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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to boycott tesco over this?

86 replies

hopingalways · 04/07/2009 10:52

I am 24. My dh is 24. the other week our local tesco refused to allow me to by dh a 4 pack of beer because "your husband looks under 25". I had already proved I was over 18, and while DH could pass for 20 if he lied he does not look 17. and I do not look like a cradle snatcher. He was wearing his wedding ring ffs!

I even had the duty manager try to tell me that the law prevents him selling alcohol to someone accompanied by anyone under 25 . This is bollocks, the offence is for the buyer to then give the alcohol to someone under 18, not to sell alcohol to someone who is accompanied by an under 25.

DH left the store in humilation. They still refused to serve me even though I was now accompanied by nobody. A man in his 50s offered to get the beer for me, and this was refused as "we know her husband is under 25 and the beer is for him". They then allowed a women to buy a bottle of wine, accompanied by a 3 yr old (with a very good faked driving license?)

I am writing to tesco HQ to inform them that their challenge 25 policy is being taken to hte nth degree by idiots. This has led to me taking my custom to their competitors, costing them several thousand pounds a year.

AIBU to now refuse to shop in tesco for ruining my dh evening, embarrassing him in public and for generally behaving like morons?

OP posts:

Tortington · 04/07/2009 10:53

yeah fucking idiots

Tortington · 04/07/2009 10:53

yeah fucking idiots

turtle23 · 04/07/2009 10:59

Yes, you are being unreasonable. There isa reason why this is being done.
www.24dash.com/news/Local_Government/2009-03-27-Tesco-fined-6-000-for-repeatedly-selling-alcohol-to- under-age-customers
Shop elsewhere if you need to.

shinyshoes · 04/07/2009 11:01

if he looked under 25 but PROVED he was over 18 there is no problem surely. The point is he is OVER 18 which is the legal age to buy booze.

Boycott Tesco if you must. But I certainly would be writing a letter of complaint

NeedaNewName · 04/07/2009 11:01

sory I think you;re being unreasonable, I can see why yo;d be embaraased but to be honest just laugh it off. If you feel you want to shop elsewhere then fine but I really don;t think Tesco are going to be that bothered.

How did they know you weren;t from the council testing the if you look under 25 rule.

sweetfall · 04/07/2009 11:03

writing not unreasonable

boycotting them will not really acheive much. it's like me boycotting Mel Gibson movies because of his mysoginistic outburst a few years ago - I'm sure he's afeard

ilove · 04/07/2009 11:04

Did your husband have ID on him to prove he was over 18? If he didn't then yes YABU.

SecretNinjaChipmunk · 04/07/2009 11:04

i can see why you're pissed off but can't you both carry some id with you in future and be glad that you both obviously look so dewey skinned and youthful?

bosch · 04/07/2009 11:05

No you are not being unreasonable - turtle23, neither op or her dh are under 18. I buy alcohol most weeks in supermarket accompanied by my 2 year old. Never been refused/prosecuted yet!

Pursue your complaint hopinalways, manager must have completely misunderstood training.

PavlovtheForgetfulCat · 04/07/2009 11:05

I got refused in several places last time I went out and I am 32 ffs!

I just took it as a bit of flattery. Until I was in the pub my friend owns and got refused, I went and hunted him down!

YABU, they will get fined if they get it wrong. Or lose their licence. The pub I got refused in had been caught twice selling to under 18 believing they were over 18.

StealthPolarBear · 04/07/2009 11:05

did he have ID which proved he was over 18?
If not, they were within their rights, but I can totally see why you were annoyed!

StealthPolarBear · 04/07/2009 11:06

I love getting IDed (especially at the moment as my 30th is coming up!) but it does irritate me when I need the alcohol I'm trying to buy - eg. when I dashed into M&S to get it as a last minute birthday present for my cousin - wasn't going to get another chance to give it to her as was on the way down to see her

purepurple · 04/07/2009 11:08

gosh
how pathetic
since when do we have to be 25 to buy alcohol?
ThaTesco that was at fault should have it's licence taken away and the rest of us left to live in common sense land.
FWIW, that part of Blackpool is rough.
25? where does that come from?
YANBU
Boycott Tesco and send a leeter of complaint.
Unworkable policies.
There is a world of difference between a 16 year old and a 24 year old.
The world has gone mad!

