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Think 25 Alcohol Retailing
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ch0c0h01ic
I was denied the right to buy a small 200g bag of Whiskey Truffles in Thorntons when i was in fact 18 (didn't have my ID). Again, very very low alcohol content, small quantity and i was turned away.
They did a study on TV, and to consume sufficient alcohol from alcoholic truffles to actually be over the drink drive limit they had to eat several kilos of chocolates. Far cry from my 200g.
They did a study on TV, and to consume sufficient alcohol from alcoholic truffles to actually be over the drink drive limit they had to eat several kilos of chocolates. Far cry from my 200g.
When I worked in Marks and Spencer they told us we couldn't sell alcoholic truffles to under 16s but then they said it's a stupid rule anyway and told us that story - they weren't particularly strict really...
It's a lot worse in America anyway, where my parents were ID'd before (both in their 40s
). I think they should certainly be more strict on alcohol sales, but most teenagers are able to get drink from off licenses quite easily. I think it's ridiculous that if you're with a very young person (11 and under say) that ther's a chance you might not get served though.
L i b
Why do you assume that? I have a passport - which I wouldn't dream of taking to a shop and handing to a cashier (indeed, such use is prohibited - as it says within the document) and I've just had to give up my university matriculation card. I have a driving licence, which would be the only obvious form of ID I have - but that is surprisingly enough only because I drive a car. Many - most, even - do not.
Realistically, this doesn't happen except in the most extreme cases.
Realistically, this doesn't happen except in the most extreme cases.
Everyone needs a form of ID nowadays and if you can afford to spend additional money on drinking, which is not a necessity then im sure you can afford the cost of applying for a provisional liscence to save you the hassle with ID. As I said, drinking, and buying alcohol is not a necessity, its a choice and its not too much to ask for people to respect the law (or shop policy) and show their ID.
On your other point, as a cashier myself, we are very much made aware of the problems we can face by not following policy, so even if it is in the 'extreme case' that people get fired/shop loses its liscence there is always a chance, and we are just basically doing what we are told to do.
It is not the shop checking that we are giving alcohol to underage people, it is the police.
Now just because I have been told to ID people under 21 (or 25) does not mean I lack common sense, and have never ID'd unnecessarily. It totally depends on the cashier as to what attitude they take to it. No amount of training can allow cashiers to make their own decision on ID'ing policy, and that is why think 21/25 are in place.
Spotty Dog
There's normally at least one or two members of staff who look like they're stacking shelves. They're probably not, they're just fiddling with things on shelves while they watch what everyone else is doing.)
all this is really rather pathetic.
sledgehammer to crack a nut much?
Spotty Dog
I've recently started working for Morrisons, who are (as far as I know), the strictest in respect of alcohol retailing. We operate Think 25 (as opposed to Think 21) and Group IDs. This means;
If you look under 25, you should be ID'd
If you're in a group, all of your group should be ID'd if they are suspected of being uner 25.
If you're in a group and your group has split up (ie some of you have left the store or you have gone to different tills), you will either be brought back together and ID'd or refused (if you refuse to come back together)
Morrisons argue that it's to prevent underage purchasing, and purchasing for those who are underage, and personally I think it's a fantastic idea. If you've got nothing to hie you've got nothing to fear.
I had a girl refused yesterday because she denied being part of a group who had left the store. My manager had seen them pass her money and then leave. She denied it, so she was refused.
Opinions?
If you look under 25, you should be ID'd
If you're in a group, all of your group should be ID'd if they are suspected of being uner 25.
If you're in a group and your group has split up (ie some of you have left the store or you have gone to different tills), you will either be brought back together and ID'd or refused (if you refuse to come back together)
Morrisons argue that it's to prevent underage purchasing, and purchasing for those who are underage, and personally I think it's a fantastic idea. If you've got nothing to hie you've got nothing to fear.
I had a girl refused yesterday because she denied being part of a group who had left the store. My manager had seen them pass her money and then leave. She denied it, so she was refused.
Opinions?
Absoloutely stupid, i dont have a driving license so i usually give my mate the money and he gets the drink, we got uni id cards and clearly look above the age yet sometimes still get hassle from sad nosy people who follow them rules strickly, how does it effect you? why are you so bothered? in tescos i saw a 14 year old get vodka and the guy didnt do anything, didnt even ask him for id, yet when a bunch of 19/20 year olds get stuff we get the hassle from sad staff, great
Bear_Grylls
how does it effect you? why are you so bothered?
If the cashier gets caught selling alcohol to an underage person without taking all possible steps to verify their age, then they face a personal fine, and a criminal record. Their employers will also discipline them and they could lose their job. If it happens enough times, the store loses its alcohol license, and business and profits suffer greatly.
So that's why we're so bothered.
All I can say is that I'm glad that I live in (well, near) a small town. My local shops aren't nowhere near as harsh, I frequently went with my (now-ex) girlfriend to buy a bottle of wine before I was 18, they occasionally ID'ed her (but tended not to, as the cashier was normally her age or a bit older and knew who she was), but never ID'ed me. I suppose that's a slightly different situation though; who gets rat-arsed on wine with their girlfriend on a Thursday night? On the other side of the scale, there's a bar in town that only accepts passports and full driving licenses, if you've got another form of ID (such as an official ID card or a provisional driving license), they'll turn you away; what if you don't have a passport and can't drive?
But the kids who go round in groups to buy alcohol are idiots, really. They should agree what to buy and hand over money to whoever has ID before he enters the shop, and the rest of them should stay well out of view, even if they're all 18 but don't all have ID; that way they won't have to be refused service because they're suspected of being "criminals". At the end of the day, the cashiers want to keep their jobs and do what they can, and it's better to be safe than sorry, so it is up to the customer to prevent themselves from getting in ridiculous situations.
But the kids who go round in groups to buy alcohol are idiots, really. They should agree what to buy and hand over money to whoever has ID before he enters the shop, and the rest of them should stay well out of view, even if they're all 18 but don't all have ID; that way they won't have to be refused service because they're suspected of being "criminals". At the end of the day, the cashiers want to keep their jobs and do what they can, and it's better to be safe than sorry, so it is up to the customer to prevent themselves from getting in ridiculous situations.
From reading this, it seems like supermarkets are really strict but I've never had a problem with being asked for ID, especially Morrisons!
The other week I was in there with my brother and he was buying a whole load of alcohol for a party he was having. They asked him for ID but not me, despite the fact I was stood there with him and even gave him money!
Yet the same shop refused to sell me scissors a couple of months ago because I couldn't prove my age (dunno how old you have to be to buy them!
)
Tescos are reasonably strict though
The other week I was in there with my brother and he was buying a whole load of alcohol for a party he was having. They asked him for ID but not me, despite the fact I was stood there with him and even gave him money!
Yet the same shop refused to sell me scissors a couple of months ago because I couldn't prove my age (dunno how old you have to be to buy them!
)Tescos are reasonably strict though
Raindroped
Everyone needs a form of ID nowadays
Nonsense.
and if you can afford to spend additional money on drinking, which is not a necessity then im sure you can afford the cost of applying for a provisional liscence to save you the hassle with ID. As I said, drinking, and buying alcohol is not a necessity, its a choice and its not too much to ask for people to respect the law (or shop policy) and show their ID.
It's not my problem, it's their problem - it is completely daft to treat customers in this way, and I'm hardly going to jump through hoops to satisfy other people's silly notions.
On your other point, as a cashier myself, we are very much made aware of the problems we can face by not following policy, so even if it is in the 'extreme case' that people get fired/shop loses its liscence there is always a chance, and we are just basically doing what we are told to do.
There's a chance you could be run down by a bus tomorrow, it doesn't mean you stay indoors all the time. If you're going to fear being fined for selling alcohol to someone who looked 20 years old, you might as well spend your time worrying about being arrested for no reason at all.
ASDA do this Think 25 thing as well.
But they don't seem to all be doing it.
When I bought some superglue on the self checkouts I found out I had to be 18 before they would let me buy it. 18 to buy superglue? HUH!?
So anyway, the man came over and just authorized it without even asking me for ID or anything. I'm 15. I do look around 18, but was just amazed when he came over and authorized it. It even said on the reciept "18 Authorized" or something along those lines. haha
But they don't seem to all be doing it.
When I bought some superglue on the self checkouts I found out I had to be 18 before they would let me buy it. 18 to buy superglue? HUH!?
So anyway, the man came over and just authorized it without even asking me for ID or anything. I'm 15. I do look around 18, but was just amazed when he came over and authorized it. It even said on the reciept "18 Authorized" or something along those lines. haha
L i b
It's not my problem, it's their problem - it is completely daft to treat customers in this way, and I'm hardly going to jump through hoops to satisfy other people's silly notions.
You're the one who doesn't get what they want, I'd say it's your problem. The store could lose its license and the cashier could get a criminal record. I don't see why it's so unreasonable to expect you to show a small piece of card/passport, yet it's completely reasonable of you to expect a cashier to risk their own criminal record for you because you can't be bothered.
God forbid any of you should live in Italy, where you have to carry ID at all times and show it to the police on their whims.
It's a silly, unecessary policy which will work once and once only, delaying the binge drinking by approx. 30 minutes. It's a reflection of our silly culture rather than an actual defence against the main problems associated with binge drinking.
