Judged by Waitrose

[Prioryfodder]

Waitrose would not let me buy alcohol because I was accompanied by my 15-year-old daughter. To explain, just before Christmas, I had bought a basket of groceries and two bottles of Malibu (actually destined for her older brothers Christmas stockings to make long island iced teas, but that's irrelevant IMO). She had briefly handled the bottles to put on the conveyor belt for me. We then waited some time for the cashier to clear. We were clearly together and frankly we are clearly mother and daughter. The cashier (rather smugly) said she would need ID from both of us to sell me the alcohol. I said I was 56 and she 15, but the alcohol was for me. She - and later her manager - asserted that we both had to be over 18, and to prove it. I asked if they would sell it to me if she left the shop. No. Would they sell it to me if she were 6-year-old? Yes, and I was ''not to be so silly'', said the cashier. My daughter feels she was judged as being an underaged drinker, and I feel judged to be a 'bad mother'. Vote: Yes, you are AIBU, you should never shop with your teenage child, you fool. YANBU, FFS at 56 you should be allowed to buy alcohol.
I am expecting a few cracks about buying Malibu and shopping at Waitrose. Please don't disappoint

Meh.
YABU for 'feeling judged.
Stores are trying to do their bit to curb underage drinking, which trumps your personal taking of offense.

YABU - Long Island iced tea spolied my chucking in Malibu?
Criminal.

Yes I have also been declined a bottle of wine at a waitrose in West Sussex. Never had a problem in the Midlands!

Absolutely pathetic rule that makes no sense to me and really infuriates me! They’re only doing their job but the law is a joke!

Curbing underage drinking is a good cause. Sadly, these policies and restrictions will do precisely zero towards that cause.

Completely agree. Pointless and annoying for everyone - its purpose is to fool us all into thinking Gov Ministers are doing something to fix the problem - they think we are morons. Being seen to do something is all that matters - its effectiveness is secondary.

Exasperated and Fingerless, quite a few of DC1's friends' parents allow their DC (all 12 and 13) to drink 'in moderation' at home as part of some kind of fucked up 'exposure method' in a bid to turn their DC into 'responsible drinkers' (definitely not working; stealing alcohol, putting vodka in school water bottles etc). They all shop in Waitrose and need every reminder going that what they're doing is totally inappropriate.

So annoying. I think they just do it to inconvenience you sometimes, little power trip.

Also abusing the ‘think 25’ rule. I lam 32 and have been refused alcohol in various supermarkets though I definitely look my age.

Any evidence that works? I doubt it. It's a daft policy. Someone who thinks it's ok to give their 12-year-old booze does not feel their views challenged by a supermarket worker at Waitrose stopping them from buying Malibu. I'm sure even the Nudge Unit would laugh that one out pretty quickly.

Surely by this reasoning, Supermarkets should be ID'ing parents buying condoms with kids 11+ in tow?

YABVU to think malibu goes into a long island iced tea lol

Supermarket staff are under constant threat that test shops are undertaken by trading standards and if they're caught out they will personally be fined and receive a police caution. They were right to enforce it.

I work in a supermarket. I’m not risking my job, we are encouraged to look for situations where the alcohol could be for someone else, the fact that it was a drink a 15 year old would drink, and that she put it on the belt would make me ask for ID too, it doesn’t matter that you’re paying.
I could lose my job and be fined, it simply isn’t worth it.

Yep,by the gallon.

legally in the uk, if the alcohol, is consumed in private, then it's legal from age 5, upwards, so why would it be wrong if a parent is buying it for their eg dd or ds ?

@Hawkins002 this is something I don’t get either.

Because regardless of whether it is legal to give a child alcohol in your own home, it is illegal to sell it to someone you suspect is purchasing it for someone underage. I don’t set the rules but I have to stick to them if I want to keep my job.

I have a great policy idea, why don't we just ban Malibu and red fruit-flavoured ciders! I mean they are horrid anyway and they are the teenager's drink of choice. Joking! - it's as ludicrous as this policy in stopping kids from drinking and stopping adults from buying teens alcohol but I'm sure someone has tried to ban alcopops.

I honestly did not know this was a thing, I rarely buy alcohol admittedly but this would never ever have entered my head. If this had happened to me I would have assumed the cashier was either joking or in the wrong.

I had a couple of bottles of booze delivered by Amazon today and was asked my date of birth.

I'm 60 this year and was tickled pink!

I understand your perspectives, it's just that its the puzzlement around the policy, in private they are not underage, it's just that in a shop they cannot buy it directly, so in this case how can a policy allow it to be consumed in private and it's legal, but to buy it, then a person cannot buy it directly with them being with the buyer ?

The law states that a 16/17 year old can have an alcoholic beverage if with a parent and having a meal. Did she look under 16?

The law states that a 16/17 year old can have an alcoholic beverage if with a parent and having a meal. Did she look under 16?

Thank you for confirming that as that's what we thought too!! DD definitely looks over 16!! It just a bonkers rule imo

The law states that yes. However the cashier is still not permitted to sell it to you if they thunk one underage may consume it
Like I said in my first post. It's a flawed piece of law.

It's just really not the cashier's fault and nor where they judging you. The cashier's can get a personal fine for selling it to you. They will get a mark ok their employment record and if this repeats and they are caught 3 times the shop can loose its alcohol licence.

The shop is simply protecting its own interest not judging your. They don't care who drinks it once out of the shop.

I once went into a shop with my twin sister and we split up to do our shopping separately. She wanted to buy a bottle of red wine or something for cooking (plus all the ingredients) but they wouldn't sell it to her until they saw my ID as well!