To hate "think 25" guidance

[FairiesAlwaysWearBlue]

Im 28 and look my age! I'm ten years over the legal drinking age and Waitrose wouldn't let me buy a bottle of cider!

Yes I know I should have had ID but I don't drive so no license and I don't often have my passport with me.

I was looking forward to my bottle of cider as a treat for working hard in the library earlier today.

Yes you should protect underage children from buying alcohol but IABU to be annoyed with "think 25" now means everyone needs to show ID?

I always carry ID on me because I'm 31 but look about 15 lol. I worked in a bar when I was 18 and people were most affronted if I asked them for ID (continually got things like "A little fucking KID asking me to prove i'm over 18?") but it was drilled into us that if we served someone who was underage that it wasn't the bar that would be responsible, it would be the person that served the drink. So YABU. Carry ID. In America apparently it's "think 40".

When i was younger, i had no problem with showing ID - i always had my student card. It was not only an ID but also granted some discounts.

But at 30+ it is annoying and embarrassing that they demand a passport for a 15 rated dvd. And i really don't look that young.

I had worked in shops myself and there was never a rule that you cannot serve alcohol/tobacco/dvds to parent just because they had a young child with them

The cashier who refused you the sale was just doing their job. We HAVE to ID anyone we think looks under 25, easy to understand when you think how old teenage girls can look with make up, or teenage guys with facial hair. IME most people are fine about it.
Eg -
Me (scanning cider/wine/beer) I'm going to be a pain now Can I see some ID please?
Either yes, sure or 'bugger I left it at home'
Me - smiling apologetically - sorry but I can't serve you
Them - no worries, my own silly fault
The ones who get defensive get themselves no where. I still won't serve them the alcohol and have no problem calling a supervisor over.

One memorable occasion, I refused a sale to two young people. The male had ID, the female not, he definitely wasn't old enough to be her dad (as obviously I'm not silly enough to refuse a sale cos their child is underage), I said sorry I wouldnt serve them . Man got arsey, I apologised and said I couldnt serve them, it's my job at risk etc/
Ten mins later an older gentleman came in, with the same brand whisky I'd refused sale of and asked our policy on alcohol. I happily told him, he asked why if he came in with his teen dd he'd get served yet his son had. Explained rules re proxy sales and not interfering with parental judgement and that 'the cashier probably thought there was a risk'/ He said that it was me, I agreed and said sorry but I stood by the decision. He shut up and left. The idiot. I was close to calling the manager over.

It's no fun for us Iding you. We never know if it's a genuine customer or a test purchaser and I have to act as though every time is a real purchase. Even when I'm asked to authorise sale for someone under 18, I make sure to take a good look at the ID and if they have none, I won't authorise the sale. I also ID groups of young people even if one is buying alcohol and keep an eye out - if I see for eg a group in an aisle and money changing hands, then only one of the group comes to my till I will ask to see everyoes ID and will again refuse the sale.

Maybe I wouldn't be fined for selling alcohol to a 23 year old test purchaser without ID. But I would get a reprimand, the whole checkout staff not just me would get refresher training, and I would be closely monitored for a while. I don't want that.

Though agree it is on stupid things. Including spoons (only possible reason I can think of is heroin use) and alcohol free beer!

I'm hardly likely to have had my daughter at 12/13.
Really? Because no one has ever had a child at that age

I showed my Uni, work and Library ID cards and credit cards. A bit of common sense wouldn't have gone amiss. And the law is you can't sell to under 18s, not that ID is required.
Problem is op none of those are accepted forms of id, staff could get in trouble for accepting those.
I wouldn't risk my job just for your bottle of cider.
I had a provisional for years even though i was never going to drive!
I'm in my 30's nearly my late now and i'm asked for id everytime. I do look rather young.
I don't blame staff, they're doing their job.
People keep saying 'i def look my age' that's to you.
I could never tell people's ages, ever. ( unless they were elderly!)
I also agree with a poster on the abuse i used to get when i couldn't serve people disgraceful.

