Right Now I'm Miffed!

[Lord Vader]

Daughter miffed today. Did her weekly shop in Sainsburys and included a bottle of cider. The cashier then asked her for ID as the till beeped when the cider went through.
Work photo id showing date started, six years ago? No good.
Buisness card (with two degrees) show off! No good
Mortgage statement? No good.
Sainsburys, Have you anything else that shows you are over 18? Daughter, sarcastically, Yes my face!
Sainsburys customer service, We reserve the right to challenge anyone under 25 to prove their age, and we always back our cashiers decision anyway, so no sale! Its policy!
Daughter, But I am 26!

The best bit, She doesnt drink alcohol and never has (allways been a bit of a disapointment to us as parents). It was supposed to be for a casserole. She is well miffed but part bemused that she apparantly looks so young.
But no Mary Berry casserole
In England we have well and truly beaten the ability out of the individual to make a decision.

Having worked in retail for 10 years as a store manager i unfortunatly have seen the other side of the story. I was pulled up by the police because i sold a 6'5 guy with a full beard a case of beer and it turned out that the guy was only 17, which nearly cost me my job.
Of course the council being allowed to send in little sh#ts to try to buy alcohol does freak out the people working in the stores especially as cashiers can be fined now up to £5k if they get caught selling booze to underage people.
So you not only loose your job,you get fined on top of it

 

[Boris]

Having worked in retail for 10 years as a store manager i unfortunatly have seen the other side of the story. I was pulled up by the police because i sold a 6'5 guy with a full beard a case of beer and it turned out that the guy was only 17, which nearly cost me my job.
Of course the council being allowed to send in little sh#ts to try to buy alcohol does freak out the people working in the stores especially as cashiers can be fined now up to £5k if they get caught selling booze to underage people.
So you not only loose your job,you get fined on top of it

I've seen the other side of this. Both my kids did some work with trading standards when they were younger. We have a real problem with "corner shops" selling alcohol, fags and fireworks to kids and the only way to stop it happening is by direct action by the authorities with test purchases.

The kids aren't allowed to lie and they are chaperoned (from a distance) inside the shop. The guy that sold to my son asked his age and when David answered honestly (he was obviously under-age) he sold to him anyway telling him to watch out. This isn't shopkeepers making a mistake. This is shopkeepers putting profit ahead of social responsibility and the law and we don't need such people working in shops. I have a great deal of sympathy for the people serving but you have to see their side and if in doubt they should ask. Imagine if Travellers daughter was 17 year old doing a test purchase. That could have cost the cashier her job and the shop its licence. Going by the look of some of the kids walking past my office to the local high school it's pretty difficult to tell age by looks alone and once thy girls are dolled up for a night out I'd say near impossible.

On the flip side there are some cashiers that get over enthusiastic. My mate Sara was in the co-op in Selkirk with her 16 or 17 year old son and tried to buy some cider as part of a larger shop but the cashier point blank refused to serve her as she reckoned the cider was for the youngster. Despite protestations she point blank refused to sell and Sara had to leave empty handed. Even offering to go out and come in again without the boy made no difference.

 

[Lutin]

In England we have well and truly beaten the ability out of the individual to make a decision.

I understand the penalties for underage selling but with the proof that was shown it is a bit mad, to say the least.

... part bemused that she apparantly looks so young.

Honestly, you just cannot please women over their age!

 

[Traveller]

Daughter miffed today. Did her weekly shop in Sainsburys and included a bottle of cider. The cashier then asked her for ID as the till beeped when the cider went through.
Work photo id showing date started, six years ago? No good.
Buisness card (with two degrees) show off! No good
Mortgage statement? No good.
Sainsburys, Have you anything else that shows you are over 18? Daughter, sarcastically, Yes my face!
Sainsburys customer service, We reserve the right to challenge anyone under 25 to prove their age, and we always back our cashiers decision anyway, so no sale! Its policy!
Daughter, But I am 26!

The best bit, She doesnt drink alcohol and never has (allways been a bit of a disapointment to us as parents). It was supposed to be for a casserole. She is well miffed but part bemused that she apparantly looks so young.
But no Mary Berry casserole
In England we have well and truly beaten the ability out of the individual to make a decision.

Having worked in retail for 10 years as a store manager i unfortunatly have seen the other side of the story. I was pulled up by the police because i sold a 6'5 guy with a full beard a case of beer and it turned out that the guy was only 17, which nearly cost me my job.
Of course the council being allowed to send in little sh#ts to try to buy alcohol does freak out the people working in the stores especially as cashiers can be fined now up to £5k if they get caught selling booze to underage people.
So you not only loose your job,you get fined on top of it

Sadly Pete, you very eloquently make a valid, serious point (are you sure you wrote this post?) It was Sainsburys who were prosecuted by our Trading Standards (Derbyshire) for alcohol sales to underage people. The case was appealed and I do not know the final outcome. But that must have helped drive Sainsbury's to implement their ultra cautious and very risk averse policy.

