Buying Alcohol

Infidelus said:
Must be a London thing. I don't know anyone else that carries theirs round with them, and I'm not about to start now. If the shopkeeper asked me for ID (not that they're likely to these days), I'd ask to see the shop manager.
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It's pretty common for the younger generation as they are more used to carrying ID. I don't think it's unreasonable to be asked for ID for buying aged restricted sales. There has been a big marketing campaign about it and there are signs everywhere. If you don't want to play ball, then fine. You just won't get your alcohol if you're IDed.
I think it's easier just to carry ID nowadays (though I accept that many don't want to carry their passport) rather than try and have some principled stand. I'd rather have my bottle of wine rather than refuse to be IDed just for the sake of it.
If you asked for the store manager, after the worker had asked for ID then 9 times out of 10 you'd still be asked for ID. It's ASDA/Tesco policy (and I imagine all the other major shops) that the store manager will back up the worker everytime with regards to age restricted sales.

Ultimately though, shop workers should be able to work on common sense and the reason that they don't will be down to poor training more than anything else which has probably come from misinterpretation of the rules.
 
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Monkeynut said:
Just take your IDs like prepared people and stop being muppets. :p

This applies to several people in this thread. Laugh, move on. The person on the other side of the till is trying not to lose their job.
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Missed the point. Its about the person with the buyer being ID'd not the person purchasing the drink.

Woman I know was doing her weekly shopping so has a trolley full of food for her family which also included 2 bottles of wine. She had her daughter with her (as it happens she was 18 but doesn't carry ID) and the shop refused to sell the 2 bottles of wine. Now this is a mother and daughter who couldn't be mistaken for anything else as they look very similar. They were shopping for food and had about £70 worth of it so clearly weren't on a booze run. Its daft that the supermarkets have been made to feel that they have to implement such a ridiculous set of rules.
 
Ahleckz said:
It's pretty common for the younger generation as they are more used to carrying ID. I don't think it's unreasonable to be asked for ID for buying aged restricted sales. There has been a big marketing campaign about it and there are signs everywhere. If you don't want to play ball, then fine. You just won't get your alcohol if you're IDed.
If you asked for the store manager, after the worker had asked for ID then 9 times out of 10 you'd still be asked for ID. It's ASDA/Tesco policy (and I imagine all the other major shops) that the store manager will back up the worker everytime with regards to age restricted sales.
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It may well be policy, but if you don't actually OWN the documentation they want (and let's face it, nothing short of photo ID is likely to suffice) then there's very little you can do to prove who you are.

I get that youngsters may not look their age and might be asked for ID, and most of them are likely to have some form of photo ID. Older people not necessarily so much. My driving licence is of the old paper variety, and as mentioned, I'm never going to carry my passport around me just to go to the shops. Some people don't even have passports.

Just because you happen to be shopping with your child, doesn't mean they should have to show ID either. The only person that should (IMO) be checked is the person actually paying for the shop, unless the child you're with starts saying something stupid like "cool, gonna get smashed tonight!"
 
Fact: 90% of 70's american sitcoms were based around the premise of a group of teenagers exploring ever more elaborate and nefarious ways to acquire a "fake ID" for the purchase of alcohol. With a 100% failure rate I might add.
 
hahahahaha

id for drink

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stuartw_b said:
Missed the point. Its about the person with the buyer being ID'd not the person purchasing the drink.

Woman I know was doing her weekly shopping so has a trolley full of food for her family which also included 2 bottles of wine. She had her daughter with her (as it happens she was 18 but doesn't carry ID) and the shop refused to sell the 2 bottles of wine. Now this is a mother and daughter who couldn't be mistaken for anything else as they look very similar. They were shopping for food and had about £70 worth of it so clearly weren't on a booze run. Its daft that the supermarkets have been made to feel that they have to implement such a ridiculous set of rules.
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So this mother was only just 18 and you think it's daft that they would get asked for ID?
I'm 28 and still get asked now and then, doesn't bother me in the slightest.
 
Hades said:
Because one person might be buying alcohol for someone under age. If they believed you were under age then they may have refused to server her in case she was simply buying it for you.
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Exactly this. Its called a proximity sale. ID as a group as the stuff might not just be for the one paying for it.
I have to do it in work all the time. Id rather annoy some babyfaced nobodies than sell drink to underage people. Getting caught doing that the employee can get fined up to 8k and get a criminal record. Not the store, the employee themselves and I dont exactly have that sort of money to spare.
 
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CosmicClown said:
This happened to me and a friend in Tesco and I went ****ing ballistic at the cashier, my mate was buying a bottle of whiskey and I was just with him, I'm waiting past the till and she asked me for ID, I had my ID on me but I refused to show it straight away out of principle, I argued the exact point you made that if a parent tried to buy alcohol with their kids would you ID the kid? She wouldn't answer me and just kep repeating the same crap which was winding me up even more, eventually security came over and told me to get out. I have never been in a Tesco since as this is the only supermarket that pulled that crap.