The cashier who refused you the sale was just doing their job.
Yeah sure. Smirking that 'is a compliment' also included in the job description?
I usually go to friendly and no-nonsense cashiers.
A few times i left the whole trolley of shopping at the till. Here... do your job...

I understand that cashier is a crap job, and one gets pushed around a lot,

I loved my job.
Never took it out on anyone. If you didn't have id you weren't getting served.

Here... do your job...
Do you just hate cashiers in general?

Enjoy your days of being asked for ID. No one has asked me since I was in my early thirties.

Just carry relevant photo ID and it's not a problem for you.

A few times i left the whole trolley of shopping at the till. Here... do your job...

Yeah, stick it to that cashier by abandoning a trolley you've spent your time filling with stuff you need and want ... for the store to just throw away any chilled/frozen produce, and someone (very unlikely to be the actual cashier who dared follow their training to ID you) to re-shelve anything.

Well done for getting your "revenge" on that cashier by spiting yourself ...

melj1213
Well they are better than the cashier in a crap job

Oh and FYI, whenever I am on checkouts I love doing the "lefts" ... you basically get to wander round the shop putting stuff back, chatting to your colleagues who are on the shop floor as you pass, chatting with customers, checking out the sales and having an excuse to skive for ten minutes in the warehouse (where you are "taking the damages to the waste comps" if a manager spots you)

Yeah, pure torture that, Railgunner

I got asked for id while my SIA licence was round my neck on show. I didn't have any on me and the cashier apologised as she then spotted my SIA and knew at that moment I was clearly old enough but as she'd already asked she couldn't then serve me.

I completely understood and just bought my booze in my local shop.

I hate being at an event and having to ID people because without fail I'll get an older person joking with me to ask them. What they don't understand is that if I ask them and they don't have it then they won't get served even though I know they are over age.

So annoying!!! After a giant queue at the bar at a festival 2 years ago I was asked for ID, didn't have any, so they wouldn't serve me. I was 32!!!

Do you just hate cashiers in general?
I hate a lot of people.

Why some other cashiers manage to be nice and friendly and not kick up a stink?

As i said earlier, i don't drive, and i don't carry a (foreign) passport to shops. Not a student for long long time.

I don't know anyone who acts in a sneery, smirking way. I don't doubt there is some, but I don't and I guess that is why I've had mainly civil and decent responses.
I've not experienced anyone leaving their shopping in temper as you describe railgunner (perhaps the reason for that is my manner with the customers) but if I did, I'd be polite as anything. I'd then talk about the awkward customer to my colleagues when they'd gone, who would support me, and next time I saw the awkward customer I would hide under my till adjusting my footstool (because if they can't see you, customers don't come to you). I'd be perfectly polite and my customer service would be good. But I'd certainly not have a good opinion of the awkward customer.
The abuse/bad attitude you get in regard to ID is just people being pains, IMO. I just be as polite as I can, to a) show the manager/supervisor etc I can deal with challenging customers and b) to make a good impression of myself on customers in the line, who may be more likely to chat/be friendly etc as a result. I tend to take customers bad attitude/abuse etc with a pinch of salt. I don't know them or care about their opinion, and the fact that they choose to stand in a supermarket at say 6pm on a Wednesday night giving a cashier aggro says more about them than it does me. That said, I am friendly and courteous regardless. You just learn to bite your tongue.

Haven't read the whole thread but a couple of months ago I was asked for ID and I'm 44 !!!!!!!

She just would not serve me until the supervisor came over and used her log in details on the till.

Whilst I was quite chuffed it was also WTAF when she asked me for ID - of course I didn't have any!!!

I hate being at an event and having to ID people because without fail I'll get an older person joking with me to ask them. What they don't understand is that if I ask them and they don't have it then they won't get served even though I know they are over age.

