They Stopped me at Tesco!

Is there an age restriction for buying alcohol-free drinks in UK?
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[@BlackBeltBarrister]

2:11 Correction. This drink is 0.05% (not 0.5%)

[@007JHS]

Was going to mention that.

[@AKandfriends-yt2yz]

My mate Sid was a victim of ID theft. We just call him S now.

[@hourglass899]

I was just going to mention that too - the devil is in the detail as always...

[@prepcon-1]

Can a corporation refuse to sell a product to anyone on any grounds, not just age? Surely this amounts to discrimination?

[@41istair]

"Alcohol-Free" drinks are also not sold in Scotland outside the hours of 10:00-22:00; IE, anything sold in the "alcohol isle" gets the same treatment. BTW, try a bottle of Rochester Ginger "with the kick of two very angry mules" - multi-buy deals usually from Holland & Barrett.

[@denishoulan1491]

I am in my sixties and was asked for ID when I tried to buy some matt black aerosol paint amongst other things. As it happened I was not carrying any, therefore they refused to sell it to me. The assistant then started to process the other items that I was going to buy. However I just walked off leaving the over two hundred pounds worth of tools that I intended to buy. The lady on the till called out to me to come back for my other items. I just carried on walking and left the store. I have never been back.

[@wormwood6424]

Brilliant !! Same thing happened to me!!!

[@bazhughes5625]

Your wallet is your weapon.

[@raypurchase801]

Did they suspect you weren't aged 18+?

[@martinriley106]

I love it! We need to do this more frequently? Maybe customer service will start to be a lot better or their business model will flounder and fail?

[@KenFullman]

When I was in my 50s I was refused a packet of filters for hand rolling cigarettes. I pointed out that they contain no tobacco it's just the filters I wanted. Still no go. This was despite the fact that I was in full uniform (as a bus driver) and the guy even recognised me as he'd got on my bus that very morning to get into work. I tried to make light of the situation by asking for a box of tampons for my pet hamster but unfortunately they don't sell them. So I suggested "those things in the yellow box work perfectly" Eventually I gave up. Shame, I used to chat to this guy frequently but after that I just treated him as the Ahole that he was.

[@stevenginnever5343]

I was stopped in Morrisons Gainsborough,from buying alcohol. I am 63 years old and had my 25 year old daughter with me . I was buying alcohol but they said my daughter had to show I'D because I might be buying alcohol for her. So this means anyone shopping in Morrisons with their children are not allowed to buy alcohol, unless their children are looking over 25. What a load of bullshit from Morrisons.

[@marsluco1917]

Its' called proxy selling and it's illegal (not just at Morrisons).

[@finneogan]

@@marsluco1917 No, it's not and no it's not. Buying something for yourself while being accompanied by your children is not the same as proxy buying.

[@marsluco1917]

@@finneogan And the cashier knows this how? Also Licensing (young persons) Act 2000, look it up. Edit: Sections 146 & 147 of the Licencing Act 2003. Sections 146 - 154 (Part 7 Offenses) are all the relevant sections.

[@poprey300]

@@marsluco1917🥾👅

[@icouldbewrongicouldberight]

​@@finneoganwhat they were being accused of (without any tangible proof) was proxy buying. Hth

[@archstanton5603]

Being well into my dotage, the Co-Op asked me for ID when buying a bottle of wine. So, I politely asked if the cashier could demonstrate she was old enough to sell me the wine and that the license-holder for the premises was both present and could demonstrate their age. Suddenly their request for ID no longer became necessary.

[@r.h.8754]

That's a good point - cashiers under 18 are not allowed to sell alcohol (which is why they have to call for an older cashier to verify alcohol purchases).

[@paulstoakes466]

I got followed by a Tesco security person whilst holding a drink I purchased from a fish n chip shop next door. I was sort of accused not buying it but received apologizes when I explained it was an item that that Tesco didn't even stock!

[@jmobem5383]

It’s something I often think about when I visit several shops. Only Sainsbury have the particular type of Oshee water that I prefer, so I live in expectation whenever I’m in the others.

[@andrewegan1732]

Why drink while shopping. This is impolite and wasnt done one time.

[@philipreid2542]

Okay

[@gordon861]

If I ever enter a shop carrying something that they also sell, I always show it to their CCTV cameras on the way in, just in case.

[@kurnhurin4118]

@@gordon861I used to do the same thing. Then I became a security guard and found that I often didn't have access to the cameras or footage without making a written request to whoever ran the security systems. Apparently, it was done like that for data protection purposes and to stop staff from tampering with the system so they could steal from the store or site. In most cases, the CCTV was not used to support a criminal prosecution because it takes forever for the footage to arrive.

[@itsverygreen532]

I had that when shopping with my wife and 4 year old child and had a couple of bottles of wine in the cart .. "is he over 18?" "eh, he's 4!" "sorry then, we can't sell you alcohol" ... I left the whole 2 trolleys and went to Sainsburys

[@warwickscram1656]

I'd have gone full Karen tbh. Made a complaint against him and against the manager if they didn't sort the situation. Implying you were going to feed a 4 year old alcohol is downright slander.

[@bleakyfinder2692]

i would do the same.

[@Ken-dr9gu]

If more people did this all this rubbish would stop happening. I would do the same as you did it's just a scam for shops to spy on their customers details.

[@BlueJDev]

I've heard of this happening a Lot in Tesco stores, family's with kids in tow being refused wine within a full shop. The mind boggles at the logic they impose!

[@warwickscram1656]

@@BlueJDev It's just some miserable brain donor who scans barcodes for a living having a power trip. Make a formal complaint and if they persist spend your money somewhere else.

[@larryboyd5882]

I'm in my early sixties with a grey beard and have also been asked for proof of ID at both Tesco and Coop by staff who would not actually appear old enough to buy alcohol themselves.

[@johnh9449]

I think it's employer rules issue about authorising younger employees rather than a legal issue.

[@Hammster_MCR]

That's ridiculous, should have told them to do one! The law says "if you look younger than 25" they can ID you.

[@marylauder3374]

Wrong skin colour!!

[@alunjones3860]

@@Hammster_MCR No the law says you have to be over 18. Most supermarkets tell their staff to ask anyone who looks under 25 for ID.

[@Hammster_MCR]

@@marylauder3374 what?? How do you know if skin colour had anything to do with it??

[@captchaos6870]

It's a ridiculous policy. Stick to the law , black and white. Too many institutions and the police are trying to blur the lines of what we can and cannot do. Enough of the nanny state.

[@andyrbush]

My Thai wife was asked for ID in a US bar, which delighted her. She only had her Thai ID which showed her born in 2527. I told the bar lady that my wife was from the future. Some people have no sense of humor and we were refused service.

[@user-gn7cm6db2d]

[@margaretnicol3423]

Are you sure? Couldn't she be a reincarnation of Dr Who?

[@johnallright6847]

Nice. I have time travelled many times going from Manchester England onto Dubai where they are approx 500 years behind then onto Thailand and approx 500 years in front ,its a great feeling because there is a lot of logic to the dates I think because I do believe the middle east is backward thinking and England and most of the rest of Europe is stuck in mess and Thailand in a way very liberated and forward looking...

[@SixBadges]

🤣

[@MonstaMunch101]

My wife is Khmer, we live in England, she gets ID'd anytime she buys alcohol here. It's because people who grew up in western nations don't understand that if you grow up eating natural food and don't have access to junk food, by your 30's you'll look at least a decade younger than those who grew up on McDonalds.

[@keithneal5369]

I too find this confusing as I'm 70 years, dont drink alcohol but when buying totally alcohol free beer type drinks at the self service checkout, a member of staff still has to ok the purchase. Then on the way home I pass kids vaping or smoking dope. One of my kids, ten years old at the time tried to buy a spoon so he could eat his yoghurt on the way home. He was refused the purchase because it was cutlery. I can imagine a ten year old lad mugging an old lady, threatening her with a spoon. Laughable.

[@Jack9788]

Needed a spoon to cook up his heroin more like.