I mean if my friend WAS buying it for me and I happened to be underage, does she really think I'd come in with him? No I'd wait outside as I wouldn't want to risk crap like that, the woman behind the till didn't have the ability to think critically and did the equivalent of the 'computer says no' woman from little britain.
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You went ballistic at someone doing their job even though you were in a position to provide ID? It's a process they all follow, some take it too far but those who get stressed out over really need to get a grip.
 
when i worked in the shop you wouldn't believe how much they drill into you the importance of asking for i.d, im not risking my job just so someone can have a beer, id rather you go somewhere else and moan about it on the internet.

ive had people throw stuff at me and threaten physical violence if i dont serve them, so my reaction then is well i dont like your attitude please leave the shop.

one guy said he had it on him but didnt want to show me so i told him i cant serve him for his alcohol. he then left but not before he threw some chewing gum at me though. he basically screwed himself over as i would have served him happily if he just pulled it out his wallet.

why get so worked up over something you should have with you anyway?

if you got asked for i.d by the police would you start shouting and swearing at them for it? or is it just ok to abuse people behind a counter?
 
when i worked in the shop you wouldn't believe how much they drill into you the importance of asking for i.d, im not risking my job just so someone can have a beer, id rather you go somewhere else and moan about it on the internet.

ive had people throw stuff at me and threaten physical violence if i dont serve them, so my reaction then is well i dont like your attitude please leave the shop.

one guy said he had it on him but didnt want to show me so i told him i cant serve him for his alcohol. he then left but not before he threw some chewing gum at me though. he basically screwed himself over as i would have served him happily if he just pulled it out his wallet.

why get so worked up over something you should have with you anyway?

if you got asked for i.d by the police would you start shouting and swearing at them for it? or is it just ok to abuse people behind a counter?
 
I worked behind a bar for 1 1/2 years, and as I was never approached by someone that looked under the age of 18, I never once ID'd anyone.


Even worse than being ID'd at a supermarket, is when you get ID'd at the door of a club, then ID'd again at each bar inside the club you go to.


Have these policies actually lowered teenage drinking? I doubt it.
 
PapaLazaru said:
Alcohol laws are going to get a lot more stringent.

In Scandinavia, for instance, if you buy more than one beer at a bar, the person you are buying it for must make themselves known to the bar staff. They don't have to actually be at the bar, but you must point them out and they must acknowledge you.

Last time I was out there I was sweet talking random people to pretend they knew me so I could triple up on beers as the queue was so long.

I expect this will be becoming more prevalent in the UK before too long, as it probably goes some way to stopping people ordering themselves a load of shots. And then puking.
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Last summer we went to our local on a Friday afternoon, turned out to be the last day of term at the local college and the garden was full of students. Bar staff were demanding to see different ID for every drink served to them. One of them was buying a drink for their teacher and had to take the teachers ID to the bar to be allowed to buy it :p
 
bledd. said:
Shep on here was refused alcohol because he had his 5 year old nephew with him.

Went something like this..

Supermarket "Do you have ID sir"
Shep "Here, yes, I'm 23"
Supermarket "We can not sell you this alcohol"
Shep "Err.. Why?"
Supermarket "You have an under-age person in your company"
Shep "He's 5!!"
Supermarket "Yes sir, he's under 18"

lol :D
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Same thing happened to me at Tesco years ago when I had my 10 year old cousin with me and was picking up a bottle of wine for my auntie. I got very angry at the time and I have made an effort not to use Tesco anymore.

I generally don't get angry with people but that really ****** me off. They are basically saying 'we think you are going to feed that child alcohol so we are not going to serve you'. That to me is very insulting and you should expect some verbal in retaliation.
 
Agreed, common sense could prevail but with such age-restricted you are told to be super-paranoid. As already pointed out its a group-sale thing, and mr cashier doesn't really wanna lose his/her job because of the potential sale to a minor.
Not sure about the penalties with alcohol and stuff but with betting if me or another staff member serve or indeed even allow and under-age person to be on the premises and we're caught we could:
-Be fined £5000
-Spend 50 wks behind bars and therefore have a criminal record
-Defo lose my job!

I'm a betting shop manager and its SOOO damn annoying ID'ing people who give you attitiude!! If you look young and I'm not familiar with you, then you get ID'ed; betting or not!! I'm 29 and I still ID'ed in place, GF is 34 and she got asked the other day. OK she didn't have any so we left the bar but still. When you get 22/23 year olds come in give you hassle. There's enough signs!!
 
Marshstyles said:
Same thing happened to me at Tesco years ago when I had my 10 year old cousin with me and was picking up a bottle of wine for my auntie. I got very angry at the time and I have made an effort not to use Tesco anymore.

I generally don't get angry with people but that really ****** me off. They are basically saying 'we think you are going to feed that child alcohol so we are not going to serve you'. That to me is very insulting and you should expect some verbal in retaliation.
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Sorry, but NO :mad:
That's not at all what they are saying| As mentioned previous they are only protecting themselves, albeit little extreme. Give the penalties they COULD face they are simply paranoid.
SO IF THATS DAMN WRONG THEN I AM SORRY!!!
It's quite likely they are scared stiff given what legislation says and how it could be interpreted. If you gave me verbals when I checked your age I'd just ask you to leave, simply. I wouldn't care if you had relevant ID I'm not prepared to put up with it.

and breathe........
 
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