AIBU to think this Supermarket is judging my parenting?

[Doingmybestmum]

AIBU? Standing in a queue in Tesco with (home from uni) DD chatting to me. I was clutching a much anticipated bottle of Pimms, with accompanying lemonade, strawberries, mint etc... goodies going through when charmless checkoutee asks for age of said 21 year old DD and ID for her or she would not be able to sell me the Pimms. I calmly explained that I (substantially over 21) am buying said alcoholic beverage with my money and a) DD is only standing next to me b) its my money c) DD is over 21 and d) what on earth... the manager was called and I was allowed to purchase. AIBU to think that this is ridiculous - I understand that adults must not buy alcohol for underage children, but if you were - would it be Pimms, and would you have the "child" standing next to you?

Merchant I don't assign any moral value to it, I just see it as a policy. I don't have any ideas either that this policy has anything to do with stopping under-age drinking, it's just something shops do to protect themselves, as such cashiers enforce this to protect their jobs. You don't have to care about their jobs, doesn't mean that they have to change their behaviour for you.

I hardly think Mr/Ms Tesco is sitting in their ivory tower saying 'Good job guys, we stopped Jane Doe from potentially supplying a 16 year old with a drop of booze, high five for fighting under age drinking'.

If you don't like the policy, walk with your feet. There's nothing stopping you from doing so.

I think that this has very little to do with people being morally outraged about teenage drinking, if you were a great way to do something about that is to set an example that drinking is potentially harmful and dangerous by not drinking yourself. I think this argument is more that people feel inconvenienced by something ultimately pretty trivial.

It's an utterly stupid rule. Surely the adult actually standing with their teenage child and buying booze is the person least likely to be buying it illegally, as they are not trying to be sneaky? If you were actually trying to buy alcohol illegally for a minor, the minor could stand... I dunno... behind you in the queue buying something and pretending not to be with you. Or in the next queue. Or outside the shop. Or stay in the car. Ridiculous.

holdon It doesn't have to be about morals at all, from any point of view. I'm suggesting that laws ought to have a purpose - otherwise, um, what are they for?? I'm assuming the law that gives rise to all this ridiculous hoop-jumping is to do with under-age drinking, no? So my point still stands - that the law is in no way helping to stop under-age drinking. Are you actually suggesting that the law that gives rise to these policies is not related to the problem of under-age drinking? What other possible reason for its existence could there be?

I agree with your final point (which is weird, because I think you were trying to disagree with me...) that people are annoyed by being inconvienced by a silly, nonsensical policy that has no redeeming features.

*inconvenienced

laws ought to have a purpose

They do. Their purpose is to ensure those that have keep what they have and need have no fear from those that have not. And when you ponder on the fact that since 1066, of the land granted by William the bastard Conqueror to his lords 80% remains with those families, you have to view it as a (very) unsung English success story.

www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/10/last-1000-years-families-owned-england/

Merchant I got lost in my own waffle, think we do agree (definitely wasn't procrastinating on MN on a Friday when I'm bored at work )

As for the law, do I think it helps? Probably not, at least not in any major way. Just as the law against drugs doesn't stop people buying them.

So yeah, we probably agree, and it's a Friday night so I say cheers to that I'm going to have a beer.

Ha ha! Fair enough. Cheers!

Whilst at a checkout with my then DP (now DH), the sales assistant asked us both for id before we could buy the bottle of wine (destined for a bolognaise) on the checkout. Only DH had his, we were refused on the grounds he may be buying it for me. Not only was I 26 at the time... I was also heavily pregnant

When I was about 20 and living at home I did a weekly family shop and was refused the 1 bottle of wine I had because by Dsis 15 and Dbro 13 did not have ID.

I understand the policy behind it but was still . Surely common sense should prevail.