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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think 'age related' purchases in supermarkets are getting stupid

147 replies

Mrsdavidcaruso · 28/04/2014 16:25

Just been to Tesco did a huge shop using the scan and shop, one of my purchases signalled 'age related' and had to be cleared by an assistant.

It wasn't the garden fork I bought with the wickedly sharp prongs oh no it was the box of MATCHES that I bought.

madness

OP posts:

pianodoodle · 28/04/2014 20:45

I get more offended by them pressing the button that says 'customer clearly over 25'

Yeah I know they did that at the self service till to me and the guy barely glanced at me before pressing it. Bloody rude

mangomodellingclay · 28/04/2014 20:48

I was buying bits for a party and got refused cocktail sticks. Didn't have my ID and had to serve cheese and pineapple off sticks

Raskova · 28/04/2014 20:55

I'm 26. I'm not sure how old I look. I have too much grey hair and the start of crows feet but if I'm not with DD, I will definitely get ID'd. It gets old.

I'm at that point where it's still offensive to me, rather than a compliment. It really does bring out my inner child. I'll never forget about 4years ago I went to Tesco and even tho my friend had ID, they wouldn't sell us wine because I didn't have ID. Again, I was old enough. They wouldn't let me off.

I've also been ID'd for a cutlery set. A Tesco value one. It certainly won't cut anything tougher than porridge so I don't see why.

They make it obvious they're thinking about not serving me too, with a proper look up and down.

I went out for my friends birthday in sept. Didn't even think to take ID. I got refused from one place but all the others an innocent smile, a flutter of my eyes and a 'but I'm 26, I didn't even think I'd need it' worked... Phew

subtleplansarehereagain · 28/04/2014 21:03

I'm not saying don't complain at all, Calamitous - if you feel strongly, take it up with HQ, store management or the government, just not the NMW checkout person.

TeamEdward · 28/04/2014 21:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChrisMooseAlbanians · 28/04/2014 21:29

I've been in the cashiers position many times. Trading standards employ teenagers purely for testing underage sales. We are personally liable for an on the spot £80 fine, which can be increased to £5000 in court, we can also face prosecution if we don't check for ID.

I know it's ridiculous, when it's a pack of matches, or a knife, but please do think about this- it's our job. We don't have a choice. Unfortunately I'd rather piss you off than lose my job

pointythings · 28/04/2014 21:39

I got dragged to the local police station in Holland to show my passport and driver's licence because the copper who pulled me over didn't believe I was 18 (which is minimum license age in Holland). I was 19 and miffed.

DH got ID'd in Disney World in Orlando last year when he went to buy us a bottle of wine - he was 53 at the time. Fortunately he had ID on him, but as he presented it, the bartender's manager turned up and gently told her to be a bit more sensible about who to ID.

I never get asked for ID, I started going grey at 22, stopped dyeing at 38 and now can buy whatever the heck I want.

tobysmum77 · 28/04/2014 21:40

the point is where medicines are concerned it is more serious than pissing someone off. The whole thing is a joke.

In our local sainsburys a couple of the old women are notorious some of the people they id . I go there often so thankfully escape haven't been id'd since the age of 34.

tobysmum77 · 28/04/2014 21:41

and I hate to brag but not a grey hair in sight

CalamitouslyWrong · 28/04/2014 22:03

Chris: you shouldn't be in the ridiculous position of having to I'd everyone under 90 who wants to buy a couple of teaspoons (or anything else) because you fear losing your job. That is entirely the problem.

The people in trading standards and the supermarket bosses (and everyone else who contributes to the stupidity of the current system) need to actually apply some reasonable judgement. The fact is that cashiers shouldn't be punished on the odd occasions the misjudge someone's age where you could reasonably think they were old enough. It's different if they've a track record of selling to clearly underage people, or where most reasonable people wouldn't realise someone was 18 (and they haven't improved despite training and other management tools). But, in general, thus 'oh, you're definitely over 18 but you could be 24' thing is absolutely infuriating.

I never take it up with the cashiers* but I do think it's completely ridiculous.

