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AIBU?

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Original poster

Morrisons refused to let DD pretend to pay for the shopping...

341 replies

AllTheseThingsThatIveDone · 15/06/2018 19:36

Because my shopping included a bottle of wine.

Often pop to my local Morrisons for small top up shops. Popped there this morning to buy a few bits, including a bottle of wine. DD aged 3 likes to 'help' me at the self service checkout, scanning the shopping, and then at the end I lift her up and she uses my debit card to make the contactless payment, or puts the coins in etc.

Today as I was about to lift DD up to pay, the lady overseeing the checkouts rushed over to stop me and said DD wasn't allowed to pay for the shopping. She said it wasn't allowed as then the alcohol could actually be for her, or the debit card could actually be hers. When I pointed out that DD is only 3, and the debit card was mine, and it was clearly me really paying for the shopping she said it didn't matter Hmm

AIBU or is this completely bonkers? I could totally understand this if I had an older teenager with me but it feels like there is no common sense anymore Confused

OP posts:
lindalee3 · 16/06/2018 00:58

@hellokittymania

I'd say you are 44-45 years old

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 01:02

Ha ha ha, that's definitely wrong! Seriously though, people cannot guess my age. Sometimes I really wish they could,

kmc1111 · 16/06/2018 01:08

This wouldn’t be prosecuted (though it could still cause some hassle), but if you were a mystery shopper it could definitely get the cashier fired.

It’s not about thinking the 3yr old is buying the wine (or cigarettes or a knife or whatever). It’s that the law is the law, and the fine for breaking that law is pretty massive. So stores need to know their cashiers are paying attention and following the law, even if it’s a bit stupid in some cases. If a cashier makes an exception, the store doesn’t know if they made a calculated choice to let it slide, or if they’re just careless about these things and regularly putting the store at risk.

lindalee3 · 16/06/2018 01:08

So how old are you then? I would say mid 40's.

Do you think you look older than you are? Or younger?

lindalee3 · 16/06/2018 01:09

That was aimed at @hellokittymania ... How old ARE you ?? and do you think you look older than are, or do you think you look younger than you are?

PlantsArePeopleToo · 16/06/2018 01:12

@hellokittymania

Mid to late 30s?

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 01:14

I'm younger than that, and because I am 80 pounds, and very small, people put me at much much much younger. It gets really annoying at work. Especially when I'm not taken seriously.

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 01:16

I couldn't even buy rum raisin ice cream a few years ago. When I saw the guy my passport, he went oh, I am only a year older than you!

Anyway Linda, if you can't guess my age, which she definitely did not, I don't think you're the best person to ask for IDs. You may think a 10-year-old is 30. 😂😂 Or vice versa. I'm visually impaired and go by the voice, not the physical features. And because in Vietnam you have to call somebody by whether they are older or younger than you, I have gotten pretty pretty good at guessing.

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 01:17

Although even with that, sometimes people have very old voices, and other times they sound much younger than they are, so having other information, if they're at school, if they have grandchildren, etc. help me to figure out how old they are a bit.

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 01:19

Anyway, I can understand why people would ask for ID. Especially nowadays, kids do tend to look a lot older than they are. Well, I shouldn't say look, but they behave older than they are. For somebody really might not know that the person they think is 30 is only 16.

lindalee3 · 16/06/2018 01:21

I don't get what you are going on about @hellokittymania

I still maintain that nobody looks more than 10 years younger than they are. And I am correct because YOU don't.

And I am getting that you think you look much younger than you are.

Another poster has guessed mid to late 30's and think mid 40's... so what are you, about 40?

Just because you are small that doesn't mean you look young.

Anyone who has mistaken you for younger than 30 needs glasses.

TheMythOfFingerprints · 16/06/2018 01:21

It is the law

Yeah. I work somewhere that sells age restricted products and I can't afford ANY fine because your kid wants to pay with your debit card.

I'm not bothered that some of you think this wouldn't happen in these circumstances, I also wouldn't want to upset a small child but it IS the law.

