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.

This sounds fishy! Like if their policy is really that under 18s can't shop unaccompanied, and they are legally allowed to have that policy, the first employee could have just told the girls at the beginning that they had to leave and the police would be called if they didn't? Then later why did the cashier not say they had to leave without their goods, refuse to take their money and tell the girls they would call the police if they tried to shoplift? It sounds like the first employee saying that because they don't like kids! Or the whole store has it but it's illegal so they can't write it down or uphold it if they are challenged!

There still isn't a policy. Thanks for the emoji. Can you direct me to the bit where the young woman concerned was 'rude'? I'm sure your daughter is lovely too. It's not a competition. I do feel that you're actively being unpleasant about a child without grounds. I wonder why.

We've established there is no such policy. By asking Homebase. The young woman was right to question the creepy shop worker. I don't understand why this thread is still going on?

So, to sum up:

Two 15yos were subject to intimidating behaviour by a member of staff who abjectly lied to them about a non-existent policy, tried to eject them from a store they were legally entitled to be in, and subsequently harassed them by following around until they paid up and left?
When presented with this behaviour, a robust fifteen year old confidently self-advocated and rightly refused to comply with fictitious policy.
Instead of admiring DD’s fortitude, PPs here seem to think she was a rude/entitled/autistic teen. (I’m the mum of 2 such teens and either of them would have run a mile at the initial confrontation, come home distressed and had a two day burnout in a darkened bedroom, but hey, what do I know?)
And, further, the store manager chose to lie to a customer in an effort to protect the staff member and did not have the moral backbone or professionalism to recognise that two young people were harassed and that this is an issue that needs addressing?

Well done OP, for raising such a resilient child - she’ll go far.

This would be a good time for those who’ve been inexpressibly rude, judgmental, misogynistic, ableist, and ageist to pop on and apologise to OP and her DD. However, rather like Homebase’s manager, I doubt you will.

I’d write to management complaining about the way your daughter was treated and that there are no signs on the door saying under 18 s are not welcome. It’s a ridiculous catch all rule anyway. I’d also say that if you don’t get a satisfactory answer and an apology then you will not be shopping in their store again and you will also discourage your friends from doing so. The only way to deal with these jobsworths is to hit them in their pocket.

I used to work in homebase many moons ago. In fact, I started when I was 16 and at college. This was over 20 years ago, so unless the rules have changed, I find this very bizarre.

No we haven’t. What’s been established is that head office says there’s no general u- 18s policy but the manager confirmed to the OP that in that store there is. The manager can presumably do what they like that’s in the interests of the store.

It’s not too hard to imagine a likely conversation:

”We’ve had a complaint that you ban unaccompanied children from the store. Why?”

”Because there’s been a lot of trouble locally with teens sniffing glue and spraying graffiti. The local copper asked us to be extra vigilant. So I ask the staff to chuck out teens who come in on their own.”

”OK, fair enough. I’ll let the boss know.”

I’ve taught more than one 16 year old who lives independently.

The shop worker wasn’t being ‘creepy’, he simply asked her to leave. There’s a big difference. Stop making things up

The woman following them about could have been the manager... which would explain why they defended themselves.

I would understand if such a policy did exist. Stop teens pinching dangerous items such as knives etc. Maybe they've had recent trouble and that's why they have said this. Maybe an over zealous employee has taken 'anyone unsupervised under 18 shouldn't be here and needs watching' conversation.

Remember, can't buy have scissors until 16.
Still if the policy does exist there should be clear signage.

Teens advocating for themselves is fine, though maybe rather than saying no there isn't, they could have asked them to show them where the policy was.
Potentially this response is what triggered the flowing, a perceived 'attitude' towards authority. Staff are allowed to watch customers they suspect may be behaving suspiciously.

I don't think either party is completely innocent here, but far less so the homebase employee. I hope the cashier hasn't got in trouble for serving them!

Yes, Homebase are really going to worry about a few busy bodies not getting their custom in plant and electric blanket sales. Wise up, nobody is going to care.

I think he was a bit creepy, TBH. Where have I 'made things up'? I tend to deal in fact. So, please, do tell where I'm the crazy fantasist, unlike you?

This 👏
Well done to your daughter for not being a pushover, and well done to you for raising such a strong young woman!
The employee sounds like a twat. I personally would take my daughter back into the store, ask her to identify said employee and offer this person the opportunity to be rude to me! But that’s just meeee and I do have some aggression issues 🤣

In what world is being asked to leave a shop creepy?? There was another worker there, was she creepy too or is she ok as she’s a female?

I (maybe) can accept you have to be 18+ to shop there, but the lady at the till had no objection to the girls, so I take it they didn't try and buy anything age-restricted, nor did they misbehave. To the shop supervisor/manager I would say : pick your fights. I bet you have much worse customers coming in than these two girls.

I think it's weird and creepy. Both of them. Following young women around a shop and being disparaging isn't normal in my book. And, yes, I have worked in retail. But that's not it for you, is it? You're just one of those insufferable types that has a huge problem with losing. Let's experiment. You won. You are great. Everything you say it true. How do you feel?

But it’s not weird and creepy? If the girls had just left as they’d been asked to there would’ve been no need to follow them, it’s not hard to work out.

Yes this is getting quite common now. The shop I used to work in had to make the choice to ban under 18s. Unfortunately, we had loads of school children coming after school and massing around and stealing. They would normally leave if asked too though otherwise we'd have had to ring the police or get security to escort them out.

They have this rule do to the tools and potentially dangerous items that are easily at hand in the store. Chemicals, tools, knives etc. They also have issues with shop lifting. It's very likely your daughter twill find herself banned from homebase in future. They are taught not to cause a confrontation hence why she wasn't stopped, but followed. Your daughter sounds quite self entitled. There is no reason any shop has to allow any customer in. They can refuse just because they don't like you so long as they aren't been Discriminate. Age discrimination isn't really an issue here because health and safety would overrule this as there is no parent to supervise the child.

A poster with common sense and decency 👏👏

Oh jeez, take a day off @MaloneMeadow

Same to you @GreenAppleCrumble , didn’t realise you were the MN police

Yes but presumably you have a sign up saying so. There are a couple of corner-type shops in my town which don't ban under 18s per se but do have limits, though I am not sure how they enforce them - eg no more than 3 kids at a time.

If they actually had such a rule it would be in all stores and there would be signs up to say so.

Despite what pp's say, managers are not allowed to do what they want and have very little autonomy from HQs. They get told what to do and they do it.

Also - adults can also misuse items and shoplift.

And for the last time - businesses can NOT do what they want, they have to comply with the law. They can, however, exclude under 18s. But it would be wise to (a) have a sign up to say so (b) ensure all staff know the policy and abide by it and (c) follow through (ie not just follow someone round, but tell them to leave).

Despite what pp's say, managers are not allowed to do what they want and have very little autonomy from HQs. They get told what to do and they do it.

How do you know? Do you set the rules for Homebase?

In every shop I worked in (supermarkets) the manager was almighty. Hiring, firing, opening, closing, dealing with shoplifters, checks on staff, dealing with the council, store layout, warehouse issues etc etc. I really can’t see why a Homebase manager couldn’t impose a ‘no teens without an adult’ rule in his or her branch.