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?

"Take your ID with you..... It's not hard!"

It is if you don't have any.

Get some?

I can understand someone getting angry being told they can't buy something they are several years past the legal age to buy, because the "might" not quite look 7 years older than the legal age and dont have a bit of plastic to prove it.

I can understand it too. And I can understand the frustration if you don't drive so don't have proof of age.

What I don't understand is people criticising shop staff who are doing their job.

Why? I'm 35, I don't drive, I have no plans to travel abroad, and I don't live in a country that requires me to have an ID card either generally or for the specific purchase of alcohol.

Not that's it's an issue for me any more. Having DD3 saw off any youth I was clinging to.

but to think I look under 16 is beyond laughable. I think there's a line from 'unsure' to 'use some bloody common sense'

It's not about looking under 16 or not. Big stores will often send in 24 year olds to test whether you're carrying out the right procedure of asking those looking under 25 for ID.

No law would be broken but you could lose your job.

People are not upset with the law, they are upset with shops irrational and illogical misinterpretation of it.

There has been reports of disabled mothers being refused a bottle of wine because her strapping 16 YO DS helped her scan the bottle. How does 'helping to scan the bottle' follow through to 'is going to drink', which wouldn't necessarily be illegal anway. It is legal for parents to buy their children alcohol for consumption in private homes under parental supervision.

Sometimes people forget their ID. I'm not actually comfortable carrying my driving licence round with me at all times, because if my bag gets stolen, the thief then house my house keys and my address. Not everyone has a driving licence or passport.

People (including me) have been refused alcohol as part of a full weekly shop because I couldn't prove I was over 25 even though everyone agreed there was no way I was under 18. I was about 35 at the time and paying by credit card. No law was being broken.

I think a lot of people just wrongly assume everyone has ID too.
Passports and learner licenses are crazy expensive, i know if i was ID less i certainly couldn't afford to shell out for one, especially when i don't and can't learn to drive or go abroad.
I really hate carrying my passport on me too. it's bulky and inconvenient and i worry like hell i'll lose it or have it stolen.

It is still worth having the discussion because I assume that Tesco, Asda etc monitor social media to see what their customers think of them.

Back in a supermarket, a few weeks ago and I went for cigarettes. A girl was being trained up, I asked for my cigs and she asked for ID, then sort of winced. Like she was almost expecting me too explode on her, made me feel so sorry for her. I laughed made a joke said I was flattered and gave her my ID.
At the same supermarket there is one lady who always asks for ID off me, ive been going in there daily for 4 years. Without fail she will ask me for ID, that pisses me off. It's extreme.

You need ID for a lot more reasons than to drive or travel abroad.
I've had to show ID every time I've started a new job, when I've applied for a mortgage, when I rented an Air BnB on holiday, opened a bank accountI could go on.

A provisional license photo card costs £30 and is valid for ten years........ It's really not a great hardship to get one.

I was still getting IDd into my mid thirties (sadly since the crows feet appeared... no more 😫)

It was frustrating but also a little bit of a compliment.
Once I was buying a £10 meal deal in Tesco and they said if I wanted the wine I could leave it behind customer services and come back for it later with ID (as I wanted the meal deal for tea)
I had to get my hubby to collect it on his way home from work. He thought it was hysterical.

If they don't have ID & look like they might be under 25 then AFAIK parents with their children in tow shouldn't be sold alcohol, no.

I just carry ID on me at all times, still awaiting - at very-almost-nearly-33 - the joyous day when I am NOT ID'd for the first time. I'm not terribly inconvenienced by it really as I don't drink alcohol, but there is something slightly embarrassing about having your waitress remove the wineglasses from the table as they seat you

Think 25 has contributed to a drop in underage alcohol consumption & the number of underage drinkers ending up in hospital - proxy buying remains a huge issue though: it's how most underage drinkers get their alcohol. (Should add that how significant Think 25's contribution has been = tricky to measure as it's one part of v complex picture.) The impact of Think 25 on underage smoking (coming with the change in the law regarding the age at which one can legally purchase cigarettes, of course) is possibly clearer (though again, cost will have been a factor, and getting rid of menthols - probably not the smoking ban, though...). I've also heard, anecdotally, that it reduces the number of knives in schools, & teenagers deciding what that fight they're having after school needs is a small but INCREDIBLY sharp knife. (I love my corner of London, but it's one of the most deprived parts of the country & they didn't put Europe's largest police station here just because we happened to have the room...)

