New law for buying alcohol?

Carzy · 4 Feb 2006 at 18:55

robmiller said:
Whilst in this case it's the law, lots of people seem to be forgetting that a shop can set whatever policy it likes within the law. If they want to only sell alcohol to over 32 year olds, they can do. Hell, if they only want to sell chocolate bars to over 18s they can do.

Granted they can, but it's normally due to the stupidity of the front line of workers, that the goods aren't sold. I'm sure management wouldn't be best pleased each time they rejected someone who was buying something, even though it wasn't illegal.

Feek · 4 Feb 2006 at 18:56

robmiller said:
Whilst in this case it's the law, lots of people seem to be forgetting that a shop can set whatever policy it likes within the law. If they want to only sell alcohol to over 32 year olds, they can do. Hell, if they only want to sell chocolate bars to over 18s they can do.

Or cheese!

K.

chimaera · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:07

VeNT said:
PC-Zones 18 too now!

That was because they featured a demo for an 18 rated game. fair enough, i doubt any vendors cared to check.

Ex-RoNiN · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:07

Steameh said:
Hi everyone.

I've just been to tesco to get some beers in for tonight with my girlfriend. The woman serving me asked if I had any I.D, I gladly showed her my driving license prooving I am 21. She then states she can't serve me because my girlfriend hasn't got any I.D, and claims this is a new law (my girlfriend is not 18).

My girlfriend then confronted her asking what if she came in with her mum and dad and they were purchasing alcohol. The women was a bit stuck for words but still says she cannot serve me. I then said, well what if she just goes outside? Again she said she cannot serve me because she has now seen my girlfriend with me when I'm purchasing alcohol.

Anyways, the woman serving eventually gave in and my girlfriend rather embarrassingly had to go outside whilst I purchased the beer.

Is this not the most messed up law ever? or is the woman serving just being an arse?

Afterwards as you do, I thought I should have asked for the manager on the spot, and hopefully made a fool of her, but we just didn't think of that at the time.

Thanks

That's an old law and is meant to prevent random strangers buying alcohol for underaged chavs.

She was well within her right to refuse to serve alcohol.

emetic · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:11

Carzy said:
Granted they can, but it's normally due to the stupidity of the front line of workers, that the goods aren't sold. I'm sure management wouldn't be best pleased each time they rejected someone who was buying something, even though it wasn't illegal.

I was once asked for ID trying to buy a pack of duracell batteries that were kept behind the counter in my local co-op. I was slightly confused at first after she asked me but then after pointing out to her that a 4 pack of Duracell D batteries had no age restrictions on, she then realised her mistake :rolleyes:

.

Vanilla · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:14

This is common in the US, but this is the first time i've heard of it in the UK

cheets64 · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:17

What gets me is the if you dont look 21 or over we can still ask you for ID, **** off.

gord · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:20

Feek said:
Or cheese!

K.

Wasnt that ASDA?

VeNT · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:21

chimaera said:
That was because they featured a demo for an 18 rated game. fair enough, i doubt any vendors cared to check.

just read this months, they mention inside that a guy writing in who is 16 should not be buying the mag as its 18+

Shikkaka · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:26

Ex-RoNiN said:
That's an old law and is meant to prevent random strangers buying alcohol for underaged chavs.

She was well within her right to refuse to serve alcohol.

She claimed it was a new law and I've never had problems before with the same woman serving!

PeterNem · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:32

I went into sainsburys the other day and FHM, Maxim etc were all hidden behind a magazine sized bit of cardboard to stop you being able to see whats on the cover.

What on earth is the world coming too?

Buying FHM, a bottle of vodka and a packet of fags from the dodgy corner shop down the village at the age of 14 didn't do me any harm.

8 years on and I'm not an alcoholic, I don't smoke, and I don't have a compulsive disorder with regards to porn and go around sexually harassing everyone I see. In fact, I'd say I turned out to be a fair well rounded educated young guy with fairly hot prospects for the future. So... why the nanny state?

The odds are the so called "bad apples" will go bad anyway, and this added layer of nannying just really ****** off the rest of us.

fini · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:40

Where I work the till automatically comes up with an age verification screen if the product needs it. I once sold an ipod skin and it asked me if the customer was over 32....serious wtf moment

fini

robmiller · 4 Feb 2006 at 19:48

cheets64 said:
What gets me is the if you dont look 21 or over we can still ask you for ID, **** off.

What's the hassle? They do it because they can get a hefty fine if they serve to underage people, they're just covering their backs. Do as I and all my friends do, and carry ID with you all the time, and you're fine

VeNT · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:00

how hard is it to carry your driving licence on you at all times?
I keep it in my wallet tbh and its always there when I need it

GlasgowTitan · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:04

I don't understand, why are they checking you are over 21, when you can buy alcohol at 18? Why don't they say "if you look under 18 we will ask for proof of age" and not if you look under 21.

Psyk · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:05

BeaumonT said:
I was once asked for ID trying to buy a pack of duracell batteries that were kept behind the counter in my local co-op. I was slightly confused at first after she asked me but then after pointing out to her that a 4 pack of Duracell D batteries had no age restrictions on, she then realised her mistake .

Co-op have an automatic system. If they scan something that's age restricted it comes up on their screen. Must have been a glitch with the system. So it probably wasn't her mistake and in her defense at least she didn't insist it was correct.

Psyk · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:06

GlasgowTitan said:
I don't understand, why are they checking you are over 21, when you can buy alcohol at 18? Why don't they say "if you look under 18 we will ask for proof of age" and not if you look under 21.

Because there are plenty of 16 year olds who look over 18 but considerably less that look over 21.

robmiller · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:08

GlasgowTitan said:
I don't understand, why are they checking you are over 21, when you can buy alcohol at 18? Why don't they say "if you look under 18 we will ask for proof of age" and not if you look under 21.

Because most over 15-17 year olds look 18, but virtually none of them look over 21.

DiG · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:15

Maybe the person is confusing the law with company policy

There might be a law though, intended more for pubs, like if someone goes and buys a drink for there (underage) girlfriend or whatever, and the bar staff see it they might well ask for ID on the girl,

William · 4 Feb 2006 at 20:19

The bar law has changed, you can now work at a bar at the tender age of 17.