[@davadoff]

I know from talking some someone approx 50yr old that when he was young children were given pocket knives and at 16yr drink pint at pub. We’ve come a long way since then. 14yr old used to be babysitters.. now they require babysitters. The law was forced to change.

[@iamrocketray]

@@davadoff when I was 12 I found a purse and handed it in to my teacher, a week later I was presented with a large penknife at assembly for being so honest by the purses owner. How times have changed!

[@SpahGaming]

@@iamrocketray What decade did this happen in?(And did you go to a private school) I'm a young person who went to some modern age secondary, with kids that I knew were doing crime daily... the amount of school assemblys we had on knife crime... it is just UNimaginable that anyone can be awarded a knife in this day and age.

[@iamrocketray]

@@SpahGaming I went to a secondary modern school(pre comprehensive) in early 1960's. Knife crime was unusual in schools at that time and the boy scout uniform of that time included a fixed blade sheath knife, although knives were not allowed at school and I had to wait until the end of the school day before I could actually take possession of it. I remember it was a black imitation bone handled folding knife, with about a 4 inch blade and a stone picker for clearing horses hooves. They were very common and you could buy them at the local newsagents. I was in fact not very impressed at the time because I wanted a proper commando knife and it got lost within a month.

[@kathrynhobbs8874]

We bought some Stanley knives from Amazon. The delivery chap insisted that my husband prove his age, and that they had to photo him holding his I’d to prove his is over 25. My husband is 85!

[@philipreid2542]

Yes, sounds like they need to pass the photo on to Amazon. Would have happened if your husband was 110

[@kathrynhobbs8874]

@@philipreid2542 I have to admit we treated it as an absolute hoot, and the photo will undoubtedly make us look like a pair of loons…….which we quite probably are ..LOLOL

[@philipreid2542]

@@kathrynhobbs8874 one for the photo album, definitely

[@edeledeledel5490]

I've bought spirits from Amazon; no trouble. The box was just left in my porch.

[@dylandylan7960]

Reject the delivery and insist on a full refund as the request was unreasonable.

[@tifrap]

my wife worked in an art supplies shop that had an undercover visit from the police to check that they were asking for ID (for solvents and blades). They were given an official warning for not asking for ID when selling a pencil sharpener, just a standard small block type pencil sharpener. I sometimes think that the growth of ID requirements, especially for the young, is a long term project to introduce compulsory Identity documentation, something that was an anathema in Britain even during ww2.

[@badlaamaurukehu]

Day care Nanas have to nerf everything to get their control freak kicks.

[@daizyflower272]

Yes, welcome back to black uniforms and a nice salute.

[@Nickcooper625]

It is not particularly difficult to remove the blade from a pencil sharpener, and they are very sharp and easily concealable. If the restriction apply to razor blade, they should also apply to pencil sharpeners. The problem with the wartime ID cards was that a) they had no photo, and so were as useful as a birth certificate as "ID," and b) police officers - and I believe some civil defence workers - could demand their production from anyone, which sometimes bordered on harassment.

[@bugsy742]

⁠@@Nickcooper625😂 you absolute cretin- you don’t think kids have them in their pencil cases? You don’t think there is a drawer full of knives at home and in the school canteen? 😅

[@nua1234]

Bit odd considering nearly every primary school child in the country has a pencil sharpener in their pencil case. Even if you ask for and were shown ID, can’t see any reason not to sell it anyway.

[@albertsmith1048]

As a matter of principal at the age of 74 if I were asked for ID for alcohol or non alcohol drinks at a supermarket, or any where else come to that, I would respectfully decline and leave the business and go elsewhere. The customer is KING not the supermarkets.

[@ohnolookwho241]

You could always just take it as a compliment.

[@bruceseaman6592]

At 74!!!

[@ianhill4585]

Cashiers are asked to ask for evidence of a person's right to buy certain products, but if a person is clearly 3-4 decades over the minimum age, you've got to ask why they've asked,if it's a company spy testing staff, --- common sense should still kick in.

[@bleakyfinder2692]

so would i, i am 72.

[@S.Trades]

"matter of principle"

[@dean7442]

No, this is not on for people who clearly are old enough to make their own adult decisions. This seems one step more towards a 'Nanny state' if we allow this to continue.

[@littleworkshopofhorrors2395]

Or, it is so the menial staff at checkouts don't have to make a judgement call, if everybody is asked for id you don't need brighter staff.

[@davidbell7094]

@dean7442 I agree with you and the nanny state comment,in a certain aspect,it is nanny state to be asking someone for I'd,if they look obviously old enough. But if they meaning anybody,doesn't look old enough to the cashier,even if they are,well in their judgement in that case,their correct to ask for I'd!

[@36ydna]

The UK has a drink problem

[@markrainford1219]

@@36ydna Yes it's too damned expensive.

[@shirleytodd6900]

Nanny state, we are already in one!?!?

[@SuperAd1980]

I'm 45 with some grey in my beard, i was "id'd" in Tesco a few weeks ago as part of a large food shop (trolly full)... I asked several times and then asked for the supervisor, who also demanded ID. I left the entire trolly full of goods and walked out... The look on their faces = priceless... The supervisor even came walking after me saying he'd call the police because i wouldn't pay for the goods i wasn't going to buy... I laughed and said you had your chance, and i will defend myself if i need to get out of my way!

[@davadoff]

There’s a lot of stupid & unreasonable comments but I like this. 👍 Handled yourself in a way I would aspire to emulate. Assuming you remained polite and were not being a dick or a difficult customer.

[@steve00alt70]

Forcing you to buy their products against your will? Yea that will work with the police lol

[@SuperAd1980]

@@davadoff I was mostly asking why I needed to give my details like name and address on my driving licence... and then asking if they'd show me their driving licences - which they all refused for security and personal reasons... Or you can show your passport? I'm sorry, I thought this was a supermarket not an airport... ... then there's nothing more we can do. Ok, I'll leave it then... puts the single bottle of wine aside. ... no I'm leaving everything, and start to walk out. Look on their faces was priceless - they were sure they'd won before I started walking off... then the supervisor got mad that he hadn't and tried to intimidate me. 🤣

[@Fourby]

I would do exactly the same. The world has gone mad, the madness needs to stop, the people need to stand against the madness. I applaud your stance!

[@davadoff]

@@SuperAd1980 yeah I liked how you were unbothered. “then there’s nothing more we can do…” so you leave, lol 👍

[@idstewart1964]

I got asked for ID in the supermarket was quite chuffed as I'm a 60 year old builder, it wasn't that the members of staff thought i was underage, they thought i was entitled the pensioner discount.... Gutted😂😂

[@LeoneNut]

I've never been ID'd for alcohol ever in the UK, even when I was 15 buying a cider bottle was fine in 1990 🤣

[@argowen]

I've fortunately have been in the same boat but at the tesco self-checkout its just as annoying having to wait for them to finally come over to let the sale go through

[@BluejuiceT4]

Ah those were the days...white lightning from the off licence yhen down the local park!

[@oz25]

They 'd serve anyone in 1990! x

[@bazhughes5625]

I bet it was White Lightning!!!🤣

[@juliawigger9796]

In the 50s my parents would give me a shopping list to give to our local shop, it often included ciggies and booze! No problem then.

[@anneprendergast7834]

I’ve been asked for ID , I said quite nicely “are you having a laugh?” The poor guy serving me looked mortified but tried to turn it into a compliment which then embarrassed everyone. I didn’t make a fuss because he was just trying to do his job, but it was absurd. I was 50 at the time, and although i do flatter myself I look younger than 50 I don’t look half that age!

[@DJRustla]

Have we not had enough in this country being told what to do say and think? stop being afraid of kicking up a fuss or you`ll have no rights left at all.

[@graveperil2169]

you have the right to shop somewhere else

[@paulspittel1924]

@@graveperil2169 That's not the point; going somewhere else is inconvenient; they should use common sense. We should always carry enough cash for ridiculous situations like this; pay for the items in cash and take them whether they like it or not.

[@markrainford1219]

@@graveperil2169 Until you don't.

