Think 25 Alcohol Retailing

Captain Biggles

Sorry, but it's the decision of the parents to let their children drink alcohol after the age of about 5 or something. If they take their teenage son/daughter shopping and buy a few alcoholic drinks the store should ask for ID to prove that: (a) the mother/father is of a legal age (you laugh, but in today's Britain... :rolleyes:

), and (b) that the teenager they're with is a member of the parent's family. If a mother/father deems it okay to give their teenage son/daughter alcohol, that's a decision for the parents, definitely not the store.

It's illegal to buy alcohol for an underage person.
It's legal for children to consume alcohol under adult supervision.

The two aren;t mutually exclusive. There's nothing to stop you buying alcohol for yourself and deciding afterwards to give some to your child. However, buying it expressly to give to your children is illegal.

Reply 183

Random.Girl

Spotty Dog

you'd be surprised just how many parents are perfectly OK with it. They understand what we're doing and why.

That's cool ... but I'd be a little peeved if it meant I had to make another shopping trip without the son just to buy alcohol that wasn't even for him in the first place ...

Reply 184

Random.Girl

RightSaidJames

Nope, not at all.

I didn't think so. So why are Morrisons making this choice for parents? Hmmm.

Reply 185

captainlumpy

Ooo this thread reminds me, I bought myself a bottle of white wine today (for the wine drinkers here, its Black Tower... yummy stuff) anyhoo, I always get ID'd when out in pubs and stuff, as I don't really look 18 (16/17 at the most and I most definitely don't look 21) and with Sainsbury's having the 'Think 21' policy I really did expect to get ID'd... and they didn't, I was actually quite shocked lol. This isn't a one off occasion either, I've bought drink from there before, never been ID'd!

Reply 186

BlackHawk

17

Joanna May

How is it redundant? The intention is to prevent cashiers giving alcohol to underage people, or those who would pass it onto underage people. In that respect, it succeeds as well as it can.

But you aren't giving alcohol to underage people! You have no idea if that underage person is going to have any or not! You cannot be responsible legally for what people do in their own home. You are potentially ostracizing customers for no good reason whatsoever. I would be livid if someone not only refused to let me buy alcohol, but also then insinuated I was a bad parent and that I would give the alcohol to my child.

Reply 187

RightSaidJames

16

Joanna May

It's illegal to buy alcohol for an underage person.
It's legal for children to consume alcohol under adult supervision.

The two aren;t mutually exclusive. There's nothing to stop you buying alcohol for yourself and deciding afterwards to give some to your child. However, buying it expressly to give to your children is illegal.

Right, so you're saying that the only legal way to give alcohol to your children is on a spur of the moment decision? What if it's being bought for Christmas or another special occasion, and you always let your children drink at that time, yet are tee-total yourself for health reasons? Would that be illegal?

Reply 188

BlackHawk

But you aren't giving alcohol to underage people! You have no idea if that underage person is going to have any or not! You cannot be responsible legally for what people do in their own home. You are potentially ostracizing customers for no good reason whatsoever. I would be livid if someone not only refused to let me buy alcohol, but also then insinuated I was a bad parent and that I would give the alcohol to my child.

If the parent is then arrested for supplying alcohol to an underage child, and it is found out that the supermarket had served the parent with the child standing there, they can be prosecuted as well.

You might be offended, but most people understand that the cashiers are only doing their jobs.

Reply 189

Captain Biggles

2

Joanna May

It's illegal to buy alcohol for an underage person.
It's legal for children to consume alcohol under adult supervision.

The two aren;t mutually exclusive. There's nothing to stop you buying alcohol for yourself and deciding afterwards to give some to your child. However, buying it expressly to give to your children is illegal.

Yes, the two aren't mutually exclusive, however it's almost impossible to prove the former and you have no way of knowing if the parent will even think of giving the alcohol to their children. By refusing sales like this, it completely encourages the child to become curious about alcohol and fall into the binge drinking culture.

Reply 190

BlackHawk

17

Joanna May

If the parent is then arrested for supplying alcohol to an underage child, and it is found out that the supermarket had served the parent with the child standing there, they can be prosecuted as well.

You might be offended, but most people understand that the cashiers are only doing their jobs.

Which supermarket do you work for? I have to make a note never to go there.

Cashiers may be doing their job, but they should use their common sense.

Reply 191

RightSaidJames

Right, so you're saying that the only legal way to give alcohol to your children is on a spur of the moment decision? What if it's being bought for Christmas or another special occasion, and you always let your children drink at that time, yet are tee-total yourself for health reasons? Would that be illegal?

I don't know. Such scenarios are so rare that we aren't trained to deal with them. You can make up all the scenarios in the world that you like, but at the end of the day the supermaket doesn't want to look complicit in the sort of bad parenting that causes underage boozing on the street, and wants to protect itself from any prosecution (as I said earlier, they can be prosecuted if the police arrest the over 18 for supplying alcohol to a minor, as they are seen as complicit).

Reply 192

Random.Girl

Joanna May

You might be offended, but most people understand that the cashiers are only doing their jobs.

Well yes, I wouldn't say anything out of turn to the cashier because they are only doing their job. However, I wouldn't be happy with the supermarket.

Reply 193

foxo

17

It's failing in the way that I can count on one hand the number of times I've been asked for ID this whole year. I smoke 20 a day and I'm partial to the occasional bottle of wine or gin. The majority of shops, pubs and supermarkets completely ignore the think 21/25 schemes and if they didn't perhaps the SNP wouldn't see fit to raise the drinking age.

Reply 194

Erik.

this thread has become depressingly circular in motion and just makes me angry so I think I'm unsubscribing. What a sad Americanised mess our country is becoming. Im about ready to jump ship.

Reply 195

BlackHawk

Which supermarket do you work for? I have to make a note never to go there.

Cashiers may be doing their job, but they should use their common sense.

And for the most part, they do. However, you seem to think that refusing to sell alcohol that is most likely (speaking on averages, alcopops are far more likely to be given to young drinkers) being given to minors to be a "lack of common sense" so I hope you never do shop in my store.

Cashiers will use their discretion, within reason. A bottle of wine or two with a full shop will be allowed through. A belt full of alcopops, crisps and sweets will not. If you can't see that one is blatently far more likely to be given to underage drinkers, then you should take your own advicew and use some common sense.

Reply 196

*pitseleh*

20

Does Tesco really have a "Think 30" policy, as some people mentioned a few pages back? If so, I'll be a little less annoyed that they still repeatedly ID me at the age of 22.

I can understand the logic behind "Think 21", but for me, "Think 25" and "Think 30" policies are a step too far.

Reply 197

AJ-24

Also - aren't supermarkets able to refuse service to anyone ... for any reason they decide?

As are most shops aren't they?

Reply 198

tom_tom_tom

18

Kolya

TGI Friday have a Think 30 policy.

They do

i got served with no id in there the other week, and im sure i dont look 30 :s-smilie:

the tesco by me had a think 30 policy aswell

Reply 199