To think Morrisons are taking licensing laws too far?

[Housemum]

So DH offers to pick up teenage DD from dancing as he's going past that way and stops off at Morrisons to buy tonight's dinner and a couple of bottles of beer. Cashier asks him for ID which flattered him for a second as he's 40 with grey hair, till the cashier says, "no, for her". No replies DH as she's too young and the beer is for me - so the cashier refuses to serve him. Now I am all for stopping teenage binge drinking, but I thought the law was about believing someone had intent to supply to a minor - so if he was buying alcopops, cider or even possibly white wine I could understand but looking at the two of them it would be pretty easy to spot the likely real ale drinker! Grrr - anyone else want to share their tales of refusal or tell me that Morrisons are completely justified?

manky, did you read the thread? it's about being refused to buy drink when people have produced the ID, just on the off chance that they will then push the booze onto somebody else. in which case, wouldn't it be better to outlaw alcohol altogether?

It's ID cards by stealth IMO . The public are against Governemnt ID cards, so they introduce these guidelines (because they are guideleines, it's not illegal to buy alcohol if you're over 18, nor is it a legal requirement to carry ID at all times) these guidleines then ensure that people like myself who don't have driving licence or passport, or people like my mother have to go and get one of them in order to buy alcohol, and therefore everyone has ID!
IYSWIM

Tesco refused to sell me some bailys truffles as I was with my sister (17).

I picked them up from the chocolate section and gave them to my sister to hold as I rooted around in my bag to find my purse as I was necxt in the queue.

The cashier asked for ID, I was 30 at the time. I thought it was a joke but he made it clear he wanted ID for my sister. I still thought it was some sort of joke but it became apparent that he wasn't going to sell me the packet of TWO chocolate truffles in case I gave them to my sister.

I called the manager over and he agreed with cashier!!!!

As it happens I was going to share them with my sister - but even the Daily Mail has yet to run a story on ferel teenagers off their heads on chocolate truffles.

Oh good god, how will I buy my dd (5) her weekly alcopop now!? It reaaly keeps her quiet while I am shopping

Agree the agenda is ID cards by stealth.

I don't think anyone's expressed a wish for staff to risk fines by serving under 18s, manky.

But refusing service to someone who looks like they might not be 18 is rather different to refusing service to one 25 year old customer (who had ID) in case they were proposing to share their bottle of wine with their 28 year old friend (who didn't have ID) - as happened to an acquaintance of mine a few weeks ago.

I don't drive & I don't carry my passport everywhere I go. So it would inconvenience me to have to produce ID in the supermarket - or rather it would benefit Laithwaites...

I thought it was just me. Morrisons have refused to sell me wine before (I'm 35) as I dont have ID. OK i don't look my age but i dont look 18 esp when I've got two DS in tow.

The manager was very patronising advising me to carry my passport or driving license when I shopped in future

I walked out of the shop without the shopping and havent been back since.

Bonkers.

However, I am ever so slightly that I have never been asked / refused alcohol. I am a young looking (I think) 38.

There was the time in Waitrose that DS1 (then about 2) shouted, as I put a couple of bottles in the trolley, "But Mummy, I DON'T LIKE WINE" as though I was about to force feed it to him.

In france last summer while tasting wine in a shop, DS2 (then2) demanded to have some wine too. I said no, then eventually said he could have a sip with the aim of shutting him up...expecting a "Yuck"...but no, he said, "Yum I like wine"

My dh went to get some beer and took his 15 year old brother with him. They refused to serve him, even though he's a serving police officer and showed his warrant card.

I did a research thing 12 years ago, when I was 13 and job was to go into certain shops and buy alcohol and cigs. I had no problems. I got asked for ID just to go into the alcohol aisle in a co-op in Cornwall last summer and then again, by different person, to buy filters for rolling tobacco..(was only walking through alcohol aisle to till, not buying)

I don't drink alcohol but would be mighty peeved if I was refused alcohol because I had a minor with me. What happens in pubs - can they serve you alcohol if you have a kid with you?

How about we all start boycotting the supermarkets or badgering their complaints departments.
Obviously no-one wants them to sell to minors but it's about time that their staff started using common sense instead being jobsworths. Why do we put up with it?

Ashleyfanjo - technically they were wrong to refuse (unless sis didn't have ID) as 16 is the legal age for liqueur chocs. (DD1 recited this fascinating fact to me after her induction at Sainsbury)

It sounds like Morrisons are being particularly heavy-handed in general - and what was personally even more annoying is that my DD is one of the few teenagers I know that doesn't even like drinking! She came back from a New Year's Eve party and told us that she really couldn't understand champagne - she had a sip to be polite then gave it back to her friend's mum - she would certainly never touch Piddle In the Hole (although I would - was gutted that DH came back empty handed)

What next eh? Will Ikea not sell me cutlery if I am accompanied by a teen even if I can prove my age?