[@icouldbewrongicouldberight]

Maurice Strong, after Rio 1992, explained: by the time we've done you'll wish you have the rights of a tree

[@timtynan4204]

Exactly this! I refuse to let any supermarket search my bag after self service, that's a massive erosion of freedom for their cost saving.

[@ultra2extreme]

The only ID law thats ever annoyed me in the UK is when i was refused service, buying 4 strong Ales, because my daughter (10) was with me an they might be for her. This kind of thing has happened multiple times leading to it actually becoming a problem shopping with my kids despite the fact that it would be entirely legal for me to go home and give either child a beer, not that i would at the ages they are now, but the principle remains. Maddening

[@Lennythewinner]

Those checkout assistants really are prize duh-brains because a lone adult might equally be buying ales (or other alcohol) for their babe in arms back home. The stupidity of it knows no bounds.

[@legion162]

Energy drinks ID policies baffle me, for example 500ml Green Monster 160mg caffeine (ID required), McDonald's regular cappuccino 175mg caffeine (no ID required) Or the same shop you can buy 1kg coffee no id required 🤷

[@barrieshepherd7694]

King's Council Google, says " there is no legal requirement for children under 16 years old to produce ID to purchase any caffeine containing foods and beverages including energy drinks. " But the shops still hold me (aged 73) at the checkout for the button to be pushed.

[@andybrown4284]

The so called energy drinks have more stimulants than just caffeine and pretty much nothing that the body might consider as being an energy provider.

[@TheGiff7]

There has been greater issue with energy drinks due to the sugar and other stimulants they contain as well as caffeine. I rarely touch them and can barely finish a can of red bull as it sends my heart rate soaring than a couple of mugs of strong coffee. Also energy drinks are used frequently as a mixer for alcohol and a means to get booze into concerts. Retailers have opted to self police energy drinks due to issues in schools with minors and several cases where children have suffered heart complications from knocking back numerous cans.

[@legion162]

@@TheGiff7 wow that's crazy about your heart rate, I regularly drink 4 to 5 500ml green monster a day and it has minimal impact on my heart rate. I don't suffer withdrawal if I don't have one, and my sleeping pattern is just fine, either with or without them, but I tend not to drink them after 2pm. Crazy how people's body react differently

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@TheGiff7 As alcohol is, legally, restricted your argument fails. You can't mix what you can't buy with energy drinks so no need to include me in this nanny protection in the selling of energy drinks. Yes I'm cranky about it because I'm fed up with continued interventions, no matter how small, in my daily existence, when there is no illegality.

[@asp383]

I was in Tesco for a big shop and had my oldest daughter, who was around 10-12 at the time, but is smaller and looks younger than her age (before Covid/lockdown), I'd had a trolley full of general groceries and thought I'd get myself some ale (I rarely drink as I'm always driving and the only driver in the family), I'd put everything on the counter, when they came to scan the ale, they didn't ask for my ID, just outright said they couldn't sell it to me, as they couldn't be sure I wasn't buying it for my daughter, so I said in that case, I'm not purchasing from this store, left the carrier bags I'd already filled and walked out with my daughter. I then went to Asda, got the same groceries and ale without any problems. Funnily enough though, I have bought alcohol and kitchen knives and scissors in Tesco on other occasions when I've had at least 1 of my children with me, and not been asked for ID or refused sale on those occasions. I don't mind getting getting asked for ID, but it was the immediate accusation I was buying the ale for my daughter.

[@ArCSelkie37]

I wonder where you (and people with similar stories) shop, where I work I couldn't imagine anyone being that brain dead that they assume any alcohol being purchased is being purchased for a minor.

[@asp383]

@@ArCSelkie37 That is what the cashier said to me, no asking for ID, just "I can't sell you this, as you may be buying it for your daughter".

[@josmith9662]

damn right, she should learn to pay for it herself

[@davadoff]

@@asp383if they believed you were her parent or guardian, their training says you can buy the alcohol, AFAIK. Unless they have a real reason to believe you were buying it for an underage person.

[@steve00alt70]

The amount of times customers dump all their shopping on the till then walk out. Leaving other customers waiting for it to be all cleaned up could swear they do it just for lulz

[@andymair7992]

I work checkouts at Tesco. If you want to buy Grenadine or Simple Syrup, neither of which contain alchohol, a prompt comes up on the screen to do "Think 25" . I think this is ridiculous ! I think it's just because it is used in cocktails. But then carbonated drinks such as Cola, Lemonade etc are also used for alcoholic mixers. Shouldn't I I.D someone for that too? The world has gone mad! Lol

[@philipreid2542]

If you want to buy Rizlas it would do the same, and those are technically just cardboard and paper. That's probably why the prompt comes up for grenadine, because of what it is typically used for, rather than what it is (unlike coke, lemonade etc., which are often drunk by themselves)

[@JosephMcGinley-ne9ni]

Strawberry Grenadine sold in the alcohol isle, id is required when the person looks under 25. The same item, Strawberry Grenadine, is also sold in the milk isle as mixer for milk, no id required, madness

[@philipreid2542]

@@JosephMcGinley-ne9ni do you mean something like Crusha? If so, it's not mad at all. Same reason why you get ID'd for buying Rizlas, but not for buying a book. Both are effectively just card and paper, but one's age restricted and the other's not, because of what they're used for

[@philwildcroft1764]

The bottle of Grenadine I have contains 3.5% alcohol and I'm pretty sure most Grenadine is similar.

[@davidioanhedges]

Part of the reason for the Think 25 is to protect the retailers - if they are caught selling alcohol to under-aged people they can easily lose their licence, so they err on the side or caution, they flag everything even vaguely alcoholic so nothing slips through - it does prevent people who are underage from buying alcohol easily, but it doesn't stop them

[@countzero1136]

None of the Asian-owned corner shops around these parts ever get prosecuted yet they openly sell booze and cigarettes to literally little kids :(

[@davidioanhedges]

@@countzero1136 Guess what happens if you report them ... the inspectors check and take away their licence - you haven't, so now it's your fault

[@RandomNameofDoom1]

This does lead to the quite bizarre situation of not being able to go shopping with your teenage or older children if you are planing to buy alcohol. A while ago, my ex-wife was shopping with my son who was over 18 but had no ID with him, and was purchasing some shopping and some drinks and snacks for an evening watching a film or two. The checkout refused to sell her the alcohol because she might be suppling a minor! You would think that common sense would tell them that if you were buying for a minor you wouldn't go into the store to purchase the alcohol with the minor!

[@MrPaulMorris]

To make it even more ridiculous, it would be perfectly legal for a parent to buy alcohol for their child to consume at home (so long as they were over 5 years old). As a family, we usually enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner on the weekends from about 12-13. At younger ages we had a small taster diluted with lemonade, later water, so that it was just part of a normal family meal and not something 'special' or forbidden. High days and holidays we would even have a small glass of sweet sherry as an aperitif and at Christmas our grandmother would mix us all snowballs!

[@CraftingNannie]

It's the company's fault , not lack of common sense. The check out operator is literally in fear of losing their job if they don't go by the " book" . Next time you're in a store ask the checkout staff what would happen to them if the thought they breaking the company rules .

[@neuralwarp]

A minor is allowed to drink alcohol under parental supervision or with a meal.

[@jackoh991]

⁠exactly. So who cares if they are buying it for the kid. That's allowed

[@paulkemp8520]

​@@CraftingNannie thank god someone in the comments has sense, THIS. Yes they are stupid rules, but workers need their wage and I suspect many people in the comments would deride the cashiers as "scroungers" and "bums" if they were to just walk out of the job "on principle". You are correct, don't take it out on cashiers

[@DansTech307]

Hi Daniel - I'm 72 and sometimes express disappointment that I haven't been asked for my ID when purchasing alcohol -Usually gets a big smile.

[@divadaedalus]

Me too.

[@bravo2966]

They hear the same 'joke' about 50 times a day mate. The smile is forced. Then again, a fake smile is better than a sincere frown.

