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.

"My daughter is very straight forward and says how it is" is basically code for "my Daughter is rude" dressed up as a positive.

Years ago, it was Homebase I walked in the entrance threshold with some things I wanted to return in my hands, the staff member at the door said some weird stuff about how did he know I hadn’t shoplifted it and they often have people coming in to return things and get their money back they’d stolen?! I didn’t have a clue what he meant and walked right past him.

Anyway Op daughter may not have understood the logic of this staff member. Yes the jobsworth knows the rule, ok fine. Most teens are sensible and don’t deserve this discrimination. My kids are decent and have had poor treatment from staff just because they are not an older person. It’s pathetic.

They were probably messing about!

Well done to your daughter for speaking up for herself. It sounds as though they've had trouble with teenagers but it's a shame they seem to have tarred all teenagers with the same brush.

My daughter aged 16 and straight 9 and A* at A levels was told to leave our local museum as and popped in after her GCSEs to look at National History section as was interested in vet med / Zoology. - as she was unaccompanied. She burst into tears. And I went to speak to her as it was a tad ridiculous. Now she is in year 12 and helps out there in the holidays - I did point out that she’s nice, polite, academic and didn’t they want people like her to use the museum. Then we spoke to one of the people and he spoke to her for about an hour and realised an exhibit was wrong after she said the specimen they had was the wrong bird - now she happily pops in and the staff wave at her and normally someone will come out to talk to her (she’s happy to not talk and doesn’t ask for this) but I think the guy in charge of the section likes to chat to her about the exhibits etc or whatever he is doing and they are like two peas in a pod. 😂
I can only think they are thinking shop lifting but I can’t think that it’s shop policy maybe not more than one teenager at any time ?

I can't get my head around this.

So they just walked off and instead of calling security, the lady followed them all round the store giving them dirty looks, saw them go to the till, and didn't bother telling the cashier they were underage.

Is that right?

Our HA used to rent to 16 year olds. My best friend lived in one. They had a block that used to get visits a number of times a week. But she was the tennant, had a key, could come and go as she pleased

My understanding is that it won’t be a blanket corporate policy. Individual locations from multiple retailers have started banning teens to combat shoplifting.

i’m not saying I agree with the policy, just stating the reality.

Legally you can enter into contracts under 18 for ‘necessaries’ such as accommodation, but it’s not common.

What makes you think that?

I’m sure wickes has this rule, Costco certainly does as DS (13) was escorted back to me when he wondered off to look at the giant TVs.

What they’ve all got in common is that they have high warehouse style shelves and moving machinery. I think it might be a health and safety thing.

No that's your spin on it... doesn't necessarily make it so.

Sure, the stores can remove customers. But I do think all these age restrictions in regular are kinda messed up (not talking about shops for restricted products) and wherever I see one of those on the door, I kinda roll my eyes.

It's probably health and safety being a DIY store

Except it isn't bollocks, so get over it. (A) a shop can deny anyone entry, so if you haven't heard of that, it's sad you don't know much about the law; and (b) the store manager confirmed this is their policy.

If they had been in there with an adult it would have probably been ok.

The only restrictions would be if they were to buy knives and possibly power tools? But is it unaccompanied kids? I'm sure my son has been loads of times on his own. I don't recall a sign anywhere restricting age and in was in one today.

T&c on the website don’t allow under 18s to purchase from the website, but nothing about stores other than some items are age restricted

so that last bit to me implies under 18 can buy in store unless it’s an age restricted product.

Children can enter into contracts. Buying sweets in a shop is a contract.

You can't take out a mortgage until 18 though.

It's probably because if under 18s are caught shoplifting police won't do anything because of their age, so store loses out. They're will be plenty of adults encouraging under age kids to steal items from there, it's not just because staff took dislike to your daughter.

You post about this earlier this week, OP?

Otherwise, there's someone else out there whose daughter was refused entry for being under 18, rather suggesting it's a 'real' polcy?

This girl is the daughter of an MNer.
Have you ever seen anyone post on here that their DD is rude and bad mannered?
Of course not.
It just wouldn’t happen.

😉😁😁😁

Well done to your daughter for standing up for herself. If there is a rule then it should be clearly displayed at the entrance. I think most of us would rightly feel quite out of we went into a shop only to have someone tell us we weren't allowed to shop there for some spurious reason that wasn't indicated anywhere.

In my local DIY store, the unaccompanied teenagers are usually well behaved as they go on for a purpose. It's the kids going in with their parents and who don't really want to be there that tend to run amok!

@Neriah

Except they were allowed to continue walking through store pick up items and then go pay for them

The shop,could easily have a policy of over 18 only. They are permitted to do that.