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 don't really get why they need to think 25 when you can buy alcohol at 18? Why is it not think 18? Maybe someone can explain this to me as I'm genuinely puzzled.

My two pennies worth: I am nearly 40 and there is no way on earth I look under 18. And yet occasionally I get some daft apath at a till asking me for ID. It's so embarrassing. The people in the queue behind me hear and are looking at me while I scramble for my driving licence in my bag. If I was anywhere near the age limit I wouldn't mind but at 40, really?!

Would be so much easier if ID cards were mandiorty like in most countries in Europe but for some reason British people are agaisnt ID cards.

These are normally free (unless you lose your free issue one) so intsead of paying out for a Driving leicesince or passport you already had a vaild form of ID

(If you have a passport or driving liecesine or even bank or criedit card you are just as much at risk if you had a ID card )

Hmmmm I have mixed feelings about this. I often hear people (online) saying 'I am nearly 40 and they didn't believe I was old enough to buy a bottle of wine.' and I'm like

C'mon, you can buy it at 18. You don't look 18, and you don't look under 25 either matey.

I have never seen this happen in real life to people. I have seen young looking people (who look 16 but are 19-20) be asked for I.D.at the checkout, before they can buy booze, but I have NEVER known anyone (in real life!) who is in their 30's or 40's be asked for I.D... Yet online there are 100's of people who claim it happens to them.

In addition, I find it weird that people claim they don't get served even when they show several forms of I.D. My young adult children have NEVER had a problem buying booze once they show their I.D. I have also not known any of their friends have an issue once they show their I.D. So I do find it most odd that people claim their age isn't believed by ANYone even when they show their I.D.

And as I said - come on, people bordering 40 (and IN their 40's!) don't look under 25.

Like it not, no-one looks more than 7-8 years younger than their real age. Maybe at first glance, from 30 feet away yes, but when you look close, you can guess someone's age within 5 years almost every time.

I love it when someone says 'ask my age!' because you know they think they look younger than they are. When you guess it bang on (or older!) they are mortified haha.

I don't drive and i have to walk to another shop. I rather walk empty handed and carry stuff from there.

And write a complaint online that a cashier was particularly rude to... (My imagination)

I just thought I'd post, as I don't think that anyone else has. You can apply for a 'citizen card' it's valid as ID (has PASS logo) and doesn't expire, it's only £15 which I know is still a chunk of money, but it's cheaper than a provisional license/passport and again, doesn't expire.

www.citizencard.com/what-is-a-citizencard

I understand that it's a pain to be asked for ID when you're a lot over 18, or even a lot over 25. It's hard for cashiers sometimes, they have to make fast judgements based on a very short interaction. I know that having to buy ID is also frustrating, but it is useful to have for various reasons.

Challenge 25 is irritating, challenge 21 would be better in my opinion.
I used to live next door to a co-op so I grabbed my card out of my purse and went to buy some paracetamol because I had a banging headache. Got asked for ID.. did I really look under 16 at the age of 23
At least I only lived 10m away at the time..

I noticed this usually happens to women... Men usually don't get sneery 'compliments' on their youthful looks.

Anyone leaving their full shop behind out of a tantrum gets bitched about, right from us cashiers to the managers.
Yep!
I seriously do not miss this job. I loved my regular customers, but i could not believe how arsey and downright abusive people could get simply because they couldn't have a bottle of wine.

Loopsdefruits
Not all places will accept that card!

user people do double takes when they see my id
Atleast i'll look young when iMm into old age!

I mean, it has a PASS logo? So they should. Their FAQ says that everywhere is advised to accept cards with a PASS logo, and the card is created by Trading Standards and the Police and has their logos. You could definitely argue your case if they tried to refuse it.