[@woodrick88]

Me too, and I'm only 58

[@hairyairey]

@@woodrick88 I am also 58, have a young voice and face. With a hat covering my greying hair I should be challenged much more often! (People have come to our door asking if my mother is in, meaning my wife. It did not go down well!)

[@hairyairey]

@@bravo2966 I have worked in retail, humour is necessary and appreciated!

[@mick2d2]

"I stopped drinking entirely about eight months ago" That's impossible!

[@niptodstan]

I was with a friend last week. He ran into Tesco to get some beers and he was asked for Id. The stupid thing was… we’re both 65. How ridiculous.

[@rogerking7258]

My son had the same problem as your wife. He was buying a bottle of wine for my sister but just happened to have his fifteen year old cousin with him. Tesco claimed that he was buying it for his cousin and refused to serve him. I spoke to Trading Standards (or possibly another branch of government who are responsible for seeing that these laws are enforced) and they told me that it was not within the shop's area of responsibility to second guess what a customer of legal age was going to do with their purchase.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

But there seem to be people who think shops should second guess and also should actively seek ID even for perfectly legal products. Apparently it's all about "Protecting (someone else's) children" 🤣🤣

[@steve5772]

That's actually incorrect, and retailers have a responsibility to refuse what may be a proxy sale. Also, like a bar, Licenced Premises - you can refuse anyone as long as it's not discrimination against a protected demographic. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, I am a qualified licensee.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@steve5772 My issue is not with alcohol - but at 73 I would baulk at being asked to produce ID to buy alcohol - but with the other non alcoholic products they apply their 'rules' to. If a drink irrespective of what it is called or the design on the can, has less than 0.5% alcohol it falls outside of the restriction so there is no justification in applying ID requirements to it's sale. Now where do I apply for my protected demographic ID 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@steve5772]

I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. I was answering your post about your son buying a bottle of wine, but you seem to be answering me with your opinion on your purchase of a low/no alcohol beer? If it helps, I'm sure you're correct to some extent, but what are we actually discussing?

[@YorkshireBusGuy]

​@@steve5772As several other people have also said, the cashier would need to have reasonable suspicion such as seeing the under 18 ASK the over 18 to buy it for them. They are not right to make an assumption otherwise. The original poster is right, as are trading standards.

[@spiritusinfinitus]

I live in the UK. I'm not required to carry an ID. Remember the freedom's our parents and grandparents fought for, etc.. etc.. If they don't believe how old I am I'll put it down and go somewhere else.

[@graveperil2169]

and shops also have the right that our parents and grandparents fought for, etc.. etc.. not to serve you

[@spiritusinfinitus]

@@graveperil2169 Like I said, I'd go somewhere else.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

Well said. We lost a lot of good men and women, millions to avoid a dictatorship, and the country almost flattened, and no this

[@MrEdrftgyuji]

Thank Tony Blair for that. Managed to get compulsory carrying of ID documents for a whole generation in through the back door.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

@@MrEdrftgyuji What made me laugh was how billions of pounds were spent on seeking to provide us all with identity cards, only for government to wake up and scrap the whole thing as being unworkable, and of course the same government making it doubly so by inviting criminals into the country

[@misterpizzaman3581]

A lot of nonsense UK rules ... Why the alcohol free drinks require ID, makes NO SENSE and they won't be getting it - a very angry email to the CEO and one less visit is what they will get !!!

[@insloanwetrust]

Nanny state, was once asked for ID for a can of red bull when I was 25. Just walked out.

[@ivorwhitecar]

My daughter who is 31 is a qualified doctor and she got asked for ID buying paracetamol which ironically she can prescribe!

[@tomalex4806]

Must of looked younger to be asked for ID..

[@rkk578]

Maybe she looks younger than 25.

[@freshtoast3879]

​@@rkk578you don't need Ida 4 for buying medication a paracetamol they haven't Behind the Counter excuse me in front of the counter

[@jasonali4122]

Is there such a thing as an 'unqualified doctor'?

[@freshtoast3879]

@@jasonali4122 a doctor in training perhaps?

[@Englishman999]

This ridiculous situation doesn't just apply to alcohol - I was in a large DIY store last week and bought a tube of acrylic (water based) adhesive. At the self checkout I couldn't proceed and had to wait for a member of staff to authorize the sale, I asked what the issue was and was told that the product required age verification as it was adhesive and could be 'sniffed'. There are no solvents in acrylic products, that's the very reason most manufacturers have moved from solvent based to water based products! You can't get high sniffing acrylic. Similarly I was out last week and wanted to buy a new kitchen nife (deliberate misspell so as to avoid YT censorship!) (more evidence of the nanny state). The major retailer where I have for many years bought my nives (I like good quality Japanese ones) now does not sell any nives, I was told they aren't allowed. So I went elsewhere... I'm yet to find a shop where I can walk in off the street and buy what I need. We've reached the point of madness and have strolled, eyes wide open way past that line. There is no way back. I now will not shop at any of the stores that have gone down this path. I would do the same in your case with the big T. The only thing that will make them listen and come back to common sense is when their profits are hit.

[@Englishman999]

@@Pete1965 We really do live in a mad world here in the UK

[@MrDblStop]

I was in a charity shop a while ago and the assistant was unwrapping a donation which was a set of very fine old kitchen knives. I heard her saying to her colleague, shame, we'll have to give these to the recycling. I said I'd have them but despite me being a presentable middle aged man and not a kniffecrime mugger she said she couldn't. What a waste. Daft.

[@Keglanek]

I went to ASDA to buy a bottle of Vodka for a leaving present, i asked the clerk if he wanted to see my ID, he looked me up and down then said "No.". Iv never been so insulted in all my life!

[@cindyfaulkner5725]

😂

[@gareth9016]

I used to work for the ambulamce service, mid shift I parked up directly outside a small sainsburys, got out of the driver seat of the ambulance and walked in full uniform into the store. I said hello to the staff member as I entered who saw all of this. I went to the self checkout with a meal deal which included a Red Bull. I was asked for ID which I thought was a joke and laughed, then realised he was dead serious, the same person who saw me driving the ambulance and parking up. My colleague went to buy it instead as my drivers licence was in the ambulance and they obsiously didnt accept my word or my nhs ID. They refused for him to buy it and wouldnt let me leave with the product until they sasisfied their ID check, on a red bull. Now I get I was mid twenties at this point but, I didn't look in my teens and was in full uniform and driving the Ambulance, funnily enough my colleague in his 40s was actually my student. Safe to say, we left without buying anything and went around the corner to pick up the exact same thing elsewhere with no issue.

[@Orchardman53]

Whenever a supermarket demands proof of age of me, I always return the full shopping basket/trolley to them and leave the store. However at 70+ years with white hair it doesn't happen often. However we should all resist the misguided overbearing shop staff who exceed the demands of law. The more members of public who resist such activities might give officials pause for thought.

[@Cunnah101]

If the server doesn't check then they risk loosing their job and criminal charges. By having a tantrum the only people you hurt are under paid workers not the people making the decission. Perhaps you do need to be id'd since you don't seemed to have grown up yet.

[@thisisnumber0]

​@@StuartB_I am the spelling police. Licence, if you please, you're nicked.

[@raypurchase801]

They might be concerned in case you harm yourself by drinking alcohol whilst pregnant.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@Cunnah101 Putting Alcohol and Tobacco products aside what other products legally require Age Checks that would result in criminal charges?

[@ollieflj]

​@@barrieshepherd7694solvents, bladed articles, certain over the counter medication, lottery tickets, and I'm sure there are a couple of others

[@daveallen4133]

@2:09 It actually says 0.05%, so an order of magnitude lower than the legal limit. ETA: Not that this makes any difference to the point of the vid. Having nicotine free cigarettes/vapes is also a "gateway".

[@oldbaldguy6151]

I was going to post the same!

[@andysPARK]

@@oldbaldguy6151 I did post the same, then saw this 🤪

[@360PictureUK]

I was just writing the same comment before noticing your comment!

[@johnh9449]

Don't let soy sauce go to your head.

[@oldbaldguy6151]

@@johnh9449 Hic!!

