To think challenge 25 has gone too far?

[wanderingwillows]

I am 34 and semi-regularly get ID’d. It happens often enough such that if I’m buying wine etc I always bring my ID with me.
I appreciate that perhaps I might look in my 20s at a stretch, I refuse to believe that anyone could think I am 17 and therefore not legal to buy booze. But the response will always be “but it’s challenge 25”

AIBU to think it’s completely ridiculous to refuse someone sale of alcohol even when it’s blatantly obvious they’re not 17 (or younger)?

Retail staff face massive fines if they cock up. I can see why they’re cautious.

This has been happening for decades and it won’t change.

I’m 42 and got ID’d this weekend. I am wearing a wedding ring and have several visible tattoos. And lots of wrinkles and eye bags.

Stealth boast op. 🤣🤣

But they haven't refused to sell you alcohol.

I was buying a can of spray paint in B&Q accompanied by my nineteen year old DD. They IDd her to check she was over eighteen, even though I was the one buying it.

I think it’s daft too, and can’t stand that when ever you point that out to people they go on a rant about having to provide ID under 25 as if that’s the law. The law is just the need to be over 18. “Challenge 25” is marketing to protect shop workers from older people getting pissed off at being ID’d -“oh I have to you look under 25” no you don’t.

a lot of shop workers just aren’t very good at telling ages.

DD was also refused paracetamol in Sainsbury's garage, despite having driven there. Surely some common sense should be applied.

Hi, retail worker here for one of the big 4 who has to enforce Challenge 25 on a daily basis…

YANBU-ish as I can always see it from the customer’s perspective and I appreciate that it may be a bit embarrassing or inconvenient, HOWEVER, it is absolutely drilled into us that we must ask for ID if we are even slightly unsure about someone’s age. If even a small part of you is unsure about their age, you need to ask.
Retail workers face massive fines, dismissal and sometimes prosecution if any products are sold to someone that’s underage, whether knowingly or not. We really cannot afford to get it wrong.

Be kind to your local retail workers, they are underpaid and unappreciated 🫶

Just show them your driving license. Surely that doesn’t take long? I think they’re right to challenge. It’s much better than it was in the 90s when many of us could get served alcohol at 15/16. I’m glad children are better protected now.

Tattoos are not a reliable indicator of age unfortunately!
— Signed, someone who got a tattoo when they were underage 🫶

it does if you don’t carry your license, you just have to leave empty handed

The same happened to my DD (21) for an energy drink. Despite her regularly getting lottery tickets from the same shop no problem. And the fact she was on her own with her car keys in her hand and offered to show a photo of her passport. She regularly gets served in pubs without being asked.

Smart point! Perhaps badly phrased by me - you know what I’m getting at. I’m also recalling last November when I was refused sale of sparklers because I didn’t have my ID (you only have to be 16 for those, and my child was with me 🤣🤣)

I understand why it’s done but at 64 it’s an absolute pain in the rear end having to wait for an often 18 year old to confirm I’m old enough to buy something , really did my nut when dvds were still popular and you’d be Id,d buying a u certificate film

Man I would love to be ID'd 😂

I had it where I was refused to buy cigarettes, they didn't believe I was 32 and I even had my eight year old child with me at the time! Drives me mad at the lack of common sense.

I was asked for ID the other day trying to buy a can of vodka in Aldi. I didn't have my ID on me as I never get asked for it. She said she thought I was about 19 or 20 so wouldn't sell me it which was fine, I get it. I'm 32 so I was flattered

This is exactly my point! She thought you were 19 or 20… so over 18! Makes no sense. As long as you’re legal whether you’re 19 or 20 is neither here nor there. And the person knew you were legal! So bizarre.

I was with DS (12 at the time) in HobbyCraft and he was using birthday money to buy spray paint which he was going to use on our garage wall. We had a big chat with the checkout person about this as we were loading the cans onto the checkout bit so she knew DS was the one who was using them but she couldn't let him use his card to pay for them as he was underage! I had to pay using my card.

I'm glad she still let us buy them but it was just bonkers that he couldn't use his card, if I had his card in my purse I could have used the same card to buy them but since he took the card out of his wallet she had to say no!

I got ID’s until the age of 34 for the same reason. I am short as well as (back then) looking young for age. It stopped when the eye bags of motherhood arrived 😅

The staff members face disciplinary action if they screw up. I think it should be required for all sales.

Years ago my DS was challenged in Morrisons when he was trying to buy a video game. He was 29. He was bloody furious because the person at the checkout was in his class at school and knew bloody well how old he was.

No way I get absolutely buzzing when I get ID’ed. Thank you Challenge 25! Makes my day!

I have worked retail and in bars and if you fuck up a mystery shopper (who btw often look over 18) they will bollock you. I also sometimes just use to ID people who were a bit rude and then say I couldn’t sell them alcohol - but I’m sure that’s not you. You probably just look young. Also older staff members often think everyone looks “about 12”. My mum works at the local Tesco to keep busy and regularly IDs older people because to her, everyone is young.

I’m assuming that this did happen to the op, prompting her to take ID with her now as a matter of course.