to think Tescos new rule about alcohol is pointless?

[HotCrossCervix]

They wouldn't sell me a bottle of Merlot because I had a teenager with me.

1. A 16 year old is highly unlikely to be swigging merlot. If the adult were purchasing booze for said teenager, vodka or barcardi breezers would be more likely.

1. What if I had a toddler or 8 year old with me? Would they have refused to sell me my wine?

1. The rule is completely pointless. All I did was tell the teenager to wait outside for me, then I went to a different till and bought my wine. I could have done exactly the same and then passed it straight over to the teenager to swig illegally.

So. Completely pointless and nobbish.

And is it a real rule? or just the till chap being an arse? and what are the details of the rule? Any child at all? Any child over 10? Anyone with a moody teenager in tow?

It's ridiculous anyway. It is TOTALLY LEGAL to buy alcohol for your own children, provided they are over 5 years old and it is for consumption in your own home under your supervision.

Grunt they assume everyone has one or the other.

Co-op did this to me too (had my 16yr old with me). Handily, they were selling wine to a woman accompanied by her toddler at the next till at the time, which gave me a useful comparison to rant about draw to the manager's attention for explanation.

Complete bonkersness.

I guess their argument is that they are legally allowed to refuse any sale to anybody. I was told this when I worked in retail. I was a bit overzealous though because I was scared of a fine and once told a woman that she couldn't buy a DVD rated 12 because her child who was about 6 had originally given me the money for it I eventually had to call the manager and he served her but then said I was right to stick to my guns if I'd made that decision, but not to worry too much about DVDs if the parents were there, only cigarettes.

I never get ID'd.

Dd is 19. She doesn't have a passport and doesn't want to learn to drive. So I got her a citizencard that is part of the PASS scheme. It is worthless. Most places won't accept it as ID even though it has her picture, DOB and a holographic government approved fucking symbol on it. Total waste of money.

Once DS 1 & 2 were 16 I always allowed them a bottle of wine or some beer to take to parties, they always stayed in the car while I got it to be sure I wasn't refused. I am a bad mother and Tesco rules breaker.

Never had this Bollocks, DD2(16) often helps me with the shopping and often has a say in the booze choices as does drink with us at home.

It's utterly ridiculous as the sort of teen who happily comes shopping with their parents is the sort least likely to get involved in that kind of party.

Also would Tesco's delivery man not deliver my shopping if he saw my 13y doing back flips on the trampoline as he walked to the door. It's utterly nuts!

I have never known anyone in real life to have had this problem in any supermarket.. only ever read about it on here or in the daily mail..

I get why staff have to be careful but why refuse to sell alcohol to an adult who has ID just because they have their teenage child with them.

To be fair though, I was backed up on the occasion that a 15 year old came in and tried to buy cigarettes, handing me a really grotty, torn £10 note (this is relevant). They didn't have ID so I said sorry no sale. Five minutes later somebody else came in with the same £10 note (I recognised the tears) and asked for the same packet/same brand. They had ID but I refused and was backed up by management.

The problem is that although police checks won't try to catch you out technically you are breaking the law if you sell to someone and have a suspicion that the item may be for a minor. It's why you shouldn't say at the cigarette counter that you're buying for your friend/sister/boyfriend (although admittedly this is less of a problem when you're obviously not a teenager, and say husband!)

But how would they prove it was for a minor?

Obviously in the case of the tatty tenner, it was pretty clear what was going on though.

Saw a blog once by a chap who worked in an off licence, from a time just after they'd had a member of staff fined for selling to a test purchaser. Chap comes in, looks youngish, blogger asks for ID. All he's got is his police warrant card. No DOB. "Sorry sir, your colleagues were most insistent on this point. If it doesn't have your date of birth on it, I can't accept it as ID." Apparently there was laughter in the queue behind him.

YANBU - this is a completely bonkers rule

Fgs

Most of my friends found that too Cat. And the more it happens the less people want to use them! Gah!

