegogo · 14/09/2023 18:48

It is a silly rule, and no the cashier is not going to lose their job if they don't ID the person accompanying the customer. Utter nonsense.
The law states you cannot sell alcohol to anyone under 18. They only need to ID the customer. Whoever that person then gives it to is on them not on the sales person. Sending your 15 year old out to the carpark while you buy your pinot is utter madness!

Bonbonbonbonbons · 14/09/2023 18:49

CM1897 · 14/09/2023 18:12

She can lose her job if she doesn’t check. It’s annoying but not her fault and not worth worrying over. Yeah they can refuse to serve alcohol if you’re with a child

Show quote history

Not correct. The purchaser is the only person the cashier should be concerned with.

BusyBees1234 · 14/09/2023 19:05

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

Thebeachut · 14/09/2023 19:07

Any adult buying booze for a child would just make sure the child isn’t with them.
No. No they wouldn't haha.
I refused sale to a person last week who told me he was 18 but had no id.
He came back ten minutes later with his dad who wanted to buy what he was going to buy " you can sell it to me can't you for him" 🤦‍♀️
If the adult had come back alone and bought the alcohol I'd of been none the wiser that he was trying to buy alcohol for someone who needed id

ratspeaker · 14/09/2023 19:13

I got the similar in Sainsbury’s shopping with adults son.
They didn’t insist on ID but did question his age even though it was me paying.

Samlewis96 · 14/09/2023 19:23

MammaTo · 14/09/2023 08:43

The member of staff said he was concerned I was buying it for her and that’s why he refused service, sister was 16/17 at the time. I’m not sure on the legalities of it all but that was his reasoning.

Show quote history

Which is crazy as its legal to drink alcohol at home from about 5 years old

Goodexcuse · 14/09/2023 19:24

Sorry, I couldn't bring a bottle to your lovely dinner party as my husband was at work when I went shopping. This meant that I had to get my teenager to help me do the shopping as my disability prevents me from being able to do it alone and they wouldn't serve me alcohol.
Speaking of calpol. A pharmacist would not allow me to buy 2 small bottles of calpol, which I explained were for 2 separate children. But she pulled a bottle from behind the counter and said that she could sell me this one, which was practically twice the size. I bought 1 bottle and sent my partner in from the car to get another bottle.
Same pharmacy, different occasion. I was buying calpol and calprofen for my son. She said that they could not be taken together. I replied that they can according to my son's surgeon.

RantyAnty · 14/09/2023 20:25

Maybe it was the number of bottles?

GingerIsBest · 14/09/2023 20:34

withlotsoflove · 14/09/2023 16:51

@GingerIsBest
you are a snob.
You think because a person is in a lower paid position- they need to kowtow to your ridiculous understanding of the law?
You might like to know that if your trolley contained perishables, they’d have to be wasted. So well done on adding to the food wastage issue too.

As has been pointed out many times on this thread, these are policies implemented by the stores, not laws. In addition, often these policies are misunderstood by cashiers, so no, I am not asking someone to kowtow because of a "ridiculous understanding".

I am also interested in all these claims of people being fired, fined or even sent to prison. Its a long thread and we haven't had a single person even say, "my friend's mum' cousin's dog's original owner's son's girlfriend was fined for letting a woman buy alcohol with her 24 year old son standing next to her."

Caerulea · 14/09/2023 20:47

Eldest DS (21 & had ID) was refused alcohol at lidl because he was seen talking to my nephew (18) outside the shop.

NumberFortyNorhamGardens · 14/09/2023 22:19

Never mind alcohol. If you go to certain hardware/DIY shops (I work in one), never take your teenager with you unless they have ID. In these stores, all manner of weird and wonderful items come under Challenge 25. Knives and blades, fair enough (although plastic scrapers are stretching the definition of ‘blade’ to breaking point - and why are they included when handsaws aren’t???)

But you also get glues, including PVA, yes that’s right, the stuff they use in classrooms all the time, that you used to have fun peeling off your hands when it dried. Meths and white spirit, obviously, and some of those silicone substances you use for filling in the edges around the bath and shower. Teak oil. (‘What do they think we’ll do with that?’ asked one - older - customer. ‘Drink it? Smoke it?’ Yes, I did laugh). Wood filler. I get the point about the hardener in that - it reeks. But the really daft thing about a lot of this is, several of these items, like the glue, are sold by the large supermarket over the road without such restrictions.

So yes, it’s all a bit of a dog’s breakfast.

Carnewb · 14/09/2023 22:29

GingerIsBest · 14/09/2023 20:34

As has been pointed out many times on this thread, these are policies implemented by the stores, not laws. In addition, often these policies are misunderstood by cashiers, so no, I am not asking someone to kowtow because of a "ridiculous understanding".

I am also interested in all these claims of people being fired, fined or even sent to prison. Its a long thread and we haven't had a single person even say, "my friend's mum' cousin's dog's original owner's son's girlfriend was fined for letting a woman buy alcohol with her 24 year old son standing next to her."

Show quote history

As I said in a pp, these policies are at least based on, if not a mandatory part, of the alcohol licence.
A challenge policy is a mandatory condition, as is protecting children from the effects of alcohol.

Breaking mandatory or in fact any conditions and you have broken the terms of your licence, and that doesn't necessarily mean you've broken the law. You can be fined, have limitations imposed on the licence or have it revoked all together.

I have known someone after being caught twice selling alcohol to an underager during an undercover investigation due to complaints from local residents, lose their job - the licencing authority told the licencee that they couldn't be considered to be a suitable person to serve alcohol any more and if they allowed them to, they'd review and revoke the licence.

A local bar had their licence reviewed and the manager (who was the licencee) had his personal licence revoked because he posted some questionable things on Facebook - no laws broken, but he was not seen as someone fit and responsible to run somewhere that sold alcohol. And that wasn't even anything to do with any actual sales.

No licence = no booze allowed to be sold and that's the death toll for many businesses that rely on the income.

You might understand the law around alcohol, but you clearly don't understand alcohol licences.

GerbilsForever24 · 14/09/2023 22:41

I don't understand this: I have known someone after being caught twice selling alcohol to an underager during an undercover investigation due to complaints from local residents, lose their job

Yes, because what he was doing was illegal. The OP was a 40+ year old woman buying alcohol. Totally different scenario.