To think Asda are wrong to put this sign up

[kslatts]

Went to customer services in Asda today and noticed a sign that said only 4 unaccompanied school children were allowed in the shop at a time before 9am.

To me this seems very unreasonable, implies all school children can't be trusted. Even verging on age discrimination.

My dd (14) walks to school with about 6 friends everyday and often buys her lunch from tesco's on the way and has never had any problems, they have always gone in together.

Anyone else think this is unreasonable?

Children are the only group in society that you can legally discriminate against. Age discrimination only applies to older people apparently.

I think that it's disgraceful that it is. And even worse that people think it's fine to put up signs limiting numbers of young people in a shop etc. imagine if the sign said 'no more than 4 women at a time' or 'no more than 4 Irish people'.

YANBU - I thought it was awful when I was a teen and I still do.

I used to vocally protest too. I was standing with a group of 4 friends in a shopping centre once and was asked to 'move along' by a security guard. I asked why and was told we were causing an obstruction. I told him we would move as long as he also asked the group of mothers with pushchairs who were blocking far more of the aisle than us to move too. He looked surprised and wandered off.

I think this is symptomatic of a really damaging attitude towards children that has become prevalent in our society. All of our egos are vulnerable to what others think of us - especially teenagers', and it seems to me they are given a far harder time than ever before. I think people are more fearful of others and tend to focus their fears, mainly unfairly, on young people. Was it that long ago that I was moping about with a scowl and terrible hair? Luckily for me, adults had the confidence to dismiss me as a dick, rather than a menace to society, in those days. That's what I think we need more of now - the sass to know that actually, we are alright - the world is not about to end. Then all those dodgy looking but most likely totally unthreatening teenagers can carry on with their own business, whatever the hell that might be.

Yes,it is unreasonable to discriminate against an entire group.if there is a problem with specific children they should deal with them In response to what someone said furthur upthread I would have thought if they were congregrating in large groups in the same aisle they'd be easier to watch!

And it isn't saying " no groups larger than 4" it is saying no more than 4 - so 10,13,16 year olds, and a two sixth formers would be outside the limit.

My mother's friend (who is in her 80s) has pissed herself twice in Asda at the checkout. She subsequently came over "a bit funny" - they packed up her shopping, took her still dripping and the shopping to the bus and she didn't have to pay for her shopping. Perhaps she should try this somewhere more upmarket - she might get free Champagne and caviar.

As far as I am aware, Asda don't have a ban on unaccompanied over 80s who might have continence problems!

The local shop across from my school used to do this at lunchtime- they only let 3 of us in at a time and there could be up to 40ish pupild queued at the door- it was in a tiny corner shop though and was as much to stop overcrowding in the store as it was to prevent shoplifting etc.

i don't see how on earth a massive supermarket could police that, they'd have to count them going in and out?

i can see why they do it but not how it would work in practise.

It's a lot of fuss about nothing.
When you get huge groups of children on buses and in shops there can be problems.
I can remember having limitations on what I could do as a child and it hasn't affected me at all.

Because banning people really is impossible to police. Asking children not to come in in large groups is much easier to control.

Might be easier to control, but it's unfair on all the teenagers / children who do not cause problems. Why should my dd (or any other teenager) not be allowed in with a group of friends purely based on her age.

that store may have had a lot of thefts and thats why they have that sign up we dont at our one but then theres no school nearby that we have lots of kids in before school but we did in summer hols have 3 teens who I have served that trie.d to walk out of the store with over £30 worth of hot food

There's plenty your DD can't do because of her age. Do you complain that she isn't allowed in our local soft play because she is over 5? Age ruled happen all the time, and usually not without reason.

MrsSchaden when I had a Saturday job in Tescos 25 years ago we had a female customer in her 60's/70's that used to have a funny turn at the Checkout. She got about 5 or so free taxis home before she hit the rotation of checkout supervisors who realized her plan.

From then on she was brought a chair and a glass of water. She used to properly hit the ground like a sack of spuds!

Am I the only one to wonder how these kids are supposed to know how many school children are already in there?!

noblegiraffe - of course I don't complain she is not allowed in soft play because that is reasonable. But, going in a shop to buy something with a group of friends or going into a shop where there are already people her age shopping should be allowed. I am in my 30's and if I got to a supermarket to be told 'sorry you can't come in because there are already 4 people in the store who are in their thirties' it would be ridiculous, so why is it acceptable to treat teenagers this way?

I'm hoping for a "if you've got all week to do your shopping, don't come in on a bloody Saturday" sign at my local ASDA.

Don't think it will happen though!!

Why is it accceptable to prevent 4 year olds drinking? Or to charge 21 year olds more on their car insurance than a 40 year old?

Why is it acceptable for bars to operate over 25 or over 30 door policies? Why do only those over 65 get the winter fuel allowance? Do the rest of us not get cold? Why do we have to be 17 to learn to drive?

Age discrimination happens all the time, usually because society has deemed a certain age group as incapable of doing a certain thing, for a certain reason.

Asda has deemed large groups of teenagers in their area as incapable of shopping in an acceptable manner. Every person in society gets judged on the actions of their peers all the time. Teenagers are no different.

Well done Asda. Age discrimination, my foot!

I wish supermarkets would take more control like this, including banning people from walking into the shop without tops on, no shoes on feet etc.

Every person in society gets judged on the actions of their peers all the time.

Hmm. I suspect that the proportion of teenagers who are a nightmare in shops is no greater than the proportion of young black men who are involved in gang-related activities in south London. But a "no black men" sign in a Peckham supermarket might have a few legal challenges, and with good reason.

Might be easier to control, but it's unfair on all the teenagers / children who do not cause problems

Then blame the little shits who cause the problem, not the store who are forced to implement an unpopular solution.

When I was growing up, our local shops all had this kind of rule. We just had to queue up outside. Yes, they lost business as sometimes we wouldn't wait, but mainly the shops are still there, so they could cope without our money. And to be fair, those that have closed probably wouldn't have been saved by a few school kids buying a packet of crisps before/after school.

I suspect its nothing to do with nicking and more to do with ASDA not wanting lots of teens chatting, blocking the aisles and generally socialising with mates in a warm place during a cold lunch time.

where we live that's what costa is for.

ASDA is a business not a youth club.

oh and so funny about the sandwich content. only on mumsnet.

Oh FGS. It is not limiting the total number of schoolchildren in the shop at any one time, it is limiting the size of any one group of kids. They can still go in on their own or with one or two friends, just not in a larger group.

Perfectly reasonable.

I think it's less to do with shoplifting and more to do with gangs of kids blocking the aisles and messing about. I try not to go into town between 12.30 and 1.30 due to school kids blocking pavements, shop doors etc, throwing food at each other and dumping crisp packets and drink bottles everywhere. I probably sound a moany old cow, but 'in my day' we weren't allowed off school premises during the day until we were in 6th form. Also, I don't know how the teachers cope with the afternoon sugar rush having seen children lunching on big bags of Haribo, 6 bakewell tarts and a bottle of Irn Bru!

Around where I live, the kids come out of school all around the same time and they descend upon the shops and it seems a large minority of them are not all that nice. I understand that parents of teenagers feel that they're all tarred with the same feather but it's hard not to in the case of a shopkeeper or indeed an ASDA manager.

is not being able to walk around a shop in a group of 6 really that much of a hardship?

Nip into the shop, grab what you need meet your friends at the front of the shop.

Yeah its probably not stealing,its staff having to watch them for messing about and them not realising that them having a laugh is a nuisance.Teenagers tend to go in their own world with their friends its not always them being a pain purposely.