to be annoyed by the refusal of a supermarket to sell me two packets of paracetamol and a tube of bonjela?

[ruthosaurus]

I was told today that I could only buy two "over-18s" items at a time, and the (adult) bonjela counted because it has an ingredient that could react with paracetamol.

Point 1: What if I want to buy, say, an 18 certificate film, a bottle of wine and a tube of bonjela? If that's the kind of evening I had planned, what of it? What kind of joyless rule is "only two naughty items" anyway?

Point 2: Why the hell do you need to be over 18 to buy mouth ulcer gel? Tell me it isn't because bonjela contains ethanol.

I did ask if it was because of the "one pack of paracetamol at a time" rule and they said no.

Why could this be, then? I am baffled and a little perturbed.

"i was once disallowed two boxes of calpol sachets and a bottle of Peroni Beer. Even the cashier agreed it would be a pretty weak suicide attempt..." has to be quote of the day!!

Stealth - I had the exact same conversation about "new fangled alcopops" with a cashier in Waitrose once. Only I was buying Ginger Beer.

Good job I read honeydragon's post as I very nearly did exactly the same thing after DD had fed. Our PC is in front of the front window too.

At peroni suicide!

The one I don't get is that without a pharmacist there, they wouldn't sell a box of 30tab hayfever medication, but will sell as many boxes of 12tabs as you what

Oh my goodness.

I simply cannot believe that this is real. Have I fallen for a joke?

I am in Australia and hope this crazy law doesn't come in here!

Funny how in our local pund shop they paracetamol are 4 packs for a pound so you have to buy 4 packs!!

emy -if you think Tesco not letting you buy scissors was ridiculous, there was a case in our local paper a while ago where Tesco wouldn't let a woman buy teaspoons because she couldn't prove that she was over 18

Not only crazy in the UK, DH had to go to America (Detroit) for work. Once there caught a cold. Went to a drugstore to buy the equivalent of Lemsip.

DrugStore Man: can I see your ID?

DH: here

DSM : I need an ID from this state

DH: I am only here for a few days

DSM :sorry , cannot sell you Lemsip then.

DH had to go back later with a collegue who had an ID from that state.

A few days later, same collegue takes DH to an outdoorsports shop were they could have bought hunting guns without showing any sort of idea at all, just signing a form.

gor, the reason for that is because the ingredients in those medications is used by 'cookers' to manufacture ice/meth amphetimine, which is a huge problem there.

therefore, if you are buying anything with psuedoephedrine or similar, you have to be logged into a data base.

it's designed to prevent people buying large quantities of the stuff.

not to prevent suicides.

normal pain meds like ibuprofen and paracetamol you can buy in enormous quantities.

It's silly isn't really?

I wanted some citric acid powder to make elderflower cordial. The chemist said they had stopped selling citric acid to the public because it was misused by drug addicts.

Gettingagrip - re your horse pile cream, I was refused piriton in boots a couple of weeks ago, because it was for my dog, (as recommended by my vet) Because apparently they are not licensed to sell for animals.

I said 'OK, its actually for me' - but they didn't believe me

Also my mum was refused some 30% hydrogen peroxide by the chemist (she uses it as an all purpose antiseptic!) because it's used in making bombs.

My mother is 88 and walks with a zimmer frame, - she can't even work a camera, so limited skills in the bomb making department I'd say.

OMG I LOVE THIS
so you couldnt buy a "massager" ( hem hem) a condom and soem champagne?
some fridat night htat will be?

lOLOL and lol at weak suicide...

I buy Piriton for myself to help put me to sleep as I have terrible insomnia. But I just tell them I have a skin reaction to some washing powder and my underwear made me break out in a rash.

They never make any other comments after that: o.

Expat, I can understand that they asked for an ID but surely, a British passport is a valid one?

It is. A manager could have sorted that one, though.

Lol at the lemsip - well i know it's not actually funny due to the reasons Expat says, but I would love to see teh look on the man's face when he couldn't buy lemsip fgs.

I wanted to buy 2 bottles of antihistimine for use one for home one for after school club. Couldn't as apparently some people use it to sedate their children. SO I bought one in the nhs chemist and one in lloyeds 100ms down the road!!!

I can get it on perscription for DS but didn't wanna take the piss and ask gp for 4 bottles so got 2 (GP accepts one for school one for home) and they dispensed those 2 at the same time!!!

Oh, yes, the Medised questions. What do they think people are going to do, tell the truth?

FFS.

gor - not in the US. 'Valid' ID has to be an unexpired drivers licence, cos as soon as it expires you could magically be anyone. And even a US passport is often a problem simply because most IDers don't know what they look like.

I have a US passport and have had this problem there rather a lot... fortunately most of my family live in backwoods type areas where they don't bother carding anyone.

I know someone who took a disprin and cough mixture overdoes once

I brought two boxes of paracetamol and 2 boxes of Ibuprofen in Tesco the other week, no one batted and eye.
Got them as part of my big shop.
Keep getting abscess on my tooth and Dentist told me to keep stocked up.

Also DP had ear ache so made sure we had a good stock in the house so as not to have to do the dreaded Tesco trip in pain to get some if we ran out.

If I was going to off myself with drugs, I would get some of my sisters tramadol, morphine and co dirdamol and do a proper job, not paracetamol

HoneyDragon you need to pop to M&S love and get a bra

notcitrus, i no longer have a US driving license because i let it expire. i only have a UK one.

i have to use my US passport for ID if i'm there.

anytime i have problem, i just call a manager. because that it legal ID. so is a military ID.

I WAS actually wearing one this time. It was a bloody nursing top and bra, I left undone... the power of mumsnet drew me in again

It is a silly law since you can, as has been noted, buy a pack at Tesco then go down the street and buy a pack at Boots then go next door and buy a pack at Lloyds and so on.

This is why I have my mum bring me giant jars of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen when she comes over from the States.

Saves on shoe leather.

I once lived near a shopping centre with 4 chemists in the same square.

I'd go from one to the other buying paracetemol, ibuprofen, Piriton, etc.

It felt illicit.