To be baffled by Morrison's ID policy

[Babyfacemortified]

I am really at a loss to understand what I have just experienced. Very minor in the scheme of things but I have been left with a lingering uncomfortable feeling.

I made an unplanned stop at my local Morrison's store for a bottle of wine and didn't have my purse with me, just my bank card. So I didn't have any ID with me but I am 33 years old and was dressed for work in business wear so it never crossed my mind that I would be asked for it, even with challenge 25 as I am 8 years over that but to my amazement, I was asked. In many ways, very flattering. This isn't the part that annoyed and bewildered me....

I previously worked in that store for 5 years (starting 16 years ago) and am still on good terms with many of the staff, including management. It's a small town so I still chat to my former colleagues when I see them and keep in touch on Facebook. I didn't have ID, so was refused the sale. This is fine as for whatever reason, the checkout assistant was not confident that I was old enough to buu alcohol.

I asked whether a different member of staff on another checkout could serve me as they would know for a certain fact that I am old enough but was told rhat no, that is not possible and the assistant refused to let me take the wine to another checkout or call a supervisor.

The people behind me in the queue were really nice, as they could obviously tell I am clearly well over 18 (and 25, unfortunately) but I still felt really embarrassed not to mention disappointed at having to leave the lovely Malbec I had been looking forward to!

On the way out, I spotted a supervisor I used to work with and explained the issue to her, told her I realised it was totally my own fault for not having ID but I really did fancy a glass of wine and had a friend coming the following day so could do with something in to offer, so could she aerve me on her checkout but she also refused. She said that although she knew my age, it would be against the law for her to serve me now that her colleague had questioned my age!

Surely this is madness? I absolutely respect the right of the first checkout assistant to refuse if she isn't satisfied that I am old enough, as the consequences of serving someone under 18 can be very serious, but if another checkout assistant and supervisor knew that I was in my 30s they can't be prohibited from serving alcohol can they?

Name changed as very outing.

Why are people being ID'd buying alcohol free products. That's insane!

This is Tesco policy too. Once you have been asked for ID they cannot (will not?) serve you until you provide ID.

Our Tesco's do if you ask for the supervisor. I have never been rude to a checkout operator but I am happy to ask for a supervisor if I need to. It's ludicrous that my 17yr old serves customers with all items with an age restriction (he, and half his friends work in our local Tesco) but I can't buy wine when he with me as a customer.

trendy

I doubt that many have targets. It's more that If you get mystery shopped and fail, even if that was the first time ever , if you have no logs registered under your name/user number you are going to have no defence at all in a disciplinary.

There will of course be people who take the piss and Id a 56 ur old fir a laugh but that's nothing to do with training they have received and more to do with them just "having a laugh"

Those in their 30s being ID'd are likely just being asked by staff who just are airing in the side of caution. As I said before there are certain attitudes, outfits, and ways people carry themselves that do make you appear to be younger.

Again, it's far more about the fact most people don't like being told no by someone who they think is beneath them than anything else

It's got absolutely nothing to do with people being "beneath" me and everything to do with the fact that there is not a hope in hells chance that I look less than 45! To anyone!

There will of course be people who take the piss and Id a 56 ur old fir a laugh but that's nothing to do with training they have received and more to do with them just "having a laugh"

If they are just "having a laugh" then they deserve being challenged

"I doubt that many have targets. It's more that If you get mystery shopped and fail, even if that was the first time ever , if you have no logs registered under your name/user number you are going to have no defence at all in a disciplinary."

I was more surprised that someone would suggest that targets are a thing...

sarahtancredi nope, I'm not having it. Waitrose is particularly bad for this and most of their checkout staff are middle aged people who I really doubt are IDing other middle aged folk for a laugh.
Still waiting for a retail worker to explain why you would ID a 55 yr old shopping alone unless it's because you're hitting a target.

If I refuse a sale (work at sainsbury) and that person goes to another till its their responsibility to check if they feel the need. I did my job. We're told if we refuse but another member of staff eg supervisor is happy the person is old enough they can be served by them. I have the right to refuse to put the sale through as I questioned their age but if someone else chooses to its at their own risk. I'm 31 and had to go get mine a couple weeks ago in another shop. Your ex colleague was being an arse. I would contact area management or head office to let them know their policy is stupid

@nokidshere

But it doesn't matter to me if at the start of my shift I'm told we're due a check, because they're doing the rounds, and I need to ID and record that, a certain amount of people on each shift because I haven't done it enough. Doesn't matter if you look 25, 45 or 105 quite honestly, I am doing as I'm told. It's not unheard of that when another shop is caught out by their records being less than adequate, for a 'warning' to go round and management to start shoving the record under everyone's nose to use regularly to prove to the police, trading standards or the company itself that the store has a 'robust' policy in place for age restricted products. Even the people inspecting the record fail to see the irony in entries that detail ID was asked for and the age the person proved themselves to be was 55...... And yes, I've written that in records before! I agree it's ridiculous and over kill, but that's not going to make me put myself at risk of a disciplinary. People totally refuse to get that, still insist I'm an idiot, a jobsworth, on a power trip, am entitled (to coin a few terms used on this very thread) so that's the conclusion I've drawn, with good reason!

I went to grab a couple of alcohol free beers for my dad at Tesco a few weeks ago.
Went to self service and red light goes off and says "we just need to approve this"
Woman comes over looks at me and ds2 (8) asks if they are for me
No they're for my dad.
She says what about the lad?

I managed to buy them in the end but it is ridiculous that it's getting to the stage that adults can't buy alcohol when they are just shopping with their children.

