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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Challenge 25 is a joke!!!

182 replies

IveStillGotIt · 08/04/2010 23:03

Ive just been to a well known supermarket with ds WHO'S NEARLY 10, and dp, had a full trolly of shopping £80! i.e food, washing powder, general household stuff, and a bottle of wine for myself and a create of lager that was on offer for dp, and the jobsworth at the till had the cheek to ask me for i.d! FFS im 28! ds is nearly 10! dp is 32! We were doing a full weeks shopping, and when she asked me, i pointed out ds and she had the cheek to say "that doesnt prove anything these days" well i totally let rip at her, common sense has obviously went out the window! She just shrugged her shoulders at me and demanded i.d, so i gave her my provisonal photo card license, and she had the cheek to hum and hay over the photo cause ive dyed my hair from dark brown to dark red! A supervisor (who i went to school with) came over and comfirmed it was ok to serve me, then she grudgenly put it through saying "if it was up to me, i dont think your old enough"!!! AIBU or should i put in a formal letter of complaint?

OP posts:
coldtits · 08/04/2010 23:06

If she served you, and you turned out to be under 18, she would get a £1000 fine and potentially lose her job.

And actually, you're quite flattered really, aren't you?

coldtits · 08/04/2010 23:07

I'm nearly 30 and got IDed for a bottle of wine in Asda. I was thrilled to my boots.

Nemain · 08/04/2010 23:07

I have been there and also got annoyed.

Then I had everyone tell me that I should be grateful that I look younger than my years.

Nemain · 08/04/2010 23:08

btw - should have said. no reason for complaint though. Would you prefer if they didn't ID people and under-agers got served?

Not that that would happen. but I can see that being an argument taken up.

pjmama · 08/04/2010 23:09

She was just doing her job. Enjoy your wine and don't worry about it.

coldtits · 08/04/2010 23:09

Why get annoyed?

Why get annoyed with someone who lives under the constant threat of making a poor judgement call and risks a fine and the loss of their job, and who does this for the minimum wage?

Grow up a bit! The way people react, it's probably the immature vibe rather than your appearance that's getting you IDed.

Original poster
IveStillGotIt · 08/04/2010 23:17

I wouldnt mind had i been on my own and buying a create of alcopops, but it was the lack of common sense, i used to work in a supermarket myself, and if a family came through, where maybe mum looked borderline 25, i would look at the other items in trolly and age of dc, and use my common sense, i mean how many underagers have 10yo dc, how many drink £8 wine, how many would lug £80 worth of shopping round the local park!!! And it was the tone of her voice and her manner that peed me off, btw most people think im about 24/25

OP posts:
siblingrivalryisrelative · 08/04/2010 23:18

Your name kind of gives away the fact that you were really pleased

Original poster
IveStillGotIt · 08/04/2010 23:26

Ha ha, i picked my name cause my pals little bro's all fancy me, apparently!!! And they DO hang around parks drinking, love to know how they get served! Lol!

OP posts:
coldtits · 08/04/2010 23:34

IveStillGotIt - if you'd EVER served me aged 16, I'd have got through you like a curry through a nun, because I used to take my neighbour's 5 year old with me and and tell her I would buy her a big bag of chocolate buttons if she asked for them like I was 'Mummy' - ie "MUMMEEEEE please can I have some sweets? PLEEEEASE?"

It always worked because ALL supermarket assistants used 'common sense' - which is really not common sense at all, just the assumption that underage people can't be very very clever.

paisleyleaf · 08/04/2010 23:41

Is it such a big stretch for a 28 year old to look 25 or under?

Nemain · 08/04/2010 23:46

coldtits, there is no need for the moral argument. What has minimum wage got to do with it?

FWIW I was alone and I got annoyed as I had no ID and I was 28 at the time. I felt that I looked old enough to buy a bottle of wine.

I still feel that I looked more than 18 (it was 21, not 25 at that time for ID checking as well) and therefore that I was being unjustly asked to prove myself.

I like to think that I was being asked as I looked younger. However, I am not that naive. Funnily enough it was a supervisor that ran over to question me. The checkout girl was very and was adamant that she was serving me!

Although I only complained for about 10 mins before everyone convinced me that I must look good for my age [preen]

TottWriter · 08/04/2010 23:51

The minimum wage thing comes into it because, working in retail, you get paid a crap wage which you can't live on, and are on the frontline for being hammered by legistlation to prevent underage drinking. If you slip up once in your crappy job and make a bad call, you get a massive fine, which comes down on you and your place of work.