I do actively avoid the bloody nightmare that works in my local Asda who ids everyone just to piss them off. There is absolutely no way in hell that she's unsure about whether the very clearly middle aged people she refuses to sell alcohol are 25 or not. Last time she did it to me (and her tone of voice and racial expression made it clear she does this maliciously), I just left her with my piles of shopping and went to sainsbury's instead. I notice that she looks genuinely disappointed when the men in their 50s (and buying £15 bottles of wine etc) she asks for ID have their driving license on them. Her manager really should have string words with her.

bluesbaby · 28/04/2014 22:30

I'm babyfaced and short, and I'm the right side of 30 still, so I understand (a little) when it happens to me.

I have to admit I got the rage in Waitrose a while ago when they IDed me for a small bottle of fancy cider on a Sunday afternoon in amongst our regular food shopping. Does it even look like a teenager's shopping list? No. Is it kind of drink an under 18 would choose? No. Could I even get wankered on one small bottle? Absolutely not. Fucking pointless! I had two shopping baskets worth of food on the conveyor belt, and one sodding bottle of cider. One row with the cashier later and I walked out and left everything for them to clear up. I got the RAGE.

My babyfaced, also short, OH who is the wrong side of 30 got banned from Tesco when he got the rage from being ID'd for a 15 Cert DVD. Apparently being a driver and owning a credit card and such isn't enough proof that he is over 15! I still tease him about it. It was a bit of a pain though because it did mean I had to do all the food shopping in Tesco for quite a few months until they stopped the ban...

bluesbaby · 28/04/2014 22:31

Should point out he obviously didn't have his driver's license on him, just his car key.

zipzap · 28/04/2014 22:38

I got ID'd for buying a video the other day. That well known, only-for-adults film: Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz

ProudAS · 28/04/2014 22:38

What puzzles me is the challenge 25 knitting needles in Dunelm - including those specifically intended for children!

17leftfeet · 28/04/2014 22:42

Sometimes if I'm in need of a bit of a confidence boost I go to asda to buy wine and choose the oldest cashier -they always ask me for ID but the young cashiers never do -sob!

PunkrockerGirl · 28/04/2014 23:05

I was challenged when buying red bull at a motorway service station because dc were with me. They were 20 and 16 at the time and the red bull was for me

trice · 28/04/2014 23:23

I was in Asda when they reminded the cashiers that the bus load of squaddies from the army training college were not to be allowed to buy matches/lighter fluid/beer or knives.

It's a mad world where you are considered old enough at sixteen to join the armed forces but not to buy a tea spoon.

DillydollyRIP · 28/04/2014 23:31

My dh was id'd for a chopping board as it was flagged up as a knife related product.

WoodBurnerBabe · 29/04/2014 00:25

ID'd for a crochet hook :-) absurdly pleased, although someone else said "if you can hijack a plane with a crochet hook, then frankly you deserve to keep it"...

sandgrown · 29/04/2014 00:42

My potato peeler had age 25 on it! So I could get married at 16 but not peel potatoes

BackforGood · 29/04/2014 00:59

I totally agree with CalamitouslyWrong

Ludicrous situation that store managers / supervisors are unable to use common sense.
I don't wish to carry my passport around with me - I usually don't have a bag with me when I go to the supermarket, and haven't looked U18 for 30 odd years.
The extreme examples on here about cocktail sticks and glue and teaspoons and crochet hooks and a chopping board are clearly nothing to do with any inkling of common sense. Even alcohol and knives are legally allowed to be purchased by everyone over 18, so it does make me cross when shops then try to make their own rules to somehow 'trump' the actual laws of the land.

Fanjango · 29/04/2014 01:08

I remember having to remove the free packs of rizla papers off Loaded magazines. Apparently you can sell a mag full of pictures of boobs but sticky paper is not available to under smoking age people

Caitlin17 · 29/04/2014 01:36

A branch of Oddbins refused to serve a friend of mine who was there with her daughter as they overheard her asking her daughter what wine she'd like. Daughter was 18 but no id.

Also saw something similar in Waitrose - not sure what exactly it was but again I assumed the cashier thought the parent was buying it for the child.

fidelineish · 29/04/2014 01:39

I'd have been tempted to stick individual rizlas to each breast Fanj

Caitlin17 · 29/04/2014 01:51

What's dodgy about teaspoons? Is this because you might be heating up drugs in them?

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