The "if you don't look 21" rule

SidewinderINC · 7 Sep 2006 at 19:36

JoeRiches said:
I went into Yate's once, I looked around and I realised I wasnt wearing a pink shirt or poloshirt so was therefor going to get no attention from any girls, or anyone for that matter, took bout 10 minutes to get served, this is whilst there were 5 bar staff working lol

oh i know that feeling!

try being a rocker with long hair, i just dont go to the bar in yates anymore at all.

Lord_Kokain · 7 Sep 2006 at 19:57

dmpoole said:
This sounds complete BS but I was about 32 when I had the confidence to walk up to a bar and buy my coke and the wife half a lager. I was always asked my age and I found it easier to send the wife for drinks.

take it as a compliment then

ScarySquirrel · 7 Sep 2006 at 19:59

If you're over 18 then what is the problem? It takes 10 seconds to show someone your ID.

Get over it.

Rotty · 7 Sep 2006 at 22:44

Violent-J said:
The solution is simple, as a young lad I try and avoid boring dull bars full of miserable old fogies such as Gimp and crystaline and often drink in Wetherspoons and other decent young/sports bars. Old men, STAY OUT!

Wetherspoon pubs tend to old folks pubs around here

Dave · 7 Sep 2006 at 22:50

I always get ID'd as although I'm 18, I look "youthful"

Doesn't really bother me to be honest. I missed the whole rush of buying alcohol underage as I lived in France, where I could buy beer anyway at the age of 16

HangTime · 7 Sep 2006 at 22:53

Vixen said:
I couldn't care less either way. If you're over 18, you'll get to drink

Not if you don't have any ID which they will accept on you

I'm reluctant to take a passport on a night out, and I don't have a drivers license. I have a Prove It card, but there's a lot of places that won't accept that (kind of defeating the object).

Fortunately at 26 I can pass for early 20s now, but it was an issue until I was about 22, and when we wanted to go into an over-25s venue last year.

As for the "look 21" thing, it's fine with me as it basically makes it less embarrassing for the individual concerned. Someone in their mid-20s being accused of not looking 18 (old days) is a bit more embarrassing than being accused of not looking 21 (nowadays).

The pub a few doors down from me is strictly over-21s only so it will be interesting to see what happens when I finally venture in there.

Retorted · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:01

I was in a wetherspoons the other day when I was ID'd by the barman (who himself looked about 16!). After questioning him, he responsed saying that they had been told to ID anyone who looked under 30!

I'm 21 myself but 30 is a bit OTT in my opinion.

Tommy B · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:10

It's to stop yobs!

I'm always picking up bottles of Ales at the local shell garage and despite the "21" messages they don't seem to care. I was only 18 on Saturday.

21 does seem strange though. Why not 20?

M0KUJ1N · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:18

God the number of people agreeing with this remind me of the compliant sheep the Blairite police-state has turned us into :|

It *really* annoyed me being asked for ID when I was 21-24, more so than when I *was* actually younger, to the point where if someone asks me for ID I'll show it to them, then inform them that as I am obviously well over the legal drinking age, IDing me is taking the mick somewhat and will generally take my business elsewhere

My point is that it means carrying important documents around with you, and lets face it when you've had a few you're more likely to lose it/have it stolen. Nevermind the principle of having to produce said document to someone who *isnt* a government official merely to get into a drinking establishment!

A5H · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:20

You think it'd bad you get ID'd because you're under 21?
I can't buy alcohol on a weekend or a friday night because I'm 19. They've stopped anyone under 21 buying alcohol in my town so the local scum can't get it.
This is absolute ******** imo. The law says 18, so why shouldn'y I be allowed? Why dont the police do their job and let honest people adhering to the goddamn law do what they want within the law.
It's pathetic. I also don't understand how they can just change the law anyways.

Boycie · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:24

I think there would be a lot less underage drinking if people knew the law better, it's very difficult to find exact information on who can be prosecuted with regards to underage drinkers hence a lot of confusion when the licensing law was changed. I'm sure a lot of 17 years old don't know that they can be fined just for attempting to buy it i mean there is nothing stopping venues phoning the law when someone tries to buy alcohol without ID and there is considerable reason to believe that the person is under 18. The downside of this however is it's a huge drain on police resources who on a saturday night are already dealing with all the drunken idiots outside and it also gives the venue a bad reputation if the law are turning up every night.

_Jimlad_ · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:35

in America, if you look under 30 you need full photo ID.... just to get in the dorr of a bar

Johnny Girth · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:35

The law says 18, so why shouldn'y I be allowed?

Local authorities can say what they like. Just as clubs can refuse entry to under-25s if they want to have a grannies night.

