Getting Asked for ID When Buying ALCOHOL FREE BEER!

[0FrillyKnickers0]

Right.

Before andyone suggests that the till lady was "just doing her job", I totally understand that she was just doing her job (although she could've been nicer), I understand that she was just doing her job. This is not a moan at checkout staff, but at the morons who imposed this rule.

I am 27 weeks pregnant and the weather is super hot. So, I went out with my husband to do the weekly shop and decided to buy some Becks Blue (as it has to be the best AF beer ever). We got to the checkout and she put through all our shopping (veg, meat, cereal...all good sensible stuff) and then she put through the alcohol free beer (we weren't buying any real alcohol, just the Becks Blue). She looked at DH(24) and asked for ID, I snickered to myself as it was AF beer, she then said "I don't know what you're laughing about, I need to see some for you too". I'm 25. Only problem was that although DH had ID (and passed this age test), I didn't have any on me as I didn't think I would need it FOR BUYING ALCOHOL FREE BEER. Well...she wouldn't let us buy it! Neither would her manager.

Needless to say I was pretty pissed off. Apparently it has 0.01% alcohol in which is why they ask for ID. Of course that makes sense because I'm going to get toatlly hammered on a 6 pack of Becks Blue, aren't I .

Seriously. Who are the nitwits that decided to impose such a stupid rule? I bet they don't ID people when buying aftershave which, most likely, has more alcohol in than 0.01%!

Moan over.

Alcohol free beer does have an alcohol content though, as do liquer chocolates!

razors, plastic knives, party poppers all need someone to be 16 too

What ID are you supposed to produce? I don't carry my passport round with me when I am back in UK. I have a Polish driving licence and a French ID card. Will they do? They accepted my French ID card in (I think) Sainsbo's last year. I was bemused to be asked - I am not going to see 45 again, never mind 25!

I have never got that far as to have to produce it, they tend to always give in i was asked in m&s and I said 'are those three over there enough id?' and pointed to my 13, 11 and 5 yr old :o

you are supposed to produce photocard id, so a driving licence, passport, probve it card etc

A passport, photo driving licence or a proof of age card that carries the ?PASS? logo, afaik.

I was refused Baileys truffles a few back. I was very pregnant and most indignant.

I was also asked for ID when buying DS's birthday candles!

I have no problem with it but I always carry ID now anyway.

Look, the OP is not having a go at shop assistants - she says that about 5 times in her OP! So I don't know why everyone is banging on about what will happen to the person serving her.

She is saying the rules are stupid, although she understands that as things stand, of course staff have to enforce them.

I worked behind a bar for years and I agree with her. It is madness that you have to have ID to buy alcohol-free drinks - fruit juice actually often has a similar alcohol content if it is older and has fermented ever so slightly!

It is also madness that you can be prosecuted for buying alcohol 'for' a minor when it is legal for you to decide to offer it to them in your own home.

I also really don't think shop assts and bar workers should be personally liable.

I don't think shop workers should be personally liable either. The fines and other punishments involved are ridiculously draconian. The problem here is with the policy, which is stupid (and hasn't made a blind bit of difference to underage drinking related problems since it was introduced).

oh course you should be prosecuted for buying alcohol for minors, it';s there to enforce that people don't buy for underage people they don't know (which i know they do) Alcohol is a dangerous substance. My poor nephew ended up hospitalised because some stupid woman bought him a bottle of liquer and he had never even drank before

So Dad buys alcohol for his son when the son is there in the checkout queue and it's underage drinking and hell on earth, yet Dad can buy alcohol alone, take it home and son can drink it and it's ok?

If a parent wants to let their child underage drink not letting them buy the alcohol when the son who doesn't have ID present in the shop isn't going to solve anything.

I understand exactly why cashiers have to be strict due to these rules and much like the OP I have nothing against the cashiers and would not get annoyed at them, but think it's totally acceptable for anyone to get irate about the insanity of the whole situation. Checking ID will stop an underage person buying alcohol from a shop. Checking the ID of the other people with someone who does have ID with the aim of stopping underage drinking will not. If someone underage has access to an adult over 18 who doesn't mind them drinking there's nothing that's going to stop that.

No. Your nephew ended up hospitalised because stood around shops asking strangers to buy him booze and then he drank too much. There's a difference.

Still stupid for someone to buy it for him and, yes, they should be prosecuted for doing something illegal. The shop assistant shouldn't.

it was actually his friends mother who bought it him, but thanks for that assumption!

He still drank it though.

I know he still drank it, i am sure he knows now how stupid it was but he isn't very streetwise and his parents wrap him up in cotton wool and I am absolutely amazed an adult thought it was a sensible call to make. He is still a child and she is a responsible adult, or was supposed to be

I got carded yesterday while buying a can of shandy. When I pointed out that mouthwash had more alcohol in it the cashier just laughed and agreed. I am obviously in my 40s btw.

I got id'd when I was 27 for paracetamol which you have to be 16 to buy, had my then 8 year old ds and 3 yo dd with me

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3907529/Shop-refuses-to-sell-bottle-of-whisky-to-92-year-old-granny-who-didnt-have-ID.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2043339/Tesco-refuses-sell-Jack-Daniels-sauce-customer-27-ID.html

i wonder if my local butcher has a licence to sell bass sandy with a 0.5 per cent content

My DH gets ID'd every single time he buys alcohol at our local supermarket. Even with a toddler and a baby in the trolly, whilst wearing a wedding ring, with one bottle of wine in amongst an £80 shop. It drives him up the wall.

I secretly envy his youthful looks find it quite amusing

That daily fail article is completely unreasonable....

They call BBQ sauce 'ketchup'. Gasp!!

I once left over £100 worth of shopping on the conveyor belt in asda, after they refused to serve me alcohol. i was 39 at the time. I don't drive and have a phobia of planes, so don't have a passport. Why should I be discriminated against because I don't have either it's back to my original psot (Id cards by stealth)

I bought false nails and forgot glue. I went back later and they wouldn't sell me the tiniest pot of nail glue! I'm 27!

I buy Becks Blue at least once a week, usually twice. Have done since I gave up drinking 3 years ago. Occasionally I get ID'd - it really isn't a big deal. You used to be able to buy it without at the self service tills until enterprising people discovered they could scan one and bag another, thus getting the more expensive alcoholic one instead and leaving the AF one by the tills.

You need ID to buy caps - that's right Caps for cap guns that we all used to play with as kids. What a piece of nonsense.

Perhaps the answer is for everyone to boycott supermarket booze in protest. Once it starts hitting companies in their wallets they'll put massive pressure on for a policy change.

Maybe I'm just sour because nobody ID'd me when I was buying my annual bottle or four of Bailey's, and I'm only 53

FioFio - you're quite right that alcohol-free beer has a residual alcohol content.

So does orange juice - in fact orange juice has TEN TIMES as much alcohol as the AF beer that OP was trying to buy.

Do you think people should be ID'd buying OJ?