Hence my final comment "In England we have well and truly beaten the ability out of the individual to make a decision".

Nobody wants a criminal record and seeing the way the Sainsburys prosecution went makes it impossible to risk making a due dilligence decision that the common sense view of the man on the top deck of the Clapham omnibus would think was reasonable in the circumstances. So ultra cautious they go.

I also thought it was funny that at 26 and a none drinker that she was subject to And miffed by the impact of this stupidity.

 

[Lord Vader]

In England we have well and truly beaten the ability out of the individual to make a decision.

I understand the penalties for underage selling but with the proof that was shown it is a bit mad, to say the least.

... part bemused that she apparantly looks so young.

Honestly, you just cannot please women over their age!

Mate you have got no idea how good the fake ID's are these days.
I had staff showing me their range of ID's they use to get into clubs or buy alcohol. All of them are fake and i would not have noticed a difference to the real thing

 

[hotbulb]

It's a bit of a minefield for the shops, i suppose.
A few years ago, I picked up a bottle of wine in a supermarket, while accompanied by my younger daughter who was, I guess, about 16 at the time. At the till, the assistant refused to sell the bottle of wine to me. Why? ... because i had a "child" with me !
It amuses me now, but was very annoying at the time :taz:

 

[Rubberchicken]

I also thought it was funny that at 26 and a none drinker that she was subject to And miffed by the impact of this stupidity.

I understand the need for the whole song and dance, but it can get rather silly at times. My wife was asked for ID buying a dozen bottles of champagne for our wedding last year. She's 35. That's not even a compliment anymore, that's just daft.

 

[Lord Vader]

It's a bit of a minefield for the shops, i suppose.
A few years ago, I picked up a bottle of wine in a supermarket, while accompanied by my younger daughter who was, I guess, about 16 at the time. At the till, the assistant refused to sell the bottle of wine to me. Why? ... because i had a "child" with me !
It amuses me now, but was very annoying at the time :taz:

The reason behind that is because a lot of "kids" try to give adults money to buy booze for them. Unfortunatly the cashier was right(by the Law) not to sell you the booze. Again you might not see it as the right thing but when you get it on a daily basis that some shitbag is trying to buy booze for kids cause they offered him about£10 or so you very quickly become over cautious
I had so many run ins with parents,Adults which look too young,kids which look way older than the legal age,must say i dont miss the arguments and threats one bit

 

[Whealie]

I also thought it was funny that at 26 and a none drinker that she was subject to And miffed by the impact of this stupidity.

I understand the need for the whole song and dance, but it can get rather silly at times. My wife was asked for ID buying a dozen bottles of champagne for our wedding last year. She's 35. That's not even a compliment anymore, that's just daft.

As she was marrying they weren't checking her age but that she hadn't escaped from the asylum.

 

[Whealie]

Boris, you mistakenly equate the law with social responsibility. I spent from about age 10 - 15 with a 7-inch bladed sheaf knife on my belt. We all had fireworks around bonfire night and those of us who went on the French trip had French bangers most of the year. We started buying booze in pubs and off licences from about 15. We all have all our fingers and thumbs and never hurt anyone else. The law is just a blatant piece of ageism passed by old men who have forgotten they were young once. The bike licence laws are the worst example but the minimum wage is another travesty too.

 

[NickelArse]

I was stopped by a cashier in Florida, the band was full of groceries and a case of Budweiser, ( is that even alcoholic) I left everything where it was and stormed out to the car for my passport. On returning she inspected the passport and started counting on her fingers, I asked if she was almost done and got "hang on honey, hang on" and she started afresh.

On another note, I'm stuck in Germany wanting to go to the overlanders meet in London, my only legal form of ID is away getting a visa, why can't UK have ID cards like other EU nations, it would make life a damn site easier for everyone

sent from my thingy, using whatchamacallit

 

[Traveller]

Just to add to the debate:
My job means I work with Licencing Authorities and Trading Standards, this information about the age at which you can legally drink alcohol allways supprises people.

The law on the age at which you can drink alcohol is complicated.

Any child aged five or over can drink alcohol at home or on other private premises but it is usually against the law to give alcohol to a child under five.

Before the age of 18, you are not allowed to buy alcohol in pubs or shops, drink alcohol in pubs or outside in public places. It is also unlawful for anyone else to buy alcohol for you if you are under 18 and the drink will be consumed in a pub or public place.

However, if you're aged 16 or 17, you are allowed to drink wine, beer, or cider (but not other alcohol) with a meal in a restaurant, hotel or part of a pub set apart for eating meals. You can only do this if someone aged 18 or over is with you at the meal and buys the alcohol.

 

[Boris]

Boris, you mistakenly equate the law with social responsibility. I spent from about age 10 - 15 with a 7-inch bladed sheaf knife on my belt. We all had fireworks around bonfire night and those of us who went on the French trip had French bangers most of the year. We started buying booze in pubs and off licences from about 15. We all have all our fingers and thumbs and never hurt anyone else. The law is just a blatant piece of ageism passed by old men who have forgotten they were young once. The bike licence laws are the worst example but the minimum wage is another travesty too.