Boycie · 7 Sep 2006 at 23:40

For all the people who complain about not having ID and don't want to take their passport on a night out you should get one of these under the new licensing act this is an acceptable form of ID and we have to accept it. If places don't then you can report them to the licensing authority or you can ask to speak to the designated premises supervisor. I think walking out without having any sort of ID is ludicrous.

EDIT: This is of course they aren't running a grannies night and have changed their door policy

Lord_Kokain · 8 Sep 2006 at 00:49

Boycie said:
For all the people who complain about not having ID and don't want to take their passport on a night out you should get one of these under the new licensing act this is an acceptable form of ID and we have to accept it. If places don't then you can report them to the licensing authority or you can ask to speak to the designated premises supervisor. I think walking out without having any sort of ID is ludicrous.

I reckon that every young person should try a job involving that for a while in order to see it from the other point of view. People sometimes come to me and me and if I ask them for ID, they first make a weird face, take it out and their face forms a nasty smile like they have just humiliated me or something like that but I feel nothing like it...on the opposite it feels like a relief to know that everything is in order.

Morba · 8 Sep 2006 at 00:51

Vixen said:
Ok, that makes more sense .

EDIT: since you said "anyone who doesn't have ID... what drinks they order" it implied to me that you knew they didn't have any but served them drinks anyway, just to clear up the confusion.

it made sense to me which is why i posted what i did. i guess i read the post you quoted (albeit some time ago now) better than you did ;]

M0K, for some people it makes life easier. imagine the queues to get in places if you had to ID everyone!!

Morba · 8 Sep 2006 at 00:57

Violent-J said:
The solution is simple, as a young lad I try and avoid boring dull bars full of miserable old fogies such as Gimp and crystaline and often drink in Wetherspoons and other decent young/sports bars. Old men, STAY OUT!

thats a joke right?
all the wetherspoons ive been in are full of old men.

maybe you should think twice about admitting to drinking in pubs, havent you said that your not legal yet?

Nexus · 8 Sep 2006 at 02:25

I work in a bar and if someone comes up to order a drink who looks pretty young, I'm supposed to ID them. Yes, the doormen should be checking, but then we don't know who they have checked when someone comes up to the bar, so you still have to make sure they have proper ID.

It's usually quite easy to spot underage (or those who just turned 18) based on what they drink and how they order it. Most of them don't buy rounds, they just buy a single drink for themself. So you end up with a whole load of young girls counting out pennies from their purses for a single Archers and Lemonade, then only for their best mate next to them to order exactly the same drink themself when it's their turn!

Violent-J · 8 Sep 2006 at 02:29

Morba said:
thats a joke right?
all the wetherspoons ive been in are full of old men.

maybe you should think twice about admitting to drinking in pubs, havent you said that your not legal yet?

Why would I be bothered? lol

There's two wetherspoons pubs I drink in, the one by my college when I'll go for a lunch time drink and the one in Brum town center which is the main, both are really nice, full of 18 to 30s, I've found wetherspoons to be amongst the cheapest for a brew there is, always some sport on their plasma screens and that, pretty well sorted. I went into a wetherspoons at an away game b4 and it was a **** hole, depends rly.

cheets64 · 8 Sep 2006 at 02:43

Crazy Fool said:
in America, if you look under 30 you need full photo ID.... just to get in the dorr of a bar

Aye all my faimly got ID in a TGI fridays in Orlando my parents where 52

Now that was OTT.

I think its abit hit and miss, make its 21 or keep it at 18, every shop I go in has signs up "WE APRROVE THE R U 21" Well is it the law, will the police come out to stop me buying alcohol at the age of 23 without ID because I look say 20.

Its a joke, either make it standard or not at all.

And making it 21 to buy alochol will just push kids into drugs or street racing, most yanks under 21 spend all there money on there cars to race arount town.

Id rather have 18s year olds getting hammered and starting on coppers than doing other things.

Violent-J said:
Why would I be bothered? lol

There's two wetherspoons pubs I drink in, the one by my college when I'll go for a lunch time drink and the one in Brum town center which is the main, both are really nice, full of 18 to 30s, I've found wetherspoons to be amongst the cheapest for a brew there is, always some sport on their plasma screens and that, pretty well sorted. I went into a wetherspoons at an away game b4 and it was a **** hole, depends rly.

Wetherspoons is the Coca Cola/McDonalds of pubs, its buying in bulk sell it cheap with hint of pipe cleaner.

There is 2 wetherspoons near me on is in Wigan centre the other its near the college, the one in the town centre is packed, full of old doley men trying to fight each other, a pint of Fosters is about £1.50 Stell is £1.89 cheap but its not a proper pub.