Don't get me wrong I completely agree with challenge 25 but if a parent has proved their age and said the alcohol is not for the child (despite the fact children can drink at home from 5) why can they STILL not be served?

Morrison's treat their staff appalling badly and most are terrified about losing their jobs.

One chap in our local branch told us that he had had a formal warning the previous week after asking a child not to ride his scooter around the store and the parents had complained.

Morrison's management don't seem to realise that if they treat their customers badly by allowing children to rampage around the store or being inflexible about their alcohol policy, people will shop elsewhere.

Thank you Grumpymug. It is obvious that that's the only explanation.

Don't get me wrong I completely agree with challenge 25 but if a parent has proved their age and said the alcohol is not for the child (despite the fact children can drink at home from 5) why can they STILL not be served

I haven't worked anywhere that's had this policy. Working in pubs e allowed children so serving a coke alongside a beer was the norm.

But if you want someone to blame for this then look around. At every one. At people in general. And ask yourself, is this because companies are being ridiculous or os this because no one tnes any personal responsibility any more? That 30 years ago if you went akd got drunk at a mates house youd be grounded/punished for days.

Now people go straight to the papers or sue for the results of their lack of parenting and taking responsibility

Parents can't get 10 year olds off an x box to shower, or wont say mo to their children last a tantrum erupts. They sure as hell wont be taking responsibility for not knowing where their kid is when they get taken into a&e via ambulance after they talked a friends mum into buying them some cider.
If they didnt know that their shop would be front page news complete with daily mail sad face....

Totally agree @SarahTancredi

There's a problem where I live with teens drinking and anti social behaviour, they're getting it somewhere aren't they? And my teen DD told me that parents regularly buy their children alcohol. The way the law stands at the moment, for some reason, it's not the parents being targeted and blamed for this, it's the local retailers who sell alcohol. It's the people behind the tills and who have the licence being held accountable for it. That's why the policies are so robust and why those serving are so strict.

Sainsbury's taking their Under 25 rule a bit too far recently.

The shops I've worked for will put the fear of god into staff over losing their job, being fined etc, without always being clear on policies/law (I once had someone blow up at me about how I "should go back to the customer service training course" and nearly laughed as training was having a lifer watch me on a till for an hour).

It's quite tricky to estimate age off looks, which is presumably why it's challenge-25 to mop up 17 y/os who look 20ish. Unusually short/finely built young men may make you think teen, heavy makeup can make it hard to guess age or even make you suspect a deliberate attempt to look older etc.

I don't take getting turned down for booze personally, even though I suspect it's my oily spotty skin that gets picked up on. A stranger's good time was never worth my job either.

It’s interesting several people say their over 18 under 25 kids don’t get Id’d yet many posters in their 30s, 40s, 50s do. There definitely seems an element of quota and asking people they don’t expect to kick off/ expect to have ID.

I got knocked back in Morrisons at 39. The operator mumbled something about a ‘suspicious sale’ as I was buying one can of jack and coke , so it wouldn’t have mattered if I looked 90, I would have been ID’d which took any compliment away and is just annoying.

People who mutter ffs not again are the ones who have been dogged with this stupid policy for 17 years and carry their ID almost always - it’s just that this one time they nipped in with eg a tenner from their DH’s wallet and don’t have their own purse with them. And by now they’re fucking 35 so should reasonably be able to buy the odd bottle of wine! When I was between the ages of 18 and 30 I got IDed almost every single time (in supermarkets. Not pubs), so I didn’t try to buy drink without ID. Over 30, with kids, it got a lot more sporadic. That’s why I sometimes get caught out now, because it doesn’t happen every time. I’m certainly not doing it on purpose!

I am short so I still get asked for ID, despite being 33 and having grey hairs. I always carry my passport if I know I’m going to buy alcohol, but I’ve also been asked for ID because I was buying paracetamol. Store policy may be to not sell over the counter medication to under 16s, but there is no minimum age in law. There is no way in the world that I look 15, anyway. I had my 2 children with me, and the paracetamol I was buying was a bottle of calpol, which says 2+ months on it. One person actually told me ‘we can’t be too careful, because you could be buying this for your children’. It was like one of those nightmares where you scream but no sound comes out.

I don’t think a store should be able to include items in their challenge 25 policy without having prominent signs that warn you. All the signs up just mentioned alcohol. It doesn’t logically follow that items not restricted by age would be included.

Of nothing else this thread illustrates exactly why we have these policies and why they have to be so strict.

How? There’s no one on this thread under 18 that’s been trying to buy alcohol @sarahtancredi

It's not to piss off customers . Its because some people look a damn sight older than they are. A think 25 policy dramatically reduces the chances of an under 18 being able to buy age restricted products a 17 yr old could under some circumstances pass for 19/20 . They wont pass for 25 I'm.most cases

Exactly @sarahtancredi so why are you arguing that 40 and 50 year olds need to show ID?

I already said that if people are asking 50 plus yr olds they are either deliberately taking the mick. Or they are merely trying to get some "logs" to prove they are Iding people in order to protect themselves should they be mystery shopped and failed. I personally have never id'd a 40 yr old. However if your job is heavy on the Id thing and your customer base is on the older side I can see why it happens.

But a few years either side of 25 is to be expected and its somewhat preferable that 10 29/30 ur olds get carded than 1 20 yr old gets through because regardless of 20 being legal. It could still cost someone their job serving one.

If you're in your 50s and regularly being asked for ID why not just carry some 🙄

Agree Kedgeree No one has explained why my 78 year old mother gets ID'd, when she is clearly many decades north of 25.

God forbid someone who was 21 got their hands on ALCOHOL