Myotherusernameisbest · 16/06/2018 01:21

Thankfully the supermarkets near me seem to be operating on common sense. At least for now! Yesterday I was with teenage dd and purchased a bottle of wine and a bottle of whiskey. My youngest often pulls the basket trolley thing when we shop too and there's often a bottle of wine in it! And if I pay by cash he will sometimes put the money in if we are not in a rush or there's no one waiting to use the till.

lindalee3 · 16/06/2018 01:22

I don't get what you are going on about @hellokittymania

I still maintain that nobody looks more than 10 years younger than they are. And I am correct because YOU don't.

And I am getting that you think you look much younger than you are.

Another poster has guessed mid to late 30's and I think you are mid 40's... so what are you, about 40?

Just because you are small that doesn't mean you look young.

Anyone who has mistaken you for younger than 30 needs glasses.

lindalee3 · 16/06/2018 01:24

Why the hell would I think a 10 year old is 30? @hellokittymania ?

liverbird10 · 16/06/2018 01:26

" As an ex retail worker I'd have done the same. I really don't want a £20k fine that I (not my employer) have to pay. "

Exactly this!

Bambooshoot · 16/06/2018 01:50

What a lot of rubbish.

Under English law, a valid contract (i.e. everything we buy from the supermarket) needs certain elements, which include capacity, intention to be legally bound, offer and acceptance and consideration passing from buyer to seller.

No one in their right mind would imagine when an adult approaches a checkout with alcohol and a toddler that the contract of sale could somehow mistakenly end up being with the toddler instead of the adult, since the toddler would not have the capacity to form a contract (being a minor), would not have the understanding to intend to be legally bound by the arrangements (probably wouldn't have a clue what was going on in any event apart from some beeps and flashy lights) and could not give any consideration, i.e.payment, since quite apart from having no funds of its own, it could only ever be helping the parent spend the parent's money, since the card would clearly be linked to the parent's account. As far as I am aware, there is no law that states that you must be physically holding your own bank card at each and every point in time that it is used (or Paypal would be in trouble). Stopping a toddler from making the card go "bing" or whatever, when an adult is buying groceries which include alcohol, is daft, and not necessary to comply with any laws.

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 01:57

Bamboo shoots, because I have insomnia and a curious mind, is there a website I can look at retail lot on? Is this just under commercial law?

ProustianMadeleine · 16/06/2018 01:57

The world has gone a bit mad.

I once got refused gorgonzola cheese in Sainsburys when I was pregnant "because of the mould risk" and, also pregnant at the time, was asked to produce ID for an apple corer in Dunelm. Think I might have yelled.

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 02:00

Madeline, oh my God! I thought I had come across some weird and out rages people.

Topseyt · 16/06/2018 02:50

They were right to stop you, however ridiculous you think it seems.

Also, allowing toddlers to play with contactless debit cards is utterly silly. They are not toys.

I might be in the minority (don't care either) but I don't allow anyone else at all to use any of my bank cards. Nobody at all, and certainly not toddlers wanting to "play" at paying.

BridgeFarmKefir · 16/06/2018 05:10

My brother has learning difficulties but has held down a good checkout job in ASDA for over 10 years. A few years ago undercover police sent in 17 yo to buy booze. Brother got done - £500 fine and £1000 fine for shop. £500 is a lot of money on minimum wage and manager made my brother's life v difficult for a while as a result. It may seem mad but checkout assistants are just protecting their jobs and income.

hellokittymania · 16/06/2018 05:16

Oh bridge, your poor brother. :(

Catinthecorner · 16/06/2018 07:13

The thing is though it’s not illegal, it’s store policy to show they are above and beyond snowy white. Legally you can buy booze with your under 18 (or over 18 without ID with them) child with you. But stores worry so they have policies.

Legally your teenager can load the shopping, pack the bags and carry them. It’s just stores don’t like it.

Basically instead of allowing some flex for obvious cases the policy is set at a silly level and the till staff have to abide by it.

I’d love to see a test case on this. For example, if you’re physically disabled and your teen helps you shop. Obviously it would actually be illegal to discriminate against a disabled person trying to buy alcohol if they had ID with them. So how would the policy work in that instance?

tripYouOut · 16/06/2018 07:23

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