[@royalirish4208]

As a TESCO delivery driver we are tested on the think 25 policy, a few of our delivery's are to homes were someone under the age of 18 will attempt to accept the goods. If we don't ID them and proceed with the delivery we run a very real risk of loosing our jobs. Items include tobacco, alcohol, paracetamol and vapes to name just a few.

[@philipreid2542]

There we go. A lot of people in these comments seem to think they're entitled to buy things without being ID'd, or that the cashiers are stupid, or the world's gone mad etc. It really is simple as the cashier could lose their job, end of.

[@philipreid2542]

I wish a few of these people who are blaming the cashiers etc. could see your comment

[@gordon861]

We used to get similar 'mystery shopper' tests when I did pizza deliveries. The thing was you could always spot the mystery shopper on the phone by what they ordered, they would always order items that would be a deal in an odd order and wait for you to offer the deal and/or upsale. So we always knew which ones to treat with kid gloves at the door when we sent someone out.

[@user-bw5ib8ds1e]

@@philipreid2542 The only stupid ones in here are those who finish their sentences with “end of”.

[@RosieHarp]

No offence but ID'd? I thought that was for teenagers who might be underage? I don't drink so I don't know

[@permeus2nd]

Something you will probably never get IDed for that is like 40% is real vanilla essence.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

Actually. One of the stores i was working at had to take those off the shelf and keep them behind the counter because school kids in the area were coming in after school and buying a handful of bottles and getting smashed. We also had homeless bums stealing them as they were security tagged like bottles of alcohol normally is either. So yes. Very true but I dont know if it still is a thing.

[@JimboXX78]

Thanks for that. We now know who to blame when we see mountains of vanilla bottles down the local park 😂

[@martinwhitaker5096]

I remember a neighbour's (or was it Home And Away) episode whose plot revolved around that!

[@andrewgarner2224]

I was once ID'd for buying spoons, as it is classed as cutlery and therefore knife legislation applied

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Except that legally, knife legislation does not apply to any cutlery apart from knives. The shop you were in was just on a mini power trip.

[@MogX34]

@@Thurgosh_OG I mentioned this in another post before I saw this - it is because the age restriction is applied at category level, so knives, forks and spoons are all lumped under cutlery. The people setting up the product data should exclude the non-pointy items but usually don't.

[@graveperil2169]

@@MogX34 when you dont know exactly what the product is and what all the parts are its better to play it safe and include it

[@gadget8066]

I had to wait in B&M for the manager to OK me buying PLASTIC spoons... I said you are kidding, RIGHT.. No she said you might stab someone with one? I could pick up a stick outside and do more damage than with those! STUPID RULES for us stupid customers... DONT BOTHER I SAID, I got them from the local hardware shop!

[@markrainford1219]

Tell them they were musical instruments.

[@theheathster2]

We’re being nannied into absurdity! I’ve been refused service when buying alcohol accompanied by my mid teen children. Pretty sure they weren’t massively into IPAs at the time…

[@terryoneil6209]

recentley been in Leeds cathedral.looking at a first world war memorial to a young lad who never made it back,only 19, thought at the time he would not be able to buy a drink now.can not find the words to express what utter contempt I have for the so called politicians that have betrayed these young men.

[@bcfc18751]

Common sense gone through the window!! Stupidity to the extreme!!

[@countzero1136]

Welcome to Clown world :(

[@markmcnicholas9475]

My father had a theory we discussed when we were both more mature (he was more gregarious when he got older) He believed that people have a gene that made them more inclined towards alcohol. Neither of us were drinkers, although I certainly was as a young man. Indeed, my school friends and I would be found in a particular pub on Fridays and Saturdays (sometimes Sundays) from the age of 14 onwards. Our parents allowed this, and the publicans were probably aware we were underage, but made it clear that we would be ejected should there be any disturbances. There never were. I need to say that all of us went on to have productive lives and probably all now still enjoy a drink now and again. There was one friend who did develop a drinking problem, and he sadly passed away because of that in December 2023. I did try to encourage him to not depend on alcohol over the years, but I was unsuccessful, and it has since occurred to me that I didn’t understand his reasons for drinking until it was too late. I believe he drank because he was lonely. He had a fairly large family and circle of friends, but his drinking in bars gave him access to a greater number of potential people to interact with. Over the years I have lost a few friends to different reasons, and one was obviously ill to me, but I didn’t mention my concerns to him, and about a year later he passed. This time I implored my alcoholic friend to stop drinking and eat. Look after himself. The last thing I said to him was that I believed him about to die. He died perhaps a week later. I don’t know exactly when, but I tried to call, visit, and then I realised something was wrong and called his brother, who called services who found him dead in bed. My reason for relating this is that I dislike the current (and increasing) assault on alcohol in modern Britain. I believe it plays an important role in society regarding social interaction among people in different walks of life in pubs, and I believe the punitive taxation on pubs encourages people to stay home, saving money on supermarket supplies instead. People who are lonely (as I just stated) might not admit that alcohol satiates their loneliness and drink themselves to death alone, without oversight of others. I worked in the family owned hotel for thirty years, and I believe that alcohol provides a service to humanity, and it does no favours to anyone by its vilification. Young people should not be banned until 25 before they are allowed to purchase alcohol, they should be overseen by others in society, and alcohol enables people to relax enough to express their concerns/worries or problems to strangers if necessary, who can provide dispassionate discussion, particularly if they are relaxed enough themselves. In other words in pubs. Loneliness is manifesting its curse throughout society and I have seen a few films on the Incel problems, and the failed “war on drugs” that has only made drug addiction exponentially worse than before the 1972 misuse of drugs act. People denigrate alcohol (often parroting prohibitionists) and claim their preferred (illegal) drugs don’t kill as many as alcohol. I truly disagree. The people who die because of illegal drugs are rarely listed accurately. Anyway, loneliness is the real, hidden problem in society. Not what people self medicate to deal with it.

[@HighTreason610]

Perhaps. Or maybe people could just grow a pair and learn not depend on alcohol for the most basic social interactions, because that actually comes off as kinda pathetic.

[@stephentilley6645]

Congratulations Daniel on your 8 months of being sober. My dad was an alcoholic and died at 58, he put my mum and his five children through hell. He set a yardstick that I look at everyday. Love your unbiased work keep it up.

[@turbo.panther]

You make it sound like he was an absolute drunk until 8 months ago!!

[@itsmatt517]

@@turbo.panther Yep, the Barrister clearly quit drink because he's on a health kick. Nothing to do with alcoholism

[@turbo.panther]

@@itsmatt517 I agree. Congratulating someone for being sober is something generally only said to an alcoholic, and entirely inappropriate in BBB's case.

[@darrenbathurst]

Was asked for ID in Sainsburys a few years back, by someone who had to get the person running the till behind her, because she wasn’t old enough to sell it, to authorise the sale! She was quite taken aback when I pointed out that I was old enough to be her father, possibly even her grandfather! I then thanked her for the compliment of thinking I was underage, paid and left! All without showing ID.

[@andrewatherton316]

Yes it's in the alcohol aisle in ASDA so you can be ID'd. And you can be challenged even if you are a pensioner - no thought no sense.

[@andrewplumb6544]

Precisely

[@robbeales5516]

Common sense is not common 😊

[@taraelizabethdensley9475]

I stopped shopping in Asda after they refused to serve me 20 years ago, had shown them ID, but seems it wasn't good enough even though it was a proper ID (proof of age card). Turned out to be a language barrier - the woman on the till barely understanding English. Even when the manager turned up and said it was valid she was arguing

[@countzero1136]

@@taraelizabethdensley9475 Good for you! As consumers, WE have the ultimate power of life and death over companies that treat us like crap - vote with your wallet every time! Also, if you work in the UK in a customer-facing job, then it should be an absolute requirement to have at least a working knowledge of English...

