To be angry they didn't serve me?

[PinkRiceKrispies]

I am 37 first of all.
Had a thumping headache due to the heat today so went to buy some paracetamol and picked up 2 boxes. Got to the till and she said 'Sorry, but do you have ID? I just wasn't sure if you were over 18.' I told her my age and she still wouldn't let me have them. Don't drive so didn't have a license on me either.
Aibu to be annoyed? I look very young for my age but this seems ridiculous.

Dh was asked for I'd trying to buy lighter fluid from the Range. He didn't have Id on him but removed his hat to show them his salt n pepper hair.
The cashier and my dh had a laugh together but once they've asked they can't backtrack so he had to come home, pick up some Id them go again!

Don't you think access to medicine should be a human right?

Evidently not. I mean gosh how fucking unreasonable to want to be able to go and buy pain relief which doesn't require ID by law without ID. How fucking date the OP be so entitled as to think she has that right.

I said I looked young for my age as in most people think 23/25 but no, I don't look under 18.

I agree. Yanbu

Anyway nonsense opinions about your looks aside I hope your headache has now subsided and you're feeling better.

Go to a shop that doesn't require ID to buy paracetamol. No shop has to sell anyone anything. It's a private transaction.

I'm 42 and got asked for ID for buying a knife block the other day. I don't care about any explanations that that is standard, I'm taking it as I looked under 25 and that was the only reason he asked.

Oh dear. That is dangerous statement.

Access to pain management is accepted as a human right. If this had been calpol a baby or child would have stayed in pain.

Alcohol is of course not an essential but medicine is. I’m not sure gate keeping essential medicine is a particularly good marketing strategy during an NHS crisis where prescriptions for paracetamol are now very rare.

But on the other side of the coin, no shop has to sell you anything by the rule of offer and acceptance.

Its a tricky one but entitled was definitely not what OP was. Insulin can kill you but it is an essential medicine.

It's not a compliment it's a pain in the backside. Twice I've been asked for id in the supermarket, both times I called the manager over to ask about staff training, and what was the point of it if they clearly didn't understand it. If you are going to ask your staff to do something at least make sure they are properly trained.

I'm 62, grey hair, riddled with arthritis, on a very very good day I might be able to pass for 50 something. I don't want to be stopped, or pretend to be flattered, I want to buy my goods and go home like the responsible adult I am.

It's a compliment when you know you are aging, 30ish and want to defy that. Your example is extreme and I could understand why it would be annoying, but I think 62 year olds who could possibly look 50 at best, won't get asked for ID that frequently.

but I think 62 year olds who could possibly look 50 at best, won't get asked for ID that frequently.

The point is that they shouldn't be asked at all. And if the staff member can't properly id a 50+ person then how the hell are the supposed to Id people near to 25?

@nokidshere I don't disagree with you there, and as I said, I think it will be extremely infrequent. My point was that it is a compliment for some people. We can't defy aging, but not all of us find it annoying. Well, for those of us who do have ID of course.

Having to be over 16 to buy painkillers must be a nightmare. I had horrific period pain from being 11, I used to buy painkillers in secret because my mum didn't believe you needed to take anything for it.

I'm in my mid 40s and regularly get asked for ID for painkillers, I don't mind , the staff are just going their job, the responsibility is with an individual to prove their age and much quicker and easier for customers just to carry ID

But the job of staff is not to ID all customers wanting to buy painkillers. Even IDing all customers wanting to buy alcohol, which is actually subject to age restrictions, isn't part of their job.

It's not the case that all customers should just quietly endure shop staff demanding ID off them without complaint when there's no reasonable basis for requiring documents proving age.

Perhaps people should just go to a pharmacy rather than buying from supermarkets and other shops. The pharmacist won't be following some random rule about ID.

We were out for dinner in a pub a few weeks ago which had an over-18 after 8pm policy. I was asked if the young lady with us was over 18. It was my recently turned 13 y/o. Admittedly she is taller then me and looks quite grown up but to me still looks like a child - I think it just shows how hard it can be to judge. I, alas, do not get ID'd anymore.....

I was ID,d by a morrisons security guard, I was buying an energy drink so fair enough, but I'm not far off 60!. Sometimes I think staff can be a little over zealous, but with them being held responsible and getting fines I don't really blame them. I had to leave the energy drink as I didn't have ID on me.

I suspect it’s this^
And no way 42 years old could be mistaken for under 25.

@crochetmylifeaway

I once id'd a lady who was about to turn 52. She honestly looked around 22.

She really didn't.

We had a good laugh about it.

I would have laughed too, at ANYone who thought a 52 YEAR OLD WOMAN looked 22. FFS. 😂

@EbonyRaven you clearly haven't seen the images of Madonna recently. She looks like a teen. She's well into her 60s.

Not long before I started somebody in our store failed a test purchase. The manager at the time felt it was unfair because the guy had tattoos and a big beard and they both thought he looked over 25 but he was actually only 23 so should've been asked for ID. The staff member narrowly avoided losing his job and the store was in hot water, they had visits from the licensing board and could've lost their license to sell alcohol.

weirdly similar and makes no sense to me.

I used to be a trading standards officer doing test purchases. We would only use children who were under 18 and they wouldn’t be allowed to lie.

It’s not illegal to sell alcohol to a 23 year old so no trader would lose their licence for that. Challenge 25 is a protective policy, and not imposed by trading standards who are only interested in the law.

I haven’t done that job for a decade but I can’t imagine it’s changed that much.

That’s annoying. Hopefully there was a chemist nearby. If you get really stuck and really need it immediately just take two before you get to the register.

I agree with what a PP has said in that it depends on the age and perspective of the person who's served you.

I'm 26 and typically people 50+ think I look like a kid. I was asked for ID to buy Red Bull the other day. The cashier chuckled to herself when she saw my DOB & said she thought I was 17 at absolute most. People closer to my age have more of a perception and sometimes then I get away with it.

You can't blame them - at the end of the day if their boss has told them to ask for ID, using challenge 25, they risk their jobs by not doing so. I've worked behind a bar and used to ID everyone I had even a sliver of doubt about. Sometimes much to their disgust and causing quite the onslaught of abuse. I also used to be mortified when the customer turned out to be older than me. But they've no choice