To have a mini rant about inconsistent ID in shops.

[Notss]

Yes. I know.

There are a million and one more important things right now. I know it’s the law, and I know shop workers are under a lot of stress at the moment. I am grateful for what they do; and I used to be one many moons ago.

But, it’s been a very long and stressful week and this little annoyance has just been the final straw on the camel and now I’m just really in need of a rant.

Stop into a big Sainsbury’s on way home from work (on a retail park, you can’t really just walk to it) - buying £50ish worth of groceries, including a reasonably priced bottle of red wine. Get to the till (still wearing my very obvious public sector uniform with photo ID lanyard). The assistant asks for ID and I realise it’s still on the sideboard as I removed it from my purse so my DM could use it to pick a parcel up from the post office the other day.

So I don’t get served the alcohol, big queue, slightly embarrassing; but I’m really polite and say don’t worry about it.

So, I get home, get changed into scruffs, grab my ID and pop back out to the Sainsbury local, as I needed the wine for a recipe. Now I fully expect to be ID’d as I’m wearing trackies, trainers and ponytail; buying only two bottles of plonk.

Doesn’t even ask for ID...

Argh!

Getting dressed up in borrowed work clothes is a well known 'scam' for teens trying to look older to buy booze. Trackies are not. Buying a decoy full shop rather than just the booze is a known 'scam'. Or the different members of staff were at different types of checkout with different checking targets. Or your check actually hit the stores target for the day. Or the manager was lurking the first time and not the second. Or the first staff member had been caught out before and was more vigilant.

Could be a million and one reason, but I totally understand that stress straw! It's a signal that you need an evening of self care. At least you have the wine to drink.

By the way, last time I got ID checked they thought I was a teenage boy. I was a 24 year old WOMAN. Talk about embarrassing! For both me and the staff member!

@Sparklesocks

Literally no chance of that. I'm a haggard old witch. Not been asked for ID for YEARS.

[quote Vello]@Sparklesocks

Literally no chance of that. I'm a haggard old witch. Not been asked for ID for YEARS.[/quote]
Well then I guess you won’t run into OP’s issue 🤷‍♀️

Ah...well, yes. I quite agree it's a super serious issue. Hem. Yes. It's all very important.

Literally no chance of that.I'm a haggard old witch. Not been asked for ID for YEARS

I was never IDd as a teen when I was underage drinking in the pubinschooluniform

When I finally got ID ( driving license ) in my 30s I've never been asked either.

I lied my way in a few times with a college card. I was old enough then but I had no ID

@SachaStark you do know that some people living in the UK have no British ID at all because they're not British (including some cousins of mine). Shall I tell them they can never buy wine? Maybe that will make them move away!

@Whatwouldscullydo

Literally no chance of that.I'm a haggard old witch. Not been asked for ID for YEARS

I was never IDd as a teen when I was underage drinking in the pubinschooluniform

When I finally got ID ( driving license ) in my 30s I've never been asked either.

I lied my way in a few times with a college card. I was old enough then but I had no ID

Me too. In fact I've only ever been ID'd when I've been old enough. The penalties changed though in 2003 and amendments in 2010 made the person who actually makes the sale as well as the license holder more responsible for an underage/proxy sale. I was definitely old enough by then! Challenge policies also weren't around back in the dark ages when I was an underager but premises have to have one now to prove they have an age verification policy in order to get/keep their license. It's a good thing really I think, I used to get served at 15 with a bit of make up on, highly unlikely that'd happen now.

It's downright strange sometimes. I went for a night out before lockdown, full blown pub crawl, didn't get asked for ID once. A couple of days later, I tried to buy a lottery ticket from the co-op. Got refused because according to the person behind the till, I can barely pass for 14 appearance wise.

I don't wear much make-up apart from eyeliner, so that didn't play a part.

@whatwouldscullydo

I don't ever remember being ID'd when I was actually underage, we were obviously smart about where we went

First time I remember being ID'd I was in my early 20s. A few years ago a teenaged shop assistant apologised profusely for asking me for ID as I explained she'd made my 30-something day !