[@moggy4393]

Ummmm so is tonic water and lemonade......🤔

[@keithbessant]

When I was a kid, we used to have sweet cigarettes and chocolate cigars because at that time everyone hoped we'd grow up to smoke like most grown-ups. I didn't become a smoker though. How times change. Now smokers have to smoke outside in the wind and the rain. Perhaps in time, the regulations will say they have to go out in the wind and the rain without any coats on, and everyone will gladly comply. What a sick and oppressive society it's become.

[@waltersobchak1719]

Better than being stuck indoors being forced to inhale other people’s cancer causing smoke🤷‍♂️

[@keithbessant]

@@waltersobchak1719 That's true as well, I've avoided situations like that myself. I guess we always like to pick and choose whatever freedoms are best for us.

[@waltersobchak1719]

@@keithbessant True enough. I’m nearly 60 and other than a few fags behind the bike sheds at school have never been a smoker, I just hated the taste and smell, so for me one of the best things the government has ever done was the smoking ban. I do understand what you are saying though, sometimes the nanny state goes too far.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

I loved those sweet cigarettes and chocolate cigars - but the nanny state has now banned them

[@waltersobchak1719]

@@keithbessant True enough. I am nearly 60 and apart from a few fags behind the bike sheds at school have never smoked - I just couldn’t stand the taste or smell of them. The smoking ban was one of the best things the government has ever done. I hear what you are saying though, sometimes the “nanny state” can go a bit too far.

[@Jack9788]

A woman in front of me was very embarrassed when id'd buying a six pack of Bulmers. She was be cider self.

[@AshTownsend]

[@robmontier3770]

.. groan...

[@terrygillingham4960]

I had a situation before at a Tesco’s, Me and my daughter got a meal deal sandwich, crisps, and drink, my daughter asked if she could have a Red Bull normally I would say no, but considering it’s not a regular thing, I thought she could have it on this one off occasion! at the two, my daughter was asked if it was for her, I felt uncomfortable and decided to say no it’s for me, I was told by the staff it better not be for her, afterwards, I got quite upset and frustrated thinking it’s not illegal for her to have it. Is this employee of Tesco to question me and tell me what I can and cannot do. I’ve sensed avoided going in any Tesco and take my custom elsewhere.

[@Paul1962]

I was chatting idly to another customer while waiting in the queue for the checkout. They refused to sell me my beer, insisting that I was buying it for the customer I had been chatting to.

[@thisisnumber0]

I never get asked for ID. I'm 77 and these ageist gits aren't upholding their inclusion obligations. I feel depressed, can I sue? And there are more magazines for women on their shelves, can I get them for that as well?

[@avogadro7227]

Brilliant!! 😂😂😂😂

[@raymonddick3119]

I am also 77, but only look 50, even so, never questioned

[@0ldb1ll]

Ace

[@S.Trades]

Sure you can. But you don't have any legit claim for damages.

[@markrainford1219]

The fact you claim that they are for 'women' makes you sexist though. Don't shoot me, I don't make the 'rules' up. 😂

[@nua1234]

Would it be age discrimination if a 17 teen year old, was refused a non-alcoholic drink or medicines in a supermarket?

[@ronprichard6145]

In NZ a supervisor has to sign off on alcohol purchases at the supermarket and that includes methylated spirits apparently. They will ask for ID if the purchaser looks young.

[@acepilot3920]

It's the rule of personal responsibility, being taken from the public, once again.

[@davadoff]

Probably not. I think it’s to prevent the theft of the alcoholic version by scanning the non alcoholic one at checkout, but putting alcoholic one in their bag. I guess shops are not responsible if an underage person steals alcohol in this manner, but they are covering themselves anyway. Or shops want to prevent this for other reasons.

[@nagualdesign]

It's to stop minors buying alcohol. Do you really think that personal responsibility is a good way to tackle underage drinking?

[@Gekite]

@@nagualdesign by stripping parents of their responsibilities, well that's landed us in a whole new load of shit hasn't it.

[@acepilot3920]

@nagualdesign control by the government isn't the way. . That should be the parents, personal responsibility to do the beast they can to guide to avoid it, if you think its somebody else's job. Dont have kids ffs. That's exactly what leads to this shit .

[@EdOeuna]

I buy alcohol for my son. He even collects if off the shelves himself if I ever take him to the shop. He’s only 16. As a parent it is my responsibility to protect and educate him. What will happen next? Telling a fattie that they can’t buy frozen pizza? Refusing to sell face cream to an old woman with wrinkles?

[@suziejames7510]

There's quite a difference between 0.5% and 0.05% which is actually the amount of alcohol in alcohol free wine and beer.

[@fredbloggs5902]

He got it wrong, you can see the can is clearly labelled 0.05%.

[@greebo6549]

2:34, 😆 reads the small print because he’s a lawyer, fails to read the percentage correctly 😒

[@altvamp]

@@greebo6549 😂🤣😂

[@altvamp]

Yeah I noticed that too.

[@BuyOneGetOneFree]

He makes so many little mistakes…. Very irritating!

[@owenorders5202]

How are they going to enforce the smoking ban by exponentially raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes and tobacco every year? The only way they can do that is if everybody carries identification showing their age on it. Which is probably the real idea, ID cards by the back door.

[@countzero1136]

The whole voter ID thing is ID cards via the back door :(

[@Bertie22222]

I gave up gambling, smoking, and alcohol and after 14 days I'd lost a fortnight

[@Mids1970]

This voluntary challenge 25 is ridiculous it should be challenge 18 for alcohol and NO CHALLENGE for Alcohol FREE

[@markhorsburgh76]

It is a pain in the arse for sure. The rule was brought in to make people feel less uncomfortable about asking young people who look older, for ID in the UK. Some younger people do look older. I mean, round where I am, these guys from Pakistan/India have beards by the age of twelve. And my mates lad was only 14 and was about as tall as me with facial hair and I'd have been 40, he's a monster. So I get it, but you are essentially just trying to catch the exception out. I was questioned a lot in my mid 30's, especially by one member of staff (every now and then) when buying booze. I may or may not have had ID on me. This was usually only an issue at a self-service till, where there is less staff. I put my booze down and walked out one time, only to come back in 10 minutes later and go to a serviced till with my beer, waving at the assistant at the self-service tills on my way out. I mean I'm flattered, as I might have looked 25, but I certainly didn't look 17.

[@graveperil2169]

@@markhorsburgh76 no its just there to stop shops losing their licence to sell these goods

[@markhorsburgh76]

@@graveperil2169 it wasn't created by the stores. It just tries to encourage people of a certain age to carry ID and therefore makes it less embarrassing for shops to even ask, as there is this expectation. There's always a push to reduce underage drinking, as there should be, and no one minds that. It's just the major stores that implement it in a rather draconian way.

[@graveperil2169]

@@markhorsburgh76 because the second one of the till staff makes the wrong call, they risk losing their licence which for a large store is worth millions

[@markhorsburgh76]

@@graveperil2169 very true... It's definitely damage limitation for those guys. I suppose what I mean is, the intention was honest, but like you say, big store bosses think this makes their lives easier. At the expense of customers obviously.

[@calumm8639]

I got ID'd in Waitrose while buying a rum baba. To be fair, it was the self-checkout that flagged it and the lady ok'd it without question. It turns out that supermarket rum babas do actually contain some rum! Who knew?

[@waltersobchak1719]

I’d be annoyed if they didn’t😂😂

[@michaelahamanncorreia9132]

Lidl Tiramisu did that for me. Seemed to have been a new thing as the cashier looked as surprised as I felt when the age question popped up on her screen. It never happened again for subsequent purchases so I assume someone was smart enough to take that out of the system.

[@waltersobchak1719]

@@michaelahamanncorreia9132 Imagine how many Tiramisus you’d have to consume to get drunk! Being intoxicated would probably be the least of your worries😂😂

[@Drew-Dastardly]

Haha, my old mum would buy exotic rum babas and they did have a perceptive amount of rum in them, but nobody could get drunk on them without getting very fat and requiring bowel elimination. My problem is they actually have to pay HMRC for the rum involved. We have many foods in the UK that do not end up with 0.5% alcohol and nobody on earth would gorge themselves on to try and get drunk, but all food producers have to pay ludicrous taxation on to the HMRC because it is a minor ingredient (but major flavour ingredient)

[@shweefranglais7900]

That gave me a laugh 😁🤣

[@CommissionerSleer]

I don't think the policy is really about the psychology of slippery slope. I think it's more about not making it hard for parents, teachers, police, etc being able to spot the difference when a child is drinking something that looks and tastes like alcohol.

