To get really frustrated by the Think 25 rule

[Cloeycat]

Not so much having to be ID'd but the fact that if I am with my partner and don't have my wallet (I'm over 25 and also obviously pregnant) that he is not able to purchase alcohol for himself unless I hide or pretend not to be with him.

I don't always carry my ID with me, especially if we are just popping to our local supermarket for something for dinner and he is paying but it is so frustrating that I then have to wait outside the door in the cold like a naughty 16yr old so that he can buy himself a beer or bottle of wine.

Does this rule apply to parents buying alcohol if they are accompanied by children who are under 18? Or is it just when it is two adults trying to legally buy alcohol that a problem arises?

Where are you shopping? I'm 37 and haven't been ID'd in the UK in about 18 years. I need to go to these places to boost my ego!

Its all very civilised in booths anyway. Buying beer earlier this year and the checkout lady said to me "are you old enough for this"? I said yes, she said rightho and carried on scanning!

"It's not always easy to guess someone's age. I for one am terrible at it and it's better to be safe than sorry."

If you read the whole thread you'll see posters saying that they (or a relative) have been ID'd well into their 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s.

No matter how bad a judge of age you are, I think we can all agree that once you reach a certain age there is simply no danger whatsoever of that customer being under the age of 18.

The protection of minors or the law governing the sale of alcohol is in no way being being compromised by selling chocolate liqueurs to a 60 year old man who isn't carrying proof of age.

Tesco ID me a lot, including for chicken tikka pieces last year. I may have slightly rolled my eyes when the assistant actually asked me to provide my ID that time.

I'm 21 and haven't been ID'd in at least 2 years in the UK. That includes major supermarkets and also pubs/bars etc.

I only look about 16 but have a 1 year old DS.

the one time I have been ID'd was for paracetamol. I regularly buy nurofen plus and nytol and don't get checked , as well as spirits etc.

If it was just chicken tikka pieces you were buying I think someone was taking the piss! Even if it accidentally came up on screen that ID was needed (maybe due to an error), you just wouldn't ask!

I get asked all the time... at 30. I got refused recently in a supermarket for a bottle of wine, no id so said fair enough. Because they had refused the alcohol they couldn't sell me calpol!! Had to send my friend in to a different till.

I am 30, I still get ID'd all the time. I know I look young but I don't look 17 so it is ridiculous. I just make sure I take it with me to save the hassle.

It was the chicken tikka pieces which made the machine bleep, only buying them and bread and butter. And yes I was quite incredulous when she actually asked me for ID. She backed down when I pointed out what I was buying. Guess she was on auto pilot!

That's it SaucyJack That's why it pisses me off. The complete lack of common sense and over zealousness. Why are you challenging me at 40? I may look young, but no where near under 25. Then when I protest and it becomes obvious that I'm well old (as ds would say) instead of being sensible about it I am challenged further!

I hate doing the weekly food shop. When I go to the supermarket I have one objective, get in and out as quickly as possible. I don't want to be "challenged", especially for a right I've been entitled to for 22+ years!

Then again when I was 20, I got ID'd for a 12 DVD and the BOY behind the counter very patronisingly asked if I had any ID to prove that I was 12 years old and I laughed in his face and after realising he was serious, produced my driving licence!

This whole thread has really boiled my piss if I'm honest. I work for a very large chain of supermarkets who have been mentioned several times. (Can't name them because of our policy on naming them publicly but I bet you can guess.) I just want to clear some things up for those of you who think you should be above the law and policies in place for the protection of minors, and therefore think it is ok to abuse minimum wage workers who KNOW that the law/policy they have to follow is absurd but can do nothing to change it.

Think 25 policy:
If a customer wishes to buy an age restricted product and they look in your opinion under the age of 25 they MUST be able to provide ID before you can authorise the sale.

Proxy sale:
Legally proxy sales are only in place around Alcohol and tobacco products. The person purchasing the product must be asked for ID if they look under25, if you have clear evidence that they are buying the product for someone else then the person the product is for must also have ID. (Clear evidence defined as incidences where the person is overheard asking for said product, or has given the purchaser money for the product in sight of staff). Yes you asking for a product and being refused on the basis of think 25 and then your friend with you trying to buy the same product WILL most likely be refused as it classes as them having reasonable evidence.

Age restricted products (these will bring up a prompt on till when scanned so cashier cannot feign ignorance when questioned by manager and will have the think 25 policy applied to them):
18
Alcohol,
Tobacco,
Fireworks,
Blades, (including scissors)
Lighters/lighter refills,
Smoking paraphernalia, (rizla papers included)
Any nicotine inhalation product,
16
Aerosols,
Liqueur confectionary,
Lottery tickets and scratch cards,
Party poppers and the like (come up as category F1 fireworks due to containing explosives in small amounts),
Petrol,
Solvents
12
Christmas Crackers
DVDs and Games
Will only be sold to people of the age stated on the box and above, there is no minimum age for sale of a PG or U product (PEGI 3 and 7 on games but these will still call up a till prompt for the cashier)

Consequences of selling a product to a person under the age of 25:
Disciplinary action,
Loss of job, (three disciplinarys in a 12 month period means dismissal and they are handed out for everything including having time off sick WITH a doctor’s note)
Retraining.

