to boycott tesco over this?

[hopingalways]

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?

Saltire I have the same ID issues- do have a driving licence but not photo because I cant find it they want to charge me a weeks income almost to replace it), have no passport and cant afford one so have been refused money by bank and had to offer PA committee rights to soemone else as coulddn't be a cheque signatory in a bank we have a family account in (DID have a passport then but had less than a year remaining FTGS)

Makes me too, I can get it from a cashier perspective but thaqt doesn't stop me abeing annoyed. Thankfully I look well past it and the local Spar lady knows me anyhow so I just go there.

It's not illegal to sell alcohol to a person over 18 believing the they're going to give it to a person under 18.

It's not illegal to sell alcohol to a person over 18 who is buying alcohol on behalf of (i.e. as the agent of) a person under 18, although it is illegal for the purchaser to do that.

Read the Licensing Act.

I meant "believing that they're".

I was always told at work that it didn't matter how old the customer actually was, if I asked them for proof of age and they didn't have it, then I could not serve them under any circumstances. This also included anyone they were with because we could not guarantee that they would not be drinking alcohol bought by others. Granted, this was a pub, which is slightly different and because we were also under instruction from the council not to let under 18s in the building at all.
So in essence, I could ask a pensioner for ID, and if they didn't have it then they can't be served. No one else working could serve them either and they would have to leave.
Every month we had to sign the challenge 21 policy, meaning from the perspective of the company, serving someone who looked under 21 could be seen as an act of gross misconduct and I could lose my job. It's just not worth it to take the risk.

don't see anything wrong with what tesco did in the op.
asked the husband for proof of age because they were worried he was not over 18, he couldn't provide it so they refused to serve him, and consequently they refused to allow someone who did have proof that they were over 18 to buy it for someone who could not rove they were of legal age. perfectly reasonable.
i used to work in an off-licence and in the situation i might have decided to sell it when i saw the person they were with was 24,not often you'd have a 24 year old and a 17 year old hanging out together, but that would have been my decision as i'd be the one taking a risk. the checkout person in this instance decided they didn't want to take the risk of selling to someone who they weren't sure was over 18.

Sorry, don't have time to read the whole thread so apologies if this has been asked but what happens with home shopping? Tesco frequently deliver wine and beer with my weekly shop and my 11 and 8 year old sons are both home and (very occasionally) help to put the shopping away. Should they be refusing to leave the alcohol under those circumstances?

I think the under 25 rule is because a 16 or 17 year old, if they are tall or they are wearing makeup might be able to pass as a 19 or 20 year old, or even a bit older. But it will be harder for them to look over 25 (why that arbitrary age I have no idea, I expect it's deliberately going over the top to make sure). So if you are aged between 18 and 24 you are legally entitled to buy alcohol, but you may be asked to prove you are over 18.
However, if you are refused the shopkeeper/checkout assistant should explain it's because they don't think you are over 18. Not that they think you are under 25. If that makes sense.
I've worked as a checkout assistant and it was horrible trying to assess people's age. I invariably asked for ID for people who were years past 18.

It is increasingly difficult to judge the age of purchasers. "Think 25" is designed to take some ambiguity away & protect staff from making mistakes with borderline cases.

Proof of age cards are easily available.

"But what would happen if she insited that she wanted the aclohol and the police were called? The customer isn't breaking the law,and as far as I know it isn't yet law to be over 25 to purchase alcohol, and the "over 25" thing isn't a law either. So what would the police do?"

Nothing, except point out that the store is at liberty to refuse to serve anyone.

on a similar theme.....our local tesco has a big sign up saying it is policy NOT to sell EGGS to under 18s

friends DC went in on PANCAKE day for eggs and lemon juice and they would not sell to them!!

(because of yobs throwing eggs at cars and buses)

I wonder when they will stop selling me eggs when my kids are with me just incase I am going to give them to the kids on the way out the shop and say "there you go, have some fun throwing them at cars but be back in time for tea"

" earlyriser......My record was a 32 year old mother of 3!!! She was suitably flattered and I was suitably "

Kiddiz, hoping that wasn't me?

Psst Pingviner - have found your Perch Phaeton dangerously parked....