Selling alcohol to someone underage or without proper ID could very realistically cost someone their job. And at 16, most people are a really crap judge of age (I know I was) and are terrified of being sacked and standing no chance of finding work elsewhere. You start looking for work with just retail on your CV and most places will laugh you to the door.

strawberrykate · 08/04/2010 23:51

I'd have no issue with the age thing but the 'it doesn't prove anything these days' comment was rather rude.

Casmama · 08/04/2010 23:57

I think there is a bit of a push on it at the moment - I was Id'd in Morrisons the other day and was delighted. (I'm 30 and have only had a handful of unbroken nights sleep for the past 7 months due to ds)

You had ID so don't get uppity and don't bloody complain.

farmerjones · 08/04/2010 23:57

i have to laugh. the op got id'd aged 28 and she is annoyed? try being 34 and id'd. nine years past the age! or worse, a month before your 37th birthday.

and fwiw, whilst the woman serving you , was being less than polite, her comment about having a ten year old in tow is true. it doesnt prove a thing. he could be your nephew/brother/neighbour or child. it means nothing. most definitly not a thousand pound fine.

coldtits · 08/04/2010 23:57

The minimum wage is relevant because you are expecting someone who is already poor to risk what little money they have and might have in the future, just to save you the hassle of getting your driving license out for 12 seconds.

Really Nemain, can't you see any link between someone's wage and the level of inconvenience caused to them by a £1000 fine and the loss of their job? or are you completely determined to take it as something that was Done To You?

Casmama · 09/04/2010 00:00

"I totally let rip at her" I hope you are exaggerating because if not then I'm not surprised she was a little rude she was just doing her job and should not have to put up with people like you "letting rip" at her. If you see her again I think you should apologise.

Original poster
IveStillGotIt · 09/04/2010 00:01

coldtits- i did know that trick, i did it myself with my little sis who was 8 when i was 16/17 lol! And it worked! But when i was on tills, i would know who was 'at it', i would look at what else they were buying, if it was a family situation i.e dad looked about 25-30, washing powder, toilet cleaner, weeks worth of food e.t.c i would let it go through, but if the person looked about 20 and was just buying booze, maybe a couple of 'token' grocerys for added effect, dc shouting muuuummm loud enough for me to hear, (whilst looking at me with that cheeky guilty look that only kids can do!) i would ask for i.d, and 9/10 it turned out that they were at it, with little sis/neice e.t.c!

OP posts:
ravenAK · 09/04/2010 00:08

Oh it's a crap situation for someone earning minimum wage to find themselves in, agreed.

Nonetheless, the legal age to buy alcohol is 18. Supermarkets' 'challenge 25' campaigns are interesting. Why are they doing it? It can hardly be claimed that they're at the forefront in battling under age boozing, given their role in promoting cheap'n'nasty alcohol.

I just buy wine online now, tbh. I've never been challenged in a supermarket & would be a bit surprised, given I'm 39, but this whole nonsense leads me to spend my wine budget elsewhere.

Alambil · 09/04/2010 00:09

"that doesn't prove anything nowadays" other than you COULD have been shopping with your DSS or brother....

You're lucky she let you have it if you were as rude as your posts suggest.

I hope she had a few nice customers after that and didn't go home annoyed.

edwardcullensotherwoman · 09/04/2010 00:13

my local supermarket once refused to serve me because my younger sis (then 17) was with me and didn't have ID with her. I was buying my weekly shop and a bottle of wine and 4 cans of cider for dp.
now thats a joke!

coldtits · 09/04/2010 00:15

they do it to protect their vulnerable till staff from bad tempered verbal assaults from people who don't deserve to be as fresh faced as they clearly are.

coldtits · 09/04/2010 00:17

Go on then, YOU try it

And remember, YOU are sitting calmly at a computer, and YOU haven't been sat at a till for 6 hours since 6 am without a break, and YOU, clearly, are not 18 years old.

Tinnitus · 09/04/2010 00:19

I don't think any one came out of this smelling of roses. Letting rip at me used to get a flat refusal of any sale, including you groceries. and her attitude wasn't nearly condescending enough. good grief don't these till staff have any pride????