Consequences of selling to someone under 18:
Loss of job,
Criminal record, good luck getting a new job anywhere in retail or public services with a conviction for underage sales),
Court case,
Fine,
Police interview under caution.

Procedure that SHOULD be followed by a home delivery driver:
The person signing for the delivery should look over 25 IF the delivery contains an age restricted product. If they do not look over 25 proof of age should be requested. If no proof of age is given then the age restricted items should not be delivered. They have the same consequences as a sale in store.

Acceptable forms of ID:
Anything with the holographic PASS logo on (this includes citizenship cards which cost £15)
Passport,
Photographic drivers license,

I get it is a very mild inconvenience to be asked to provide ID, (I do not drive or have a passport myself) but there is nothing the cashier can do to help you.
I have had people go barmy at me for doing my job. I have also been threatened, called names and had complaints handed into my managers as has pretty much everyone I work with over the think 25 policy. (You should know our managers only tell us when this happens so we can have a good old laugh at your expense once you have left,no we will NOT get in trouble for it). Yes I am fully aware the law is fucking ridiculous and drives me mental, yes I am truly deeply sorry I cannot sell you the product, no I am not going to “do it just this once”. FYI for anyone likely to get nasty over it this will make me very, very, very, NOT sorry and most of my colleagues feel the same, you will also be “that customer” who we WILL talk about, mimic and take the piss out of the second you leave the store because, hey, I got news, you’re a twat! We areNOT allowed to use our “”common sense” yes we have it and again yes we know this is stupid but it’s our jobs, would you rather we were on the dole?

Hope this clears some shit up for everyone who gets annoyed at being asked. pathetic twats

Sorry greyhound, but no- it's not cleared anything up for those of us who're pissed off at being refused a sale when we're well into our 30s and 40s.

crazy so whats with demanding ID off people who do not have unaccompanied minors and are clearly well over 25 then?

But greyhound you are being asked to use your common sense every times you think someone needs to show ID

If some looks 25 or younger then fine but as a 55yr old woman I never need to be asked for ID by anyone because I look over 50.

Sorry greyhound, but no- it's not cleared anything up for those of us who're pissed off at being refused a sale when we're well into our 30s and 40s.

It's simple. If the person serving thinks You may be 25 or under, they must ask you for ID. If you cannot provide the necessary ID. They cannot complete the sale. The fact you may think you look very much your age is irrelevant.

Being in your thirties or forties doesn't mean the cashier KNOWS you are in your thirties or fourties. My DP is well over 30 and still sometimes gets asked for ID, he either provides it or doesn't buy alcohol, same as his best friend (33) and thankfully they are both polite about it when it happens.

Plus remember in staff training they go over the importance of think 25 so often it terrifies a lot of newbies who will then be over cautious. There is a Woman at my work place who asks for ID off anyone who doesn't look over 50 because a) she won't be caught out by management, and b) she can't be accused of discriminating. I did think this was OTT until I read a comment on here from someone saying men don't get asked for ID. I ask more men than women, it's aarder to tell with men IMO because of facial hair. Lots of younger guys let it grow to look older.

a personal example from my time in retail: teenage girl and her mother come in shopping. At the checkout, teenage girl says to mum "I don't like that flavour, I need another". This gives me a reasonable belief that the adult is buying alcohol for the child regardless of relationship. To allow this would be me breaking the law, so I have to ask for ID from the child.

If mum buys alcohol at the shop and gives it to the child outside of the shop, I can't do anything as I've no reasonable belief that the alcohol is being given to someone under the age of 18.

crazy so whats with demanding ID off people who do not have unaccompanied minors and are clearly well over 25 then?

Someone has possibly misunderstood the rules and needs further training. Or the staff member needs an eye test (joking, obvs).

Another thing is "I get annoyed when people ID me, I'm 30!" The whole point we ID people is so we know how old you are - other wise we will have to take your word for t and we can't do that for everyone.

One time someone gave me their birth certificate as proof of ID - which is useless as it has no picture.

I worked in a job where amongst other things I had to sack employees who broke this rule - we had to send in test purchasers, two fails and you were out.

So whoever you blame don't blame the staff.

Agree the 25 limit is too high - it worked fine when it was 21.

Seriously greyhound, I'm 49 - I LOOK 49. By no stretch of the imagination do I look anything other than late 40's. Anyone thinking otherwise needs glasses.

I still get ID'd though. Is so much easier to buy online instead.

I hate it. I'm 27 and got ID'd for a scratch card yesterday.

The boy looked like he had barely hit puberty.

If you are regularly being ID'D into your forties then genuinely, take it as a compliment and make sure you carry ID.

But please consider the fact that most people in these jobs earn less than £7 an hour, yet are liable for £5000 pound fines.

Things I have been called when refusing service to a person without ID/ asking someone for their ID include:

Ugly dyke.
Stupid.
Jobsworth.
Idiot.
Fat twat (he could rhyme!)

It's really not worth getting so angry over.

Antique, StStratters:
A) you may think you look that age. Cashier may not. Think 25 training states if in doubt ask. Store would rather lose your custom than their license.
B) they could easily be one of our terrified newbies who are so scared they ID everyone who isn't an OAP for fear of being caught out.
C) they could be someone who has been accused of discrimination and so asks everyone oor ID unanimously.