Sorry, but those who take umbridge with it need to be aware of the consequences for those retailing alcohol; personal fines up to 5K, corporate fines up to 200k, loss of job, imprisonment (if it is deemed you are knowingly selling to underagers). ...
Im sorry but the challenge 21 and updated challenge 25 policy has been around for fucking ages. Have adequate id on you - which is photographic id with the PASS hologram. You can apply for a citizens card which is accepted by uk retailers and costs the cost of a stamp to send your application away.

For fuck sake - people who id you are adhering to the terms of their contract and the law - not launching a personal attack.

Get with the times and carry ID. As i said - its been the law now for ages so there really is no excuse. "But I look over 25" - do you really? To the 29year old sales assistant who has had the fear of god put up them that if they fail a challenge 25 id (either by police or mystery shopper) they lose their job and get fines personally - I bet they are willing to secong guess it.

Carry id.

End of.

I quite like it !!! I'm 40 and was challenged on Friday in ASDA .... again!

As an aside, I have worked in 3 major supermarket/retailers, and all accepted cards with the PASS logo, it's possible some smaller places won't but the big supermarkets will (it's in the age-restricted sales training) :) just trying to save you/your kids some money, no point spending £50-100 on a provisional/passport if you're never going to use it.

Its not only alcohol. Its a film, a game, a scratchcard, a firework.
Is it fair and reasonable to inconvenience adults if one of a group doesn't have a passport? Or if they are a family with children? Of course they will be pissed off.

BTW, when i was underage, it was easy peasy to ask some old drunk in the street to buy some for us.

My mum was ID'd and she's in her bloody 70's. I think some cashiers have missed the mark on their training. Perhaps quite a for missed the common sense bit.

I find it incredibly annoying, but then thats because im not able to learn to drive and haven't been well enough to leave the country in 13 years. As such i don't need a passport or provisional license for their main purpose, and having to shell out £70+ to get one just to prove my identity leaves a bitter taste. Especially as most places require one of those two and won't accept any other form of even photographic ID, including PASS cards.

I have the same issue with places wanting utility bills, since i live with a parent, the only thing i have in my own name is my phone contract and a credit card but both are paperless billing and only paper copies of bills are accepted.

There really does need to be a cheaper nationally recognised identity card scheme that is actually accepted.

Yeah, utility bills are a goody. When your place is on a meter

You can apply for a citizens card which is accepted by uk retailers and costs the cost of a stamp to send your application away

It doesn't. It costs a minimum of £15. And many retailers/pubs/clubs don't accept them.

its been the law now for ages so there really is no excuse

Challenge 21, 25 or 30 (or whatever arbitrary age) is NOT the law. The law regarding alcohol, for example, states that alcohol cannot be sold to anyone under 18. There is nothing in law to support any of the 'challenge' schemes.

Loopsdefruits
I was refused from a place that was advertising the bloody thing

AlmostAJillSandwich
I couldn't drive for years due to ill health, i still had a provisional purely for id.

Again Wilde, 'many' retailers is probably a stretch? Trading Standards creates/works on the standard age-restricted sales training for most retailers, and PASS logo card is on most if not all of the training. It would be strange for it to not be accepted? It has a clear photo, a DOB and a PASS logo, as well as a clear 18+ logo on the card.

If it was refused, you could challenge that with decent TS regulations on your side, whereas you couldn't with a library card or student card or whatever.

Kali that's ridiculous? I'd have asked to see their guidelines/requirements

I don't think you can expect them not to check, as PP have said there are huge fines, losing your job and possible prison sentence. They aren't going to risk it.

Plus having a child with you doesn't mean you are it's parent, and what else you're buying along with alcohol doesn't make a difference, although when I was underage and buying alcohol I would load up with what looked like a top up shop, with washing powder and milk and bread along with wine or beer and did get away with it more often then not, but this was a while ago.

I worked in Tesco, Asda and M&S and my friend worked in Sainsbury's...they all accept the citizen card, or 'should' and if one person refuses it, ask to speak to a manager.

Loopsdefruits they wouldn't even let me in!