Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To leave my £80 of shopping for the checkout assistant to put away

453 replies

mummytopebs · 07/06/2009 18:51

Was in supermarket doing my shopping got to the till, had £80 worth of shopping in this was 4 cans of john smiths for dh. The drink was at the end of the shopping so everything had gone through, the checkout lady asked for id (I am 29 but do look young but not that young and god its 4 cans of beer with a full shop not some chavvy drink) I said i did not have any on me but i used to work in the said supermarket so said can you call my old manager who will verify my age. She tutted at me and called the line manager who i used to work for, she said yes she is definitly over age it was 6 years when i worked there and i was definitly over 18 then. The jobsworth sorry checkout lady still looked at me distastefully and the manager said it is up to the checkout lady though cos she originally akked for the id. I said can i have it then and she looked at me and went nah !!!!!!!! I said are you joking and hse said no i dont think you are over age!!!!!! So i said well i'll leave it then and she said ok and put the beer down and said thats £80.71p and i said no i will leave the lot - grabbed my dd and flounced out of the shop with an air of triumph.

I dont care if i had been shopping for an hour, i used to work in that supermarket and know she will have to put it all away ha ha ha

OP posts:
ramalama · 07/06/2009 22:36

ruddynorah..if one of your employees challenged somebody that you knew to be over 25..you would still allow them to refuse the sale?

I'm with duchesse here...common sense...not as common as you'd think

scottishmummy · 07/06/2009 22:37

yurtGirl,i would have had iD.if not,abide by rules.pay and leave.

simple really

SarahL2 · 07/06/2009 22:38

I got ID'd at the age of 28 while shopping with my baby son in Waitrose...while trying to buy Ginger Beer!!

Apparently the 40-odd year old checkout assistant had to check cause she wasn't sure which of these "new-fangled alco-pops" had alchohol in!!

I thought Ginger Beer was older than time itself!? Surely everyone's heard of it!!

ruddynorah · 07/06/2009 22:40

yes ramalama i would. i wouldn't undermine my member of staff, doing so could knock their confidence in challenging 25 in the future.

if the person i know looks under 25 i would say to them they should bring in id cos next time i might not be there anyway.

Yurtgirl · 07/06/2009 22:42

But what ID proves a person is over 25?
There is no way I would carry my (defunct) marriage cert with me

Tis crazy
The shop assistant should make a reasonable assumption based on the customer - and yes I know that involves being judgy but this legislation is crazy

Trikken · 07/06/2009 22:42

same here, ruddynora.

scottishmummy · 07/06/2009 22:43

cashiers can legitimately query age.onus upon customer to give appropriate ID

PenelopePitstops · 07/06/2009 22:43

ramala thanks for ruining the apprentice end for me, havent managed to watch it yet!!

ruddynorah · 07/06/2009 22:44

the id is to prove you are over 18, not over 25. 3 forms of id are acceptable..passport, drivers licence, pass/portman card.

Trikken · 07/06/2009 22:45

Passport, driving licence, id card bearing a pass holographic logo, portman card, a foreign equivilent if it seems authentic.

ramalama · 07/06/2009 22:50

Oh...sorry PP

make sure you watch the show afterwards...it's hilarious

duchesse · 07/06/2009 22:52

You don't have to prove they"re over 25, you have to prove you're over 18 and are liable to be challenged if you appear to be under 25. (due to the fact mentioned earlier that some 17/18 year olds look a few years older). It's a very subjective decision, whether or not someone "looks" under 25, and seems very dependent on the ability of individual cashiers. So why not go the whole hog and ask everyone for ID when buying alcohol, even those with grey or no hair (premature greyness and balding can strike in teenage). Or make use of common sense.

I witnessed a young mother in one of the very budget shops the other day, being refused the right to buy disposable razors. How is a young person supposed to shave these days? Are they to get their mums to buy their razors until they're 21, and then carry proof of age until goodness only knows how old? The whole country has gone mad.

wickedwitchofwestfield · 07/06/2009 22:52

I'm gonna agree with everyone who said YABU
I'm 27 (in 9 days ) and I apparently don't look a day over 17 so I am always sure to carry ID with me as having run a pub (albeit briefly) I know how the law works.

I don't think the checkout girl was being a 'jobsworth' - maybe she felt the manager was testing her, I know that one of the things I used to drill into my staff was that someone 'vouching' for their age (we used to get a few people in who would drop the 'but thats my dad/mum/aunts boyfriend who knows how old I am line) - it wasn't good enough, as it isn't a legal proof of age.

seems a bit of a non win as now you have to go and do all your shopping again..!

ruddynorah · 07/06/2009 22:57

you have to be over 18 to buy blades, so would also be challemged

duchesse · 07/06/2009 23:03

Exactly, ruddy- this young woman was 19. Apparently old enough to get married, pay taxes, drive, have a child, a job, but too young to be able to shave her armpits.

Trikken · 07/06/2009 23:06

you can be young and have children tho, someone tried to say they must be over 18 cos they have kids, as I know, for a fact you dont I said no.

ruddynorah · 07/06/2009 23:10

no duchesse. this young woman looked under 25 so she was asked for id to prove she was over 18.

mummytopebs · 07/06/2009 23:11

Well i have just read all your comments after eating a takeaway cos i have no shopping!!! Didnt think it would cause such a debate but hey ho each to their own. I will be going to tesco or morrisons to do my shopping tomorrow and better take my paper driving licence, passport and marriage certificate to prove that i am who i say i am , as my passport still in maiden name. Also will put my hair back in a ponytail so everyone can see my grey hairs!!

OP posts:
ruddynorah · 07/06/2009 23:12

paper licence no good. marriage cert no good. passport fine.

PenelopePitstops · 07/06/2009 23:13

no worries ramalama, ill watch on iplayer tomorrow!!

scottishmummy · 07/06/2009 23:14

that take away would have tasted just nice with some beer

duchesse · 07/06/2009 23:15

No, ruddy, the shop in question has exceeded the national law and will not sell even disposable razors to people under 21.

Trikken · 07/06/2009 23:17

ah i see your point now duchesse, thought you were commenting on how young she looked.

ruddynorah · 07/06/2009 23:17

very good on them

mummytopebs · 07/06/2009 23:17

I am not bothered i am pregnant so not drinking at mo anyway , just dh lost out on his beer lol

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread