Age identification and retail stories

[kinggingerman]

If they serve her, and she's 18, and she pays, I don't see the problem.

Who cares if he's 17 and you overheard it - no one's then going to be able to prove you overheard it being said.

As im sure others who work in retail will tell you we only need reasonable suspicion to refuse the sale. It might not appear to matter if hes 17 but it does as we quite often have police task forces sending teenagers in to attempt to catch us out and since our store has been caught out several times before we really cannot afford to allow it to happen again. I know it may seem harsh but I think the inconvience it may cause is justified if it prevents a cashier making a mistake that may cause them their job.

Edit: By the way im loving the stories many of you are sharing they really show some interesting things and the fact its causing some debate is an added bonus

 

[teqrevisited]

I get I'ded if I shave, but if I leave some stubble they don't bother. I've only ever been asked for ID when buying drinks, not once for anything else.

 

[Daveman]

snip

You raged and told someone you hated them for doing their job. This is not proper behaviour. The fact is, you walk into a shop, you abide by their rules. Remember, the shop has a right to refuse service. Sorry, but as someone who actually works in the industry, I find your attitude pretty appalling and your victim conplex quite saddening.

The fact is, it is illegal to purchase liquor for a minor. You're standing in the isle and picking beer with the guy. I mean, I'm no detective, but I've gotta say, it sure looks like you're planning to give/share it with him. It's the store's responsibility to enforce this, regardless of what you may think. If he has no ID, then for all intents and purposes, he IS a minor.

You weren't breaking the law, but you looked like you were, and according to the information given, you were, and that's why you were treated as such. You should really look up the Liquor Act before talking as if you know everything. And just for the sake of it, I'll throw this in;

"The amendments to the Licensing Act 1964 introduced by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 strengthened this positive duty on licensees and their staff not to sell alcohol to under 18?s and for the first time, placed the ?test purchasing? of alcohol, whereby the police and trading standards officers through making purchases test the compliance of retailers with the prohibition on underage sales, on a statutory footing."

What you have to understand is that it's not the legality of the consumption but the legality of sale. In your country and mine, it's no illegal to consume alcohol at any age. The legal issues surround the sale, so every time you talk about how you're going to be at home drinking it, you just look silly.

For the record I think I'm totally allowed to hate somebody for doing their job, especially if I don't agree with aspects of their job because, at the end of the day, they choose to do it so they can get all the stick that comes with it. That said I edited my comment yesterday to try to make it clear I was still fairly jovial about it and that I do not seriously hate somebody just because of something like that.

Fuck yeah it might look like I'm gonna share it with him. But frankly that isn't any of their business and depending on where I do it it is entirely legal even if he were underage. They are just guessing what I'm going to do. At no stage is it their legal responsibility to check my friends ID. If it were the case people would get checked all the time and even when with parents. As an off licence they expect me to drink it away from their premises... for example at home, where it is totally legal for me to share drinks with anyone as young as 5. I don't see how the fact that another person was present when I bought it then makes this illegal if I am the one paying for it.

I don't see the relevance of your quote. I know that they get people to go in and check whether they are checking ID, but what does that have to do with a situation where somebody HAS ID that they then produce.

I don't think I do look silly. If I do then fuck it. I'm just pointing out that what they do in shops, checking everyone present with you for ID (if they suspect you, for whatever reason), isn't based on law but on store policy which is retarded IMO. ("the store policy is retarded" that is...)

Just to point out I'm not just one random guy who is really silly and angry over one argument:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1955793/Tesco-ban-on-alcohol-sales-to-parents.html
The Telegraph - "Parents who have been refused alcohol have described the rule as humiliating and daft." So I guess I'm not alone in thinking this store policy is retarded.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3935489.ece
The Times - "Consumer advice experts said that there was no legal reason why Mr Zenden should not have been served if he was of legal age, could prove this if asked, and did not seem intoxicated or impaired by alcohol." When a man was buying a few bottles of beer with his 15 yr old daughter.

Both examples I realise are of people shopping with their kids (not exactly the same situation) but really I think that quote there sums it up. There is nothing illegal about what I was doing, the store was under no obligation other than it's own policy to stop me buying alcohol. Legality of sale doesn't even come into it, so now who looks silly. Probably still me but I still don't care.

GOD... 4 computer crashes while writing this... what an effort... if only I put that same level of effort into my degree I'd definitely score a first.

Oh, and discrimination? No, no it wasn't.

As I said to the other guy... please tell me what it is if it isn't discrimination when they judge me based on how old me and my friends look and then try to infer from that whether we are going/attempting to break the law... that's ultimately what it comes down to because they aren't obligated to do it to everyone buying booze with somebody underage (although they do, as demonstrated above in mah references), so the employee makes the call. Basically it's discrimination of young people, from my perspective at least. I'm not comparing it to racism, just saying that it's discrimination.