So yes, when Think 25 benefits society as a whole; & all you need to do to resolve your issue with it is take some ID when you're going to buy age-restricted products; YABABU to be frustrated by it.

(That said, I can't blame you for crying SaltyBitch how are things going now?)

Sainsburys only need ID from the person buying the Age restricted product not others with them. Yet co-op for example need ID from everyone with the buyer. It's a complicated system which varies between shops. Whether they follow the proxy sale rule or not.

missvictoria

So you don't carry your drivers licence because can't be sure you wouldn't lose your entire handbag?

Why not write to the parent company then instead of having a go at the sales assistant?

I really hate dealing with people with this kind of attitude. Do you think I should pay a 5k fine if you were at it and it was proved I didn't Id?

Think 25 is there to erase the possibility of doubt. If you're lucky enough to look under 25 take it as a compliment and just carry your id with you. We're trained to id both parties if you were to go down the booze aisle with your dp and it was a joint shop. Obviously you know that a child under 14 is unlikely to be getting their parents to buy them booze but if it's over 14 and you notice them helping pick out the alcohol it counts as a proxy sale.. which on the criminal record I would get would count as an underage sale.

To think that we retail worker are loving getting shouted at and shitty attitudes at this time of year is well off. It's simple enough to take id with you and it'll save you pouting outside the shop like a naughty 16 year old

We also recognise how difficult it can be for our colleagues to judge the age of someone in their mid-late teens or early twenties. Someone who looks 18 could easily be 16, likewise they could easily be 20 or 22. It's less likely however, that they'll be 25. For this reason, we ask all colleagues to check the age of anyone buying restricted products who they believe to be under 25.

Ah! It seems quite clear to me from reading this that 25 is supposed to be used at the maximum/upper (if that makes sense) approximate age range of the customer- which seems fair enough to me.

The stupidity comes from applying 25 as a minimum/lowest approximate age range limit to customers in their late 20s (or early 30s on a good day).

It's a bit thick, achieves nothing and has fuck all to do with alcohol purchase laws.

saucy

Who do you think is being thick and stupid in this scenario?

Do you think the OP, having forgotten to bring her ID, is in no way responsible for a possible refusal to be served?

How many people have been fined £5k for selling alcohol to 24 year olds without ID? Surely none, because no law has been broken.

How many shops have been fined for allowing parents to buy alcohol for their own children? Surely none, because no law has been broken.

What if a shop assistant genuinely believes or actually knows that the person is over 18 or even likely to be over 25. What grounds is there to ask for ID?

MrsHathaway

I read student CVs. I said to the administrator that there must be a mistake with a DOB. Checked, no, the first year students were indeed born in 1998.

You should go to the US - it's bloody ridiculous.

I go to a conference at UCLA. UCLA is an undergraduate campus and is completely dry. Thus the bars around the campus are extremely meticulous. No ID no drink.

Picture a group of adults - clearly in our 40s and 50s - some of the men bald, some of us with grey hair. No ID, no drink.

I just wanted a frickin' gin and tonic after listening to lectures all day!

I do understand that it's a blanket rule and not worth their license but frustrating all the same, and you can bet that UCLA has exactly the same student alcohol issues as every single university in the world - it's just all under cover.

It's not that difficult to bring ID with you. I always bring mine in my purse if we're going to a shop because you never know if you might spot some kind of great offer on, even if you weren't planning on buying booze. For example the meal deal offers at Tesco where the wine is basically free with the food!

I am 26 and almost always get asked for ID still. I've forgotten it only once in the whole 8 years that I've been legally able to buy booze. It's really not that hard

Besides if one of you doesn't have ID just don't go through the checkout together - simple!

I don't have ID apart from my passport and am frequently asked for it despite being in my late 30s. Apparently you have to be over 18 to buy a Jack Daniels bbq sauce marinade -who knew?

I don't think anyone has an issue with being ID'd when buying alcohol? And I think most on this thread agree that it is unreasonable to take any frustration out on their server.

The issue is the 'proxy selling' - which as an aside I cannot understand how a shop can be held responsible for but I do get that it is the law and therefore must be adhered to.

My frustration comes from going to the shop to buy food for dinner, while there OH decides he wants a beer- he's an adult that's fine (or should be) and as a result I've to hide outside the shop. Can you not see how this is ridiculous?