I can tell you for a fact though that those cards are printed on the training literature and should be accepted. It's just that usually for the sales person, or particularly the manager, the last time they read the training literature was months or over a year ago and they don't remember every little detail of it, they've just got into a habit which is "ask for passport or driving licence". Since most people have those the pass card is unfamiliar and so gets rejected, even though it's a legal form of ID.

I got IDed by a tesco delivery person once!! I think it was for a cleaning product Bizarre because they usually just let me sign for it even when I was 19 and the service was brand new, and I looked about 15.

Lol at police ID card

Most policemen look about 12 anyway :gimmer:

Ah, I also used to work in one of those buy-sell shops. We didn't take council or police or NHS ID cards there either. People got quite annoyed. "But this is ID!" "Well it's not on my list." "Why not?!" "Because there are too many different kinds of work and student IDs. There isn't a standardised format. We need something universal like a driving licence." "Well I don't have one!" "Do you have a bank card?" "Oh, yes."

What got me was dd was refused alcohol in our local pub which has a big PASS display on each of its doors.

I work for the aforementioned supermarket and its not a rule. The checkout operator must assess the person buying the alcohol as being over 25 and ask for ID if they think they are not. Yes its illegal to buy booze to give to a minor, but in my experience you'd have to be pretty suspicious that that was going to be the case before you refused the sale. If the customer was buying crates of alcopops with a gaggle of giggling teenagers in tow then that might be a bit suspicious, but a bottle of Merlot, no way! I expect the checkout operator was being a tad over-zealous in applying their training. All staff have to have refresher training every 6 months and it is drummed into them how important it is to be vigilant when selling alcohol.

I get ID'd far more now than I ever did when I was underage. On a good day, I don't look under 25, I'm wearing a suit, I'm buying a not-cheap bottle of red wine and organic bloody filled pasta and using a credit card. It's been a hard day, please can I have my wine?

I've been an underage drinker, and it was Smirnoff Ice and cheap cider the whole way, not red wine and food with the word 'artisanal' on the packaging.

Tesco's as a whole is pointless. I hate them. Saw on the news their profits are down by 6%. Can only wonder why.

I don't think it's an all out "don't sell parents booze" rule but have seen this happen before with cashiers being over cautious. DH has been refused beer/wine when I've been there as I haven't had my ID 'incase it was for me'. It was for me but I'm not 16!!

That's another thing - I can't have wine but DH can. DH is younger than me!

Hmm, in the US it's a bit of a soft rule. They can refuse to sell you alcohol if you're with a minor, but I think they're not supposed to refuse if they think it's your own child. Mainly it's aimed at groups of teenagers/mixed age young people. Rather than just the person paying getting carded, if they all look young they all need ID.

Fairly sensible system used that way.

I'm sure I've ranted mentioned this before, but the law is not the problem. It is the people trying to apply it who do not understand what reasonable belief means. Just being seen in the company of a minor is really not sufficient to constitute reasobable belief.

Over hearing a conversation where it is stated or implied the alcohol is being purchased for the minor = reasonable belief

Having witnessed the customer in question previously buy or attempt to buy alcohol for a minor = reasonable belief.

Seeing body language or behaviour that makes you think the customer is buying alcohol for a minor = reasonable belief

Being told by the customer, the minor or a third party that the customer is attempting or has in the past attempted to buy alcohol for a minor = reasonable belief.

The onus is not on the customer to prove their innocence, it is on the shop to hold a reasonable belief.

I wonder if anyone has ever asked what it is about them that makes them look like the sort of person who would illegally supply alcohol to a child? That would be fun to watch

Bertie, I was once refused purchase of an 18 game because my ds had it in his hand when we approached the counter. It was GTA4 and ds was about 6 at the time. Was that you?

I spoke to the manager and asked why they thought it was more likely I was buying a game for someone 12 years under age than for his 36 yo father, he sold me the game.