[@jonathanpalmer155]

I'm a lifelong teetotal, and don't need alcohol to get myself "into trouble": the beauty of which is that I can remember ever second of it precisely...

[@aib0160]

How can they legally sell an "alcohol-free" drink that contains alcohol?

[@user.--.]

I agree. Surely "Low Alcohol" is accurate .

[@Smatnm]

Possibly similar to the way Tic-tacs were able to claim to be “sugar-free” because each serving was less than the required amount of sugar (by weight). They just said that 1 tic-tac was a serving.

[@Hammster_MCR]

Exactly! If it contains any alcohol, it's NOT alcohol free. They could probably get sued for that.

[@se9225]

As Daniel said, its down to what the legislation stipulates.

[@daniellittle7846]

@@Hammster_MCR you do know orange juice contains ethanol right ????

[@ramadaxl]

I was asked for I.D. a few years back...so I asked if I looked as if I were 25 years of age or under, the reply was 'well...no'. In which case you don't need I.D. … especially when you consider that I'm 65 years of age !

[@fredbloggs5902]

Till staff can be under 18, they aren’t legally allowed to use their own judgement.

[@finthegeek]

@@fredbloggs5902they can’t sell alcohol if they are under 18…so….

[@philgreen8101]

@@fredbloggs5902 If they're under 18, they aren't legally allowed to sell the age restricted item in the first place.. Someone over 18 has to ring it up for them.

[@andrewemslie3901]

I didn't realise ID for 'alcohol free' drinks was part of their code, I always assumed it was just a case of the shop not understanding the difference. I always felt the Challenge 25 thing was over the top, there's one supermarket near me where the checkout workers enforce it like the Gestapo. That's why I never buy booze there - I know they'll ask for ID even though I'm 33. The energy drinks aspect particuarly annoys me as the supermarkets just arbitrarily decided on it - there isn't a law that says you have to be a certain age to buy them. Also, a kid can go to Starbucks and get a coffee that's got more caffiene in it, and the only thing they're going to say is 'can I get your name?'

[@malgoode]

I am 80 years old and still get ID'd by supermarkets and by Amazon delivery when I buy this exact same product. It is so wrong when orange juice contains natural alcohol (reportedly 0.2%-0.5%) but isn't even marked as such. I was even refused purchase of a first aid kit by Home Bargains (Bidston branch) because I had left my wallet in the car and they said they are not allowed to let me go and get it, I must have it on me at the time. The kit contained scissors so needed ID to purchase. If you are lucky enough to look young, I get it, but born in 1943 I am certain I do not look too young to purchase alcohol. Its a real pain and should be stopped.

[@sr6424]

Really interesting - when I was a kid you could by cans of Shandy and Limeade & Lager. On the can it said not exceeding 2 degrees alcohol! 2 degrees translates to about 1%. They were considered soft drinks and could be bought by children! When I was a student I had a holiday job in a pub. Non alcoholic beer was on sale and we were told we were allowed to sell it to children!

[@johnh9449]

I remember that. How about Gripe water or Small Beer? You could do anything if you go back far enough. Victory V lozenges which I used to love when I was little (but my dad used to limit) - they contained "chlorodyne" - a mixture of laudanum, cannabis and chloroform!

[@DrDickNose]

Yes I remember buying cans of Shandy Bass as a child. I'd rather kids drank alcohol free beer than energy drinks with high caffeine, high sugar, artifical sweeteners and forever chemicals.

[@leeshaw6641]

I literally just commented about Bass Shandy and Larger and Lime ice lollies lol. The world is now zero fun for the youngsters, No More 2 stroke motorbikes, No more local pubs to relax in for a well behaved16 year old. There's no trust left in society

[@sr6424]

@@leeshaw6641 the 0.5% alcoholic drinks do less damage than the majority of soft drinks. Most are full of sugar or artificial sweeteners!

[@LickorishAllsorts]

​@@johnh9449 Victory V, drooooooooool!

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Things have certainly changed. When I attended school in London - admittedly yonks ago - my roomies and I often purchased cider from the "out sales" of our school's nearest licensed victualler during our Saturday afternoon exuents. We were 12 or 13 at the time. 😅

[@thomasace2547]

This happened to me in ASDA once I (28M) and was purchasing some groceries including an alcoholic beverage By chance I ran into my own mother and sister (22F), we exchanged quick small talk After I went to buy my goods, separately, I was straight up refused service I was infuriated that I even had them get 2 “supervisors” and was still refused

[@ColinRichardson]

Me and my ex (was my partner at the time) were almost refused entry to watch a kids movie. Because the guy behind the counter didn't think she looked over 15... She was 26 at the time.

[@sicks6six]

Ive never been asked for ID in my life. When I was 6 the guy in the tabacco shop used to say put them in your pocket before you leave the shop. My packet of five park drive

[@MrDblStop]

I must be a bit younger, it was 10 No. 6 for us as kids. Or buying them individually!

[@somethingfunny6867]

its got to the point of utter insanity. they should abolish all age checking. it feels like a push to normalise IDing for all puchases. feels like we are heading back to rationing

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Just keep kids out of self service checkouts!

[@somethingfunny6867]

@@barrieshepherd7694 kids are through in no time. its the older ones who dont know what a computer is that cause problems.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@somethingfunny6867 You miss the point - Kids can't be through in no time as they have to be Id'd If they kept kids out of the self checkouts there would be no need for staff to hang around to ID people. I'll forgive your weak attempt at an insult as I am over 70 and well know how to operate POS terminal and build a computer - you should not dismiss people in that patronising manner

[@somethingfunny6867]

​@@barrieshepherd7694 kids cant buy stuff that needs an id check. and what is your solution. make it harder for kids to buy so they just steal it. its not age its competence. there are many 70 year olds competent to use self check out. there are many who have no idea to use self checkout.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@somethingfunny6867 You started the older ones discussion not me. I agree kids can't buy stuff requiring age verification but the implementation of the checks is capturing all shoppers and - by many comments - annoying many shoppers. No one is suggesting that age checks for actual alcohol are not reasonable for people who look younger than 18 but an age check for a non alcoholic drink, or an energy drink is if you pardon the language "taking the piss"

[@barrymayson2492]

Yes I got stopped with alcoholic free beer and was stopped at Asda. I asked her because it doesn't have any alcohol , not even a sub 1% alcohol.

[@Judith-hk7if]

This is crazy! In Austria you are only asked to show your ID if you are a youngster and they want to make sure the buyer has surpassed the legal age of 18. Fullstop. If I go to the bank I have to show my ID - but definitely not at a supermarket.

[@peterturner8766]

What would happen if a person made a complaint under the Equality Act that the shop was discriminating against them by refusing to sell an item they wrre perfectly entitled to buy purely on the basis of their age?

[@Scots_Diesel]

Age isn't covered under the equality act

[@stevechallinor6460]

@@Scots_Diesel What the Equality Act says about age discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 says that you must not be discriminated against because: you are (or are not) a certain age or in a certain age group. someone thinks you are (or are not) a specific age or age group, this is known as discrimination by perception So I guess it is covered

[@steve00alt70]

​@@Scots_Dieselage is tho for job applicants

[@Scots_Diesel]

@stevechallinor6460 no problem there, just remember if you do it's the lowest paid staff that they'll fire. Most staff are trained to ID and get regularly tested by mystery customers who are usually mid to late 20s, and if they fail they are usually given a disciplinary by the store, and a written warning, second fail and they're out a job. If they fail a police one it's a £5k personal fine minimum and a huge fine for the company so many staff are over zealous as they don't want to loose thier jobs or pay a massive fine.