I often have this conversation, especially when I'm working the self scan machines on a Friday/Saturday night in work ... middle aged guys will come in for a few beers after the football or whatever and will be all jokey "Hey, you should ID this one, well under 18 him! lololol!" "Yeah, you should ID him to, but make sure it isn't fake! Hahaha!!"

And I'm like "You say that but do you actually have your ID on you? No? Well I could ask you ... but then if you couldn't actually produce any ID I'm then not allowed to sell it to you, even if I think you're old enough once I've asked for ID you need to show it before I can authorise the transaction. So, do you want to take that risk or shall I just assume you showed me those bus passes already, and I'll hit the authorise button?"

I always make a joke of it and try to keep it light but you'd be surprised how many people don't realise this ... until they try to be funny and original and end up pissed off.

I also love my job. Get paid to sit and chat with customers. I love the chatting aspect, I love joking and making someone smile, I love helping someone/making them laugh, I like joking and chatting to children and take their own token from my cup (which they in turn love). I've got my regular customers. I like helping people, and I'm a naturally a cheery person. My customer service has led to customers leaving positive feedback at the front desk, and there's some customers we genuinely smile when we see each other and have a good catch up. I certainly don't live for being a jobsworth. Also doing left behinds isn't that bad - a chance to stretch the old legs, have a good nose at the offers and hide things if on fantastic offer and not many left (lindt bunnies behind the floor cleaner anyone), have a good chat to colleagues. Anyone leaving their full shop behind out of a tantrum gets bitched about, right from us cashiers to the managers.

I would imagine any customer fuckwittery at the tills is captured on CCTV too made and logged for future reference...

YANBU. It's annoying and embarrassing. I'd actually prefer it if the shops had the policy of IDing everyone for alcohol purchases, because then I wouldn't feel singled out. I know it isn't the cashier's fault that the policy exists, but I do blame them for choosing to apply it to me when I'm 30 and look it. I'm always very polite about it, just inwardly fuming, and I avoid the shops which I know are over-zealous about it. I don't drive and I'm not going to take my passport to the shop - it was reasonable for me to have to do so at 18/19, to prove my age, but not at 30. The legal drinking age is 18, not 25.

Equally annoying are the people who say 'enjoy it!' I don't. It's an inconvenience and I don't actually find it flattering to be told I look much younger than I am. I'd much rather just buy my wine and get on with my day, thanks.

pasanda the cashier might have been new or have just been re-trained after failing a test purchase so didn't want to risk overriding it. Or they may have already declined the sale based on not providing ID and needed a supervisor override code in order for it to go through the system.

If that ever happens to me where a supervisor says that they will authorise something that I can't/won't from my own judgement/training (not just for age-related purchases but for eg overriding a customer service process that I don't have the authority to bypass, but a manager can in certain circumstances) then I will also wait for them to come and use their codes to override it, because then any consequence comes back on them and I have shown I have followed the rules set out in my legal training.

Well done for getting your "revenge" on that cashier by spiting yourself

Not spiting. You assume that i should lug my shopping into another supermarket over a few items? I'll get everything over there.

I'm 30 and look it

In your opinion. I am 27 and in my opinion, I definitely look 27 ... however I have had some customers think I was 20 and others think I was 38 (and everything in between) when I asked them to judge my age to illustrate the fact that judging ages is subjective and people can get it wrong sometimes.

YANBU Being ID'd at a business lunch when you're 38 is not a compliment!

Railgunner my point is that you've just spent your own time, walking round the store, choosing the things you want/need, got round to the checkout, unpacked it all onto the conveyor, potentially got halfway through bagging it up and then left it all because you couldn't have one item ... to then go and repeat the same process in another shop.

Yes the initial shop loses out on the entire transaction but you're the one who has to waste their time, energy, petrol etc on re-doing your whole shop elsewhere.

If you''ve just done a big shop then that's potentially hours you've wasted, all for the sake of a bottle of wine ... is it really worth that much effort?