Haven't read all of this, but I have had some ...interesting...ID incidents lately in my local tescos. Was doing a grocery shop with my 6yo, had a half bottle of rose wine (obviosly 6yo boys drink of choice )...no ID, so couldn't get served. Tried to buy some rolling tobacco, had all 3 dc's with me, as I had no ID they wouldn't serve me. And the best one, IMO was my DD's one. Her best friend isn't allowed cakes etc at home as her brother goes mental on sugary food. It was her birthday. So DD went to tescos and bought her a birthday cake and a pack of candles (no lighter, form teacher was going to light them for her, had all been pre-arranged). They refused to serve my DD a packet of candles that she had no way of lighting.... ...Even DD was (rightly) perplexed about this, as she said, was she going to set light to a bin or something with an unlit candle for a birthday cake???

Don't know what I'm meant to do, I don't have a passport as it's a lot of money for a bit of paper to get served booze with, and am never going to go abroad. And I'm legally barred from holding a driving license because I have epilepsy. So I have NO photo ID. Looked into getting a passport for it as it's getting ridiculous, but £90 for something I'll be unable to use for any other purpose before it runs out (have an SN 6yo) seems a wee bitty extravagant when I'm on benefits...

Though, in my case, an ID card would solve all this fuss, but then, I'm not opposed to ID cards, am of the feeling that if you've nothing to hide, there isn't a problem. Even though I can be quite...anti-establishment...at times, it's not as if I've broken the law.

I was in Sains buying a lottery ticket one afternoon, DS1 (almost 6) had the £1 to pay for it. I asked for the cashier for a Lucky Dip and when DS went to hand her the money she stated "I'm not allowed to take it from him", so he handed it to me and I handed it over....

...now I understand having a job to do but this just seems silly

differentid- good point. I dont understand what law they are trying to enforce. I know it's illegal for adults to buy alcohol for teenagers who then give them the money (i.e. acting as agent). However, it's not illegal to give alcohol to a minor so what's the problem? Surely unless they've seen money change hands (thinks back to self outside Unwins circa 1991, looking for suitably irrespnsible adult to buy me cider), they're in the clear.

Thedevilwearsprimark- I hope you left the whole £100 shop on the conveyor and walked out.

I always do weekly shop with DS (he's 3) and usually buy alcohol. I have never been IDed in my life. I'm only 31.

I do wonder at what point do we stop? I mean, the legal age is 18, a lot of places implement a "challenge 21" policy, which I think is fine, I find is difficult to tell of someone is 18, or maybe 16,17 or 19.

Then, my local shop has "challenge 25" badges on. Riiiggghhht. what's next? "challenge 30"? I understand that fines are a possibility and retailers get in trouble, I've worked in retail for years but at some point, retailers need to start training their staff to do proper detection of ages and paying attention properly rather than being so scared of being wrong that they just refuse anyone.

i really dont know what the problem is with having to show id! I worked in the pub/restaurant trade for 14 years and now work in a supermarket and am EXTREMELY strict about challenge 25. the reasoning behind it (and no, not id cards by stealth ) is that a 16 year old can look 18, a 17 year old can look 21 but an 18 year old rarely looks 25. we do not HAVE to sell alcohol to anyone. nowhere in the law does it say "on your 18th birthday you have the right to no longer be refused service of alcohol" i also refuse to serve known alcoholics and anyone who i believe to intend to pass beer onto the underage nobs kids who hang around the front of the shop. some people do take it too far (i probably wouldnt have refused to serve the ops's dh) but they are only doing their jobs ffs and at least it shows resonsibility when selling a drug.

ps, i also get id'd at 32. know what i do? i carry my provisional license with me. its not that hard

An 18 year, whether they look 25 or not, is allowed to buy alcohol. And no, pubs don't have to sell alcohol to any specific person, but the whole raison d'etre of a pub is selling booze. Get too narky about doing that and people just won't use them.

I am very very anti this whole "what harm does it do to have to carry around ID, if you've got nothing to hide you've got no problem, it's not that hard" crap, frankly. It is ID cards by stealth (and I see nothing inducing about having a problem with that), it is an invasion of our civil liberties and I am sick of it.

I have never met a 24 year old who looked 17 either. So the challenge 25 business makes no sense whatsoever.

georgiemama, do you work within the pub/supermarket industry? is it you who will lose their job, face criminal charges and have a massive fine to pay if you "let it slide"? would you be happy for your child to walk into tesco aged 16/17 buy two bottles of vodka unchallenged? teenagers look MUCH older nowand the industries which serve alcohol need to alter in line with that.

and no, the 18 year old is not allowed to buy alcohol, the pubs/shop is allowed to sell it. massive difference.if they can prove they are 18 great, if not thats their problem.

I work for sainsbo's and although we have the think 25 and have to follow it I also use my common sense.

Officially I'm supposed to ask anyone who looks under 25 for ID to buy a 12 cert film but I never would because it would be ridiculous.

I have also never ID'ed a family buying alcohol as part of a family shop even if they have teenagers with them.

Working on checkouts is so mindnumbingly boring many cashiers go into the zone and forget that they possess a brain and common sense.

FTI we should also think 25 if you buy a pack of strepsils