Plus, it's a hassle.
Plus, it's a hassle.
moneyballs2
So anyway, the man came over and just authorized it without even asking me for ID or anything. I'm 15. I do look around 18, but was just amazed when he came over and authorized it. It even said on the reciept "18 Authorized" or something along those lines. haha
It's called discretion. It's like plastic cutlery for parties. Officially you have to be 18 to buy it, but provided you aren't in a huge gang of hoodies and buying other potentially dangerous things, they will let you buy it if you're underage.
Joanna May
You're the one who doesn't get what they want, I'd say it's your problem. The store could lose its license and the cashier could get a criminal record. I don't see why it's so unreasonable to expect you to show a small piece of card/passport, yet it's completely reasonable of you to expect a cashier to risk their own criminal record for you because you can't be bothered.
God forbid any of you should live in Italy, where you have to carry ID at all times and show it to the police on their whims.
God forbid any of you should live in Italy, where you have to carry ID at all times and show it to the police on their whims.
To be fair, he is over 18, so he's not risking anyone getting fined. It's not an offence to not ID someone, it's an offence to serve someone who is under 18, regardless of whether you've ID'ed them or not.
Joanna May
It's called discretion. It's like plastic cutlery for parties. Officially you have to be 18 to buy it, but provided you aren't in a huge gang of hoodies and buying other potentially dangerous things, they will let you buy it if you're underage.
Yeah, but it's still not legal if Superglue has an age limit of 18 to sell to a 15 year old... That's what I am getting at. I didn't mind. It was convenient for me otherwise I would've had to have walked all the way home and got my brother to come over and get it. And it was for him anyway.
I think Think 21/25/30 are great at making sure no under-18s buy alcohol - it's much harder for a 17-year-old to look 21 or 25 than 18 - but I wonder whether the best way to avoid underage drinking on park benches wouldn't be to let people drink from a younger age. No, really - if younger teenagers occasionally had one glass of wine with dinner, in the family environment under the close supervision of their parents, mightn't that demystify alcohol and introduce them to it in a safe environment? I can't help but think that our insistence on making alcohol taboo and forbidden contributes to certain youths' desire to drink dangerous amounts of it whilst out with their friends.
Or perhaps I'm just bitter because I'm 21 but look about 18, and so have to remember to carry ID with me everywhere
Or perhaps I'm just bitter because I'm 21 but look about 18, and so have to remember to carry ID with me everywhere
I'm 16 and have been served without ID at the following supermarkets:
Asda
Tescos - This was when I was 15, although maybe they've got more strict recently
Sainsburys
Budgens
Waitrose
Lidl
And it's pretty stupid, it's so easy to get a fake ID now anyway. Although saying that, there's one off license near me that refuses to sell anyone unless they have a driving license or passport.
Asda
Tescos - This was when I was 15, although maybe they've got more strict recently
Sainsburys
Budgens
Waitrose
Lidl
And it's pretty stupid, it's so easy to get a fake ID now anyway. Although saying that, there's one off license near me that refuses to sell anyone unless they have a driving license or passport.
Joanna May
You're the one who doesn't get what they want, I'd say it's your problem. The store could lose its license and the cashier could get a criminal record. I don't see why it's so unreasonable to expect you to show a small piece of card/passport, yet it's completely reasonable of you to expect a cashier to risk their own criminal record for you because you can't be bothered.
God forbid any of you should live in Italy, where you have to carry ID at all times and show it to the police on their whims.
God forbid any of you should live in Italy, where you have to carry ID at all times and show it to the police on their whims.
Its not just the inconvieniance of having to carry ID, its the principle of it, the retailing of commodities, any commodities, should not be this heavily regulated. It's unacceptable.
Quistis
I think Think 21/25/30 are great at making sure no under-18s buy alcohol - it's much harder for a 17-year-old to look 21 or 25 than 18 - but I wonder whether the best way to avoid underage drinking on park benches wouldn't be to let people drink from a younger age. No, really - if younger teenagers occasionally had one glass of wine with dinner, in the family environment under the close supervision of their parents, mightn't that demystify alcohol and introduce them to it in a safe environment? I can't help but think that our insistence on making alcohol taboo and forbidden contributes to certain youths' desire to drink dangerous amounts of it whilst out with their friends.
Or perhaps I'm just bitter because I'm 21 but look about 18, and so have to remember to carry ID with me everywhere
Or perhaps I'm just bitter because I'm 21 but look about 18, and so have to remember to carry ID with me everywhere
They can already do that, it's just that anti-alcohol propaganda would discourage many parents from giving their children the smallest amount.
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