I don't ever remember being ID'd when I was actually underage, we were obviously smart about where we went

Nah we were in school uniform sometimes 😂 used to occasionally bump into our teachers. There was an unwritten rule of they won't tell on us we won't tell on them. We used to just go elsewhere if they were in there...

It was more like hot fuzz I think. " if they are in here they aren't causing trouble out there "

On one or 2 occasions police drove past us drinking vodka on the side of the road... they didn't stop 😂

When I worked in a shop, I ID'd ANYBODY I wasn't sure was old enough. If there was any doubt, they got ID'd. It's not worth losing a job over. Some people are more lenient then others though...

47 and asked for ID in Aldi
“Seriously?” I said
“Nah you’re alright” he said laughing at me and my wrinkles
😤

@islockdownoveryet

I don't think the ops issue is that she was asked for ID it was that she returned to same shop later to purchase same wine and was not asked . So yes I can understand your frustration do you look old enough or not . But any constellation op I have still been asked on occasion and I'm early 40s it's quite nice . but I remember recently to my horror I forget my license and had to return with my ID only to you guessed it didn't get asked but it was a different person serving .

They were different shops...

I (at 41) barely get a second glance before the self checkout button of 'the customer is clearly over 25' is pressed. It's the clearly bit that gets me! I used to get ID'd on the regular then late 30s hit, loose eyelid skin and eye wrinkles came along and no more! 😩 It's a pain OP, but then one day it'll end.

Oh I thought she said it was Sainsbury's @Slippy78

It's subjective though. It's like when people post a "How old do I look?" thread on here and a 50 year old can get guesses from 39 to 65.

im not able to wear my glasses for work as they steam up with wearing a mask ,and customers wearing mask i can barely see to tell how old people are never mind check their id, and yes ive tried all the tricks, various different types of masks etc

The odd thing for me is I've not been asked for ID since wearing face masks 🤨 Maybe the top half of my face looks older then the bottom half...?? 🤔

@Notreallyawaitress

47 and asked for ID in Aldi “Seriously?” I said “Nah you’re alright” he said laughing at me and my wrinkles 😤

I was out with my friend and it started raining, we both ducked out face forward (because you know we’d put makeup on for once and didn’t want it ruined), walked into a bar. Bouncer stopped us and asked for ID. We turned around starting to get our IDs out and he said “never mind”. So rude! I was also 29 at the time 😭

It does make me laugh, when I was underage I could get away with walking into an off licence buying 3 bottles of white lightening, 3 bottles of lambrini, a pack of fags and a bag of Doritos, pay with pound coins and no problem. Now I go shopping, I’ve got some salmon fillets, tender stem broccoli, toilet cleaner, toilet rolls and a £9 bottle of red wine, I pay with my debit card and use the keyring fob to get club card points and I get ID’d! Still makes me week when I do get ID’d though!

Shop staff can be fined thousands of pounds and face prison terms if they serve alcohol etc to a minor. So carry I'd with you and shop staff are only doing what is required by law

There shouldn’t be inconsistency between the large Sainsbury’s and the local one. If you look under 25 you should be asked for ID.

My daughter is employed as a mystery shopper. She’s been to 3 shops and had two deliveries this week. Sometimes she has to show her ID sometimes she has to pretend she’s forgotten it. She almost always has to buy other things as well. Two of the shops didn’t ask for ID this week so that will be reported.

That's really interesting comefromaway. Presumably if she's over 18 it's the store policy that's being checked, rather than the actual law?

(Unlike, for example, when the border forces are tested by people trying to get through airports with knives or drugs.)

If you don’t have British ID you can get a PASS proof of age - it’s included in the standard training for retailers.

The reason that other countries ID isn’t accepted is that it’s difficult for staff to recognise fakes with just UK passport, uk drivers license and PASS card. The more forms of ID that are acceptable the harder it becomes, and the more difficult it is to challenge if you think something looks dodgy.

@Comefromaway how old is your daughter?

Stores employ there own mystery shopper they also get checked by trading standards and the police. I use to be on the checkouts and I'd many people and refused many sales to. My job was more important to me than someone's beers. To much hassle in the end so I moved departments