daughter was asked to leave homebase because she's under 18?

[whatisgoingonitw]

My daughter and her friend (both 15) went shopping yesterday and nipped into Homebase as my daughter wanted a plant and her friend wanted a heated blanket. They were approached by a member of staff who said “what age are you both you don’t look old enough to be in here” they replied 15. The member of staff asked them to leave as you need to be 18 to shop. My daughter is very straight forward and says how it is, she told the member of staff no as that is not true. The girls continued to walk around the store and they were followed by this lady who works there. They got to the till and paid with no issues the employee at the till didn’t mention age. My daughter told me this when she got home and explained the employee was rude and followed them around the store as well as giving them “dirty looks” I rung the store today to speak to a manager as that customer service is not okay. He told me you do infact need to be with an adult 18+ to shop. Is this serious? I can’t find anything on the website.

Yes, let's exclude all unsupervised young people from society until the magic transformation that turns them into worthwhile humans when they turn 18. And then act surprised when the children we've simultaneously infantilised and demonised for years don't know how to behave or look after themselves as adults.

Or maybe we could allow children to grow and mature while also participating in the world around them, allowing increasing independence and freedom through their teenage years so that when they turn 18 they stand a chance of being responsible, contributing members of the community, able to tackle life's challenges as they arise?

Some of the comments on this thread are appalling. There are adult shoplifters too, and far more adults committing violent crime than teens. And the rudest, most disruptive people in public spaces are often adults too.

If your expectations of a child are in the gutter, they will respond in kind. How we treat children has a big influence on how they turn out, so I find it really troubling that a large number of people seem to want children and young adults banned from normal life.

It doesn't really matter what any of us think of this rule does it? It's their rule, and they're allowed to have it and to enforce it.

I expect it is more rigorously enforced in stores that have a problem with kids causing a nuisance.

So I think OP's dd was rude to tell an employee that it wasn't a policy when it was, and I'm surprised she was happy to continue shopping whilst being followed. If nothing else, I'd have avoided giving them my money.

HomeBase's customer service team are probably wondering why they've had a sudden spate of emails asking about their policy on minors shopping in-store.

That’s a bit OTT.

I just want to watch a film in peace.

But by all means turn it into a massive social issue.

And this would be well and good if Homebase had chosen to put this policy in place, asserting their rights under the EQA2010

However, Homebase itself, does not actually restrict services to under 18s, as evidenced by the facts that i) many of us have under 18s who have shopped there and ii) the cashier happily served the OP’s DD without asking for ID.

The security guard was, therefore, being discriminatory in imposing a non-existent policy - and the Manager was incorrect in affirming that conduct when they should simply have apologised and said that they would have a word with staff.

No... you want to watch a film in peace, by banning teens from attending the cinema.

I find it worrying that someone would be so keen to restrict other people's freedom.

I also find it worrying that such attitudes are reflected in a large number of posts on this thread. It's reflective of a wider issue of teens being held in contempt by a society which both infantilises and demonises them.

The ability to shop anywhere isn’t a “god-given right”! But would you be a bit annoyed if you were randomly stopped from shopping where you had chosen to go, for no clear reason?

For someone who has a teen daughter, you seem to hold teenage girls in high contempt.

A policy needs to be written down. Jeez, half the posters on here are probably the same ones saying ‘demand to see the school policy’ when there’s a school issue in question!

That is a very strange way of agreeing with someone but ok, you're changing your mind, it is your way will give your daughter a hard life and get her nowhere not OP's.

And nobody thinks it's a god-given right to shop in Homebase, we just all thought the shop worker (and manger) were wrong because they were.

Yup.

Mumnetters: kids are so coddled these days! My gran left school and had a job at 14.

Mumsnetters: Gen Z are so immature and unsocialised, they don't know how to behave in restaurants, cinemas, work...

Also Mumsnetters: unaccompanied children should be barred from public places until they turn 18.

Rubbish. Rules are just policies. There’s no magic law that a rule must be written down.

I doubt that this (or any) Homebase has many unaccompanied child shoppers so they probably don’t bother with a sign but just chuck out children on the odd occasion when they have to.

And I’m not sure why people keep contacting Homebase. It’s the manager’s call.

Well, our local McDonalds has a security officer on the door from 4pm when they refuse entry to unaccompanied under 18s. They can go before that. It’s due to the fact that they’ve had a lot of bother in the area from teens running amok. The local library has its automatic doors locked from school finishing and also a security or staff member on the door. They allow under 18s and know who are banned so have to keep the door locked to prevent particular kids getting in. It’s a library/cafe/meetingroom type of venue. It local subway also has similar sign about under 18s, although my daughter went on her own and they let her in as she asked politely as their notice wasn’t clear. I think they’re stopping groups. Our local home bargains also has issues. Loads of kids couldn’t by Mother’s Day gifts last year when they’d probably been told to call in on their way home and were turned away.

Whilst it’s probably not a Homebase rule nationally I wonder if this one has had some issues with local teens causing trouble/shoplifting etc. if that’s the case they should have a notice on their entrance explaining so. Sadly all kids are being labelled with the same bad name because of a small group of trouble causers. My autistic teen won’t go out these days as she’s too worried about where she can and can’t go with who. This started around Covid when everyone was being stopped from hanging out with friends but seems to have stayed with as a cause of anxiety.

Except if he has implemented this blanket ban he is going against homebase's own policies on age discrimination which is NOT his call.

Considering DD is 19 and currently away solo travelling with a place at uni for next year on a competitive course I highly doubt her good manners have given her a hard life and gotten her nowhere 🤣 You sound ridiculous

It's not their rule and it goes against Homebase's policies. The employee was wrong confirmed by Homebase.

Sorry I've nrtwt but could it be relayed to knife crime rules?

rule. Noun.

1. one of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct within a particular activity or sphere.

In a place as big as Homebase, "explicit" has to mean written down because of the number of staff involved.

When the public are expected to obey the rule, "understood" can only happen if the rule is written down and displayed.

As has been explained, equality law doesn’t apply to restrictions on children. It’s not discrimination to ask unaccompanied children to leave a shop.

The manager runs the shop. If head office want to overrule her/him then they presumably can. But if the manager says “we’ve had a problem with kids shoplifting/attempting to buy knives/glue/spray paint etc” I’d expect head office to understand.

So you've changed your mind again, you said my comment was correct. Have you ever admitted you're wrong or do you always pretend you said something else, change the subject or insult the other person as you have done several times on this thread?

which is why I said it was Homebase's own policies it goes against not the law.

The only post of yours that I agreed to was the one where you said that my DD likely would have left the shop empty handed in that situation, which yes is correct. I haven’t changed my mind on any of your other (ridiculous) opinions. Considering you’ve just blatantly insulted my own DD (and her very hard life, getting her nowhere🤣) I don’t think you can talk about these supposed ‘attacks’

I feel really sorry for Lisa or Bob at Homebase who’s having to field calls and emails from worked up MNers. The company’s probably happy about the unusual spike in website visits though.

Homebase may not have a general ‘no unaccompanied kids’ policy but that’s not relevant to the decisions of a manager of a particular store.

I haven't spoken to them but someone who did posted that a blanket ban based on age goes against Homebase's policies so it does seem relevant.

So you don't see that having to go to several shops rather than one or even giving up your quest for a plant is harder or getting someone nowhere? That's ridiculous to you? And using your own words back to you is a blatant insult, maybe, but no more than when you used them about OP's daughter!

U only getting part of the story i suspect the part ur daughter thinks u want yo hear

Surprised to discover that a trowel is considered an over-18 only purchase!