Was Waitrose being U?

[Settlethewreckage]

Just returned from Waitrose after having been refused a bottle of wine. DH (30) and I (27) wanted to celebrate our wedding anniversary by buying a fancy bottle of wine, so we went to Waitrose and picked one (along with some other stuff). At the till DH gets asked for ID, no problem. Cashier then asks me for mine, which I didn't have on me. So now we can't have this bottle of wine, because he can't confirm my age.

I'm angry. The manager said it made sense to ask us both as we 'look a similar age'. Yet they know DH is 30! To make matters worse, DH is now not able to buy alcohol at that store today and tomorrow because 'they know we are together'.

AIBU to think that this was ridiculous? Yes, I could have gone and fetched my ID from home, but by then I was already fuming, so I left the stuff and went to Sainsbury's.

It's irritating because challenge 25 isn't a law it's a retail strategy that was supposed to mean people under 25 need to produce ID to buy alcohol. I'm 38 I look every single year of it and I've been asked for ID to buy wine. When I asked why I was being asked for ID the cashier said we can ask anybody to prove their age.
This is not what the strategy was designed for and it seems like loads of retailers are putting it in place really badly 10 years after it came in.

I work in retail and, yes, it is drummed into us. I don't like asking for id and I always get it wrong but nothing could be worse than the alternative. If you mess up, the police come straight over, take you off the till and arrest you.

It is the law that you check a whole group of people, too, so not just overzealousness.

With regards to kids, I just use common sense. If I think it might be for them then I ID. I actually nearly got caught out like that before but, no, not a 5 or 10 year old.

You can't always rely on the rype of deink they are buying either - or by the sophistication of the items in their trolley. These are all known id traps

This exact same scenario happens in the Thame branch to me a few years ago.

I was fuming

I was 32 and pregnant the last time I was asked for ID...I was buying non-alcoholic wine in M&S. Basically it was a bottle of fizzy pop.

Zero common sense.

Lots of non-alcoholic drinks are actually very, very low alcohol so fall within the ID rules.

I have been refused. I am over 50.

I was with DS last week and we picked up a bottle of rum with our groceries. The assistant asked for his ID - he is 18 - so he handed it over, no problem. They then asked me for mine. I don't have any as I don't have a driving licence and have sent my passport away to be renewed. The assistant wavered a bit, wasn't sure whether to serve us, even when DS piped up that he was my son so I must be really old... anyway in the end she conferred with a colleague who agreed that I looked over 25 and so could have the rum. DS said afterwards that I would have to wait in the car next time!

Is it the shops responsibility to stop proxy sales? (serious question). Surely in that scenario the law SHOULD come down on the person buying the alcohol for minors, not the shop conducting a legal sale.

Life is hard

I was refused a bottle of £50 champagne when I was 1 week pp for my first. Funnily enough, I've never been asked since.

It's ridiculous OP but there's been lots of threads about this on here and the consensus is usually to suck it up / be flattered etc. There was a story once about a mumsnetter who got refused a bottle of wine because she started talking to a neighbour in the queue and neighbour had teen DD with her so MNetter was refused as she didn't have ID and might have been buying it for neighbours DD. It's just really lazy staff training and lack of appropriate decision making.

Nope Lost, this one wasn’t. It was literally fizzy pop in a wine bottle.

It is illegal to knowingly sell alcohol to someone over 18 who is purchasing it for someone under 18 so, yes

@LittleChristmasMouse.....How does asking for ID stop proxy sales? The whole point of a "jump in" is that the under-agers get someone of age to buy for them....they wait outside rather than hang round the cheque out with the buyer looking suspicious.

Was in tescos with my cousin who was about 9 at the time, I was 20 something. We bought the following, happy birthday dad card, happy birthday uncle card, fancy razor, gift bag, balloons, chocolates and a bottle of red wine. Asked me for ID no problem. Then said they couldn't serve me ad younger cousin was there and there was the possibility I could be buying it for her.

I argued with them and spoke to the manager and asked if I was in doing my weekly shop of 140quid of food and had a few bottles of table wine when I had my 2 year old with me would they still refuse service. They said yes. Absolute nonsense of course they wouldn't . (I don't have a 2 year old anyway but that was beside the point lol)

Is it the shops responsibility to stop proxy sales? (serious question). Surely in that scenario the law SHOULD come down on the person buying the alcohol for minors, not the shop conducting a legal sale.

It depends, if you have reasonable suspicion it is for someone underage then you can be fined. If someone buys something and then goes out of sight to hand it over then you have a defence. We often used to ID someone, refuse because they don't have ID, then they'd turn around and ask their friend to get it, you can get done for that.

No. It's down to individual staff blaming would you potentially want the fine? And then theoretically being sacked?

I was asked for photo ID to get into a gig last month. I'm 53.

Does anyone know at what age children need to reach / look like before supermarkets won't sell alcohol to their parents? Is there an actual rule?

It seems bonkers to me to refuse to sell a bottle of wine to someone who is doing the weekly shop with their child.

Is it illegal to buy alcohol whilst pregnant??
I’m sure I bought a beer or two for DH in the supermarket when I was. And a bottle of wine for a dinner party.
That could open a huge can of worms, what if I said I wasn’t pregnant, just rounded!!?

I’d like to know too as at that point I shall have to start leaving child in the car when I go for my weekly shop!

(Oh hang on I think I’ve misunderstood, people are saying they’ve been ID-ed for age despite being clearly pregnant. Well, question still stands, can places refuse you alcohol if they suspect you are pregnant?)

There isn't an actual rule, no. We're just told to use our judgement

The law is 18, not 25. Maybe a kid working in waitrose can't tell the difference between 17 and 26, but most of us can.
Interesting point. I have never shopped in a Waitrose in my life. I don't think they really exist in London? I've never seen one anyway. I think they exist in the Landrover commuter belt maybe?
I get inordinately annoyed when I'm at the self check-out tills in Lidl and the assistant takes one look at me and hits 'think over 25'

Of course it isn't illegal. That's just spreading a stupid lie

Women can buy 700 bottles if they wish,whilst pregnant

It is possible to be under 18 and pregnant