Yes but there is no law about social responsibility. It's little more than a generally held belief by the vast majority but if someone refuses to be socially responsible then only a law (or a vigilante mob) can take them to task.

 

[outrunner]

. My mate Sara was in the co-op in Selkirk.

Selkirk? say no more, the place is full of arseholes............................I live there.

Andy.

 

[markyt]

I got asked to remove my helmet in the COOP in dedham as i was buying a pint of milk. (I had handed over the money) i had stood in the queue for about five minutes and the helmet was a flip front which was up and no one aid anything until i'd handed over the money.
I ripped the staff member a new one infront of the queue. i just took the mick out of her for about 2-3 minutes the queue were laughing like fook. I said to her how many armed robbers have brought a pint of milk from the coop recently. As for petrol stations I either leave the pump of the hook when they tannoy so the staff have to come out and replace it or the next time i take my lid off then as i start to fill up i put it back on then keep filling up. They never stop it mid flow funny that.
i think whether its policy or not its petty and i like to be petty back.

 

[Lutin]

To resurrect a thread - if you were miffed at "having" to remove your helmet, then you'll be incandescent with rage if this blatant piece of xenophobic, ukip appeasing legislation gets on to the statute books - New Bill could mean we HAVE to remove helmets at petrol stations.

Obviously this is being done for our own "safety" from the nasty people who want to disguise themselves in public.

Wonderful, wonderful democracy!

 

[Boris]

To resurrect a thread - if you were miffed at "having" to remove your helmet, then you'll be incandescent with rage if this blatant piece of xenophobic, ukip appeasing legislation gets on to the statute books - New Bill could mean we HAVE to remove helmets at petrol stations.

Obviously this is being done for our own "safety" from the nasty people who want to disguise themselves in public.

Wonderful, wonderful democracy!

It will never happen. As soon as having to remove religious headgear / paraphernalia is mentioned in any legislation it is doomed to failure as anti islamic (or other religion) and once you introduce a bill that has has exceptions for the ordinary religious follower then it becomes impossible to enforce. I could just say I'm a Muslim woman and refuse to remove my helmet and how would they prove otherwise? Force all Muslim women to carry ID cards proving their religion? No chance. That would be seen as anti islamic.

 

[Lutin]

It will never happen. As soon as having to remove religious headgear / paraphernalia is mentioned in any legislation it is doomed to failure as anti islamic (or other religion) and once you introduce a bill that has has exceptions for the ordinary religious follower then it becomes impossible to enforce. I could just say I'm a Muslim woman and refuse to remove my helmet and how would they prove otherwise? Force all Muslim women to carry ID cards proving their religion? No chance. That would be seen as anti islamic.

You are, of course, absolutely right. But it does raise the question as to what some of these elected idiots think is reasonable. I would put this down to trying to outdo ukip (UK Ignorance Party) and general small minded xenophobia.

 

[Mpj]

To resurrect a thread - if you were miffed at "having" to remove your helmet, then you'll be incandescent with rage if this blatant piece of xenophobic, ukip appeasing legislation gets on to the statute books - New Bill could mean we HAVE to remove helmets at petrol stations.

Obviously this is being done for our own "safety" from the nasty people who want to disguise themselves in public.

Wonderful, wonderful democracy!

It will never happen. As soon as having to remove religious headgear / paraphernalia is mentioned in any legislation it is doomed to failure as anti islamic (or other religion) and once you introduce a bill that has has exceptions for the ordinary religious follower then it becomes impossible to enforce. I could just say I'm a Muslim woman and refuse to remove my helmet and how would they prove otherwise? Force all Muslim women to carry ID cards proving their religion? No chance. That would be seen as anti islamic.

Ha, you just beat me to it! completely agree, anything that would be regarded as anti-Islamic would not get passed by Parliament. It really seems like another crank from the Tory party trying to copy a French law. Although Boris, whilst they couldn't prove you're not Muslim, I really hope a cashier could work out you are male, if not, they've bloody strange women north of the border :Taxii:

 

[Mpj]

It will never happen. As soon as having to remove religious headgear / paraphernalia is mentioned in any legislation it is doomed to failure as anti islamic (or other religion) and once you introduce a bill that has has exceptions for the ordinary religious follower then it becomes impossible to enforce. I could just say I'm a Muslim woman and refuse to remove my helmet and how would they prove otherwise? Force all Muslim women to carry ID cards proving their religion? No chance. That would be seen as anti islamic.

You are, of course, absolutely right. But it does raise the question as to what some of these elected idiots think is reasonable. I would put this down to trying to outdo ukip (UK Ignorance Party) and general small minded xenophobia.

I just thought UKIP were a spoof party set up by the Daily Bigot (Mail), which as we all know is a spoof paper, as a joke. A bit like the Daily Mash.