MadameCastafiore · 04/07/2009 11:12

Boycott it by all means but Tesco are successful enough for your boycott to be only a hassle for you!

SecretNinjaChipmunk · 04/07/2009 11:14

heres what its all about challenge 25

ilovemydogandmrobama · 04/07/2009 11:23

Were you buying just beer? Sometimes this can raise alarm.

If I were you, I would call the store manager, go with DP and have him bring in ID.

Writing to the head office, I can guarantee you will get a letter to the effect that the staff were reasonable in refusing to sell it, and within their rights to do so.

You and your DP obviously look young.

SomeGuy · 04/07/2009 11:25

such bollocks. You don't even have to be 18 to drink alcohol.

It's all part of an evil Labour party plot to fit us all out with ID cards.

purepurple · 04/07/2009 11:25

but under 25's are not children
under 18's are
it seems a strange way to go about it
the under 21 scheme has been successful, why not concentrate on that
it is not illegal to buy alcohol for under 25's
it is a stealth scheme to get us all to carry ID
I don't have a driving licence and I certainly don't want to carry my passport around (I don't look under 25 either but that's besides the point)
still think it's barking

kiddiz · 04/07/2009 11:26

"I even had the duty manager try to tell me that the law prevents him selling alcohol to someone accompanied by anyone under 25 . This is bollocks, the offence is for the buyer to then give the alcohol to someone under 18, not to sell alcohol to someone who is accompanied by an under 25."

You are wrong. (although in truth it's the fact that your dh had no id not that he's under 25 that's the problem) The cashier can be prosecuted if it can be reasonably proved that she had reason to believe you were buying the alcohol for someone underage yet still sold it. As she had asked your dh for id she obviously had doubts and you state that the drink was for him. It could be considered reasonable to assume that a parent accompanied by a young child was not buying the alcohol for them but if that child was a teenager then they should expect to have to prove their age or leave them at home. My ds has been asked for id when he was helping me with the weekly shop. The wine was for me not him but I don't have a problem with this. As it happens he is 18.
I love the way you and others who post simmilar experiences, assume that the cashier has some sort of crystal ball and knows everything about your family. How was she supposed to know you were married and what difference does that make? You can legally marry with your parent's consent at 16. It is incredibly hard to judge someones age...at my age everyone looks young! And the cashier is taking a considerable personal risk. They will be fined and get a criminal record. Yes the store may also be fined/penalised but the cashier is personally responsible for making sure they don't sell either directly or indirectly to anyone underage. I think yabu to expect the cashier to risk a fine and a criminal record to avoid your dh's embarrassment. As it happens in your case she wouldn't have been breaking the law because your dh wasn't underage but as she is the one taking the risk it's her judgement that matters.
Could you not look at it another way that looking young is infact a compliment and just both carry id?

StealthPolarBear · 04/07/2009 11:27

yes, so the thing is if you look under 25 you have to prove you are over 18.
Can see the logic - after all there are 16/17 year olds who look like adults, but in the OP's case it would be annoying!

sarah293 · 04/07/2009 11:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

purepurple · 04/07/2009 11:38

But I don't understand this magic figure of 25.
Trying to guess if someone is under 25 is a lot harder than trying to guess if someone is under 18.

So, now we all need passports to go to Tesco to do our weekly shop, as DD is 12 and DS is 19 but looks younger.

kiddiz · 04/07/2009 11:50

See the law is vague isn't it? If someone from trading standards believes that in their opinion it was reasonable to assume that the cashier should have known an overage person was buying the alcohol for someone underage then they will and have prosecuted. Imagine the teenager sending in their older mate to buy alcohol for them scenario. The problem is big supermarkets (not just Tesco btw) then lose persepctive and you get situations where a mother accompanied by their teenager doing the weekly shop gets refused her bottle of wine. The problem is with the law and how, in certain cases, it has been interpreted which is making retailers over cautious...some would say understandibly given that they are being blamed by some for all the alcohol problems in society. The "challenge 25" thing is fairly recent so I think you can probably expect some over zealous application for a while !

CyradisTheSeer · 04/07/2009 11:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

purepurple · 04/07/2009 11:58

Oh, so we are only allowed to have one converswation about a subject?
Sorry, didn't realise we were boring you

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