To think that the rules are RIDICULOUS and infantilising?

[OhBling]

Was just in a Co Op buying a few bits. DS negotiated with me that I'd buy him a Monster, and he'd drink half (they are such huge tins it drives me mad)....

... the man in co op would not sell it to me because I was going to give it to a child.

FFS. I'm an adult. He is my child. I can decide what he can and can't have. And caffeine is NOT illegal for children.

I'm also fully aware that lots of people will say I AM BU because no child should ever drink anything except fresh water, preferably from your local stream.... But I'm extremely annoyed. These rules are ridiculous.

I was in a co op the other day and the woman working there was complaining about the amount of abuse she gets for enforcing the regulation.
they may not be law, but they are sensible and there for a reason. No one should get abuse just for doing their job

WTF is a "Monster"?

I don't get out much. Had to be gently edumacacted about Prime.

It's illegal. I assume you wouldn't buy him cigarettes or weed???

No sign of OP again.

No shop assistant should have to risk their job for a parent who wants to give their child energy drinks.

How are people so gullible?

You probably assume too much.

It depends on his age. 15, ok. 8, definitely not!

I'm glad he didn't, really not something you should be giving children

Stick a voddie in it for good measure.

Trip trap trip trap.

This

buy him a beer instead. healthier

What, no returning OP? What a surprise

@Maireas yeah you're probably right!!!

Also, there's no such laws in Scotland. Our Co-op is open 7am-10pm every day and our local Tesco Extra is 6am-midnight every day.

This has been entertaining. Had no idea the response would be so intense!

He is 13 - but tall for his age.

As a pp mentioned, we are not too stressed about some caffeine as a short term support for inattentive adhd and overall I don't mind a bit of caffeine anyway, although not a whole can of Monster! Based on the wide variety of healthy, academically successful, pleasant and polite children I meet regularly through my children and friends, I feel pretty confident I am not the only who feels this way, notwithstanding this thread!

To all those frothing about me wanting to get the assistant fired etc etc - projecting much?! I was complaining about the rules, not the polite young man who was enforcing it! He certainly did the right thing to enforce the store policy as its his job on the line I assume. I still think the rule is ridiculous.

Haha re co op not being open. Its 2023!

Being accused of being a wind up has been bizarre but strangely entertaining! Not least because I've been on here since at least 2008, possibly earlier! Certainly never been accused of that before!

Those drinks are very high in B6, that is a neurotoxin in large quantities. My kids won't have them on my watch and I'm no stream drinking only mum.

It's illegal to sell you an age restricted product knowing you are buying it for someone under the age restrictions.

The rules are not infantilising because your ds is still a child.

I’ve always wondered who is buying those drinks… I’m not from the freshwater stream brigade op but those drinks are seriously toxic!!! Honestly you’d be better having a beer. x

Yabu it’s illegal because it contains toxic levels of caffeine that has killed children.
my BIL in law used to drink it like water when he was 14 and it destroyed his mental health and behaviour.

But there's also 55g sugar in a single can?

Even if you're just having half a can that puts a 13 year old over the recommended daily sugar intake in less than 10 mins.

For kids with ADHD I don't think that's ideal really.

The government need to put laws in place because parents are wilfully stupid about these kinds of drinks.

I work in a Co-Op and tbh it's not a sackable offence because it's only their own company rules not law. In fact, even if it had been alcohol/tobacco products and myself or one of my colleagues made a mistake and served somebody underage, it's unlikely we would lose our job either providing it was the first time. It would just be a disciplinary. We're also advised to use common sense when it comes to serving people who have minors with them although in this scenario, we would have been expected to refuse the sale and I would have done so because that's the rule I'm expected to follow and I'm not going to get into bother because a customer gets annoyed at something outwith my control. When I say use discretion, I mean cases like overzealous shop assistants refusing a sale because a child helped carry the basket with alcohol in it etc.

Oh and my store is open 5am til 11pm every day of the week including a Sunday :)

Letting a 13 year old drink that - no matter how tall - is really shocking.

No, it's sugar free.

In fact, I have far more of an issue with the chemicals and sweeteners and preservatives than the caffeine.