[@Kari_B61ex]

Wow! I quite often purchase mouthwash, Colgate Triple Action which contains alcohol. I can't get my head around the fact that stores sell 'alcohol-free' drinks that contain alcohol.

[@argowen]

Got more chance of getting drunk off a brandy soaked Christmas cake with a mouthwash chaser and still not get ID'd 🤣🤣🤣

[@somethingfunny6867]

just about every fruit based drink has an alcohol content. apple juice is literally fresh cider.

[@hedydd2]

Just about anything can contain trace amounts of anything. You look hard enough for it, whatever it may be, even strontium 90, and you will find it. Better warning of '0.05% or less’ than 0 when someone might test it and find 0.001%

[@ianmason.]

Legally not alcohol for the purposes of the relevant legislation as it is a medicinal product.

[@chrislamerican2989]

apparently it is also a legal requirement to have an employee over 18 serving alcohol in supermarkets too

[@Buffalo31]

Even if shops or others think that they're doing the right thing, the law states that it's not a restricted item so people shouldn't be asked for I.D

[@robinwalton-gm5ms]

I'm 75 and was in Tescos buying a case of beer. The check out boy said he was under 18 so he had to get another older member of staff to authorise the sale to me which took ages as they were busy. I could have downed the whole case while waiting! Nanny state UK, who wants to live there? French kids are born with a bottle of wine in their hands.

[@graveperil2169]

please never shop at Tesco's again make everyone happy

[@steve5772]

And if he didn't he would have been committing a criminal offence - what would you encourage your child/grandchild to do if they were the cashier in that situation?

[@marsluco1917]

You need to be 18 and over to sell alcohol (or anything else that's restricted), if he sold that to you, both the shop and the "check out boy" would be in serious trouble.

[@EdOeuna]

Why put someone on a cash register if they can’t do the job properly. I recall seeing signs at the end of the converter belt thing saying “cashier under 18, no alcohol sales here”. I used to work in a pub. They employed under 18’s to glass collect. They didn’t employ them as bar staff to serve anyone who was just buying non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a business model problem that they’re punishing customers with.

[@robinwalton-gm5ms]

@@steve5772 everything has become illegal, immoral or pure revenue raising in the UK. A Sign "This lane unable to sell alchohol " would have been appropriate so as not to waste customers time. Not my problem, Tescos problem. People in the UK are grey, miserable and hypersensitive....get a life everyone!

[@MogX34]

I know why this item was flagged up - the 25+ rule is set at category level and the category planners should exclude the items like this, but they often forget. This is also why spoons also sometimes get the alert - they fall under the cutlery category. Cutting someone's heart out with a spoon tends to be limited to Robin Hood films!

[@finneogan]

That explains everything, and is so very uniquely English: having a machine decide, and follow orders blindly, against all common sense and reality. And the only people becoming irate about the situation are the clowns defending this.

[@philgreen8101]

Well, it does hurt more. Apparently.

[@user-mg1pb2cn8k]

My 17 year old son was going to Aldi, here in Germany and I asked him to bring me some chocolate marzipan sweets they sell leading up to Christmas. He was refused the chocolates because marzipan has alcohol in the ingredients.

[@minners71]

I used to work in a supermarket and we used to get kids come in and buy food colourings/flavourings some of these had alcohol contents of over 15% ( can't remember exactly) when I brought this up with my supervisor she couldn't care less. Yet she regularly stopped adults buying alcohol free drinks. We also sold rice wine vinegar and again they were not bothered and these had even more alcohol in them.

[@navajojohn9448]

Would be nice if the age rules were strict when the government allows 35 year old illegal immigrant men in the country as 15 year old boys or possibly girls.

[@thorin1045]

the country is already bad, but then they will send them to a school with actual 15 year old girls in it.

[@neddyseagoon9601]

They I/D folk that don't look like they will be trouble... It gets their numbers up...

[@Scots_Diesel]

Nothing to do with that the staff get secretly checked and disciplinary up to dismissal, if they fail a secret check.

[@neddyseagoon9601]

@@Scots_Diesel then why, with a walking stick and a grizzled lined face, and at 64 yo have I been I/D'd twice at supermarkets in the last 4 years? One was for cutlery ffs!

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

I'm 45 and I still get ID'ed, sometimes I've had my passport refused and accused of lying/using a fake passport, meanwhile I've had arguments with bus drivers refusing to accept my sons 11 to 15 zip card accusing him of being older when that card is still valid for the next 3 years. I'm thoroughly sick of it.

[@rolsta2871]

Shandy in 1970s was less than 2% proof. I bought it regularly after finishing my paper round..

[@aliwhitwell]

If the government has initiated a law regarding what level of alcohol is deemed to be "non-alcoholic" in a drink then I don't think we need supermarkets to decide differently. They are there to serve the public with food and drink not to make laws which differ from the government. If a person aged 24 wishes to buy an alcohol free drink then he is entitled within the law to do so. It's not for supermarkets to deny that person. If they do so I would suggest they are discriminating against those younger than 25.

[@RosieHarp]

Not having much luck on the retail front this week BBB 😟

[@leemason5953]

Got asked for I'd in a cornershop for a can of lager about 10yrs ago,I told the young girl at the counter I would show my id(44 at the time),if she could show me hers as she was In school uniform and not old enough to sell it to me,her dad came over and served me,all good in the end and no trouble caused👍

[@corringhamdepot4434]

Yes, the self checkout tills at Morrisons freeze and flash their lights when you scan a non alcohol drink from their drinks section. So the assistant has to flash their badge at the screen and tap you through.

[@argowen]

I'm one of those same people I stopped drinking a couple of years back and switched to drinking the same (Pear though) and usually always go through the self-checkout with the hand scanner and naturally every single time I then have to wait for a member of staff to click the various options which is even more annoying when they take ages to come over in the first place. I miss the days of getting a couple of cans of shandy bass when walking to the disco at my junior school in the '90s when I was 10.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

It drives me mad - I stood at one self service till for 2/3 minutes while the staff completed their chat when one came over to press the Age Check button I just said "Don't worry I'm leaving - you can put the products on the shelf" Why did they 'need' to do an Age Check? I was buying a tin of windscreen de-icer. The nanny state is getting stupider by the minute.

[@dixie3058]

I never go to self check out I always have to get help to sort the machine out

[@chriseradley6083]

@argowen - I was trying to make out the brand - can you help me out?

[@argowen]

​@@chriseradley6083just Koppaberg

[@davadoff]

@@barrieshepherd7694car windscreen de-icer is like pure lighter fluid you buffoon. I can’t believe the number of stupid comments about “nanny state”. Unless you clearly look over 25, you’re supposed to be asked for ID! Or are you saying the laws should be changed so it’s not an offence to sell drink and knives & other dangerous items to under 18s?

[@WessexBladesHandMadeKnives]

heaven forbid you wanted to make a sponge and tried to buy some vanilla essence

[@valsadventure2025]

I am also in the UK and was demanded ID for the same drink from Sainsbury's. I was purchasing the goods and shopping with my then 26 year old Daughter. As she didn't have ID I was refused at point of sale. I then had to go to the customer service counter to have this decision overturned.

[@myglaren]

My wife was asked for ID in Asda a few years back. She always looked younger than she was but at the time she was 55. She just left all the shopping on the checkout and walked out of the shop.

[@Number6_]

That cashier need to go to spec savers. As you do not look under 25, but it is nice to be asked.

[@Threadbow]

I think you've hut the nail in the head . The cashier needs to go to the opticians.

[@countzero1136]

@@Threadbow more like a bloody psychiatrist

[@BedsitBob]

Actually that can says 0.05%, hence it's only 1/10th the alcohol limit stated in the Act.

[@ddbb6618]

It's sometimes done as a 'compliment' or even mild flirting .... ask for ID by means of saying the person looks too young to buy alcohol.... generally well received by women, Looking younger than they are is a ego boost. However this is rarely done to men.

[@seanbranagh]

A similar thing happened to me in Tesco when buying Heineken 0.0 back when my wife was close to her due date with our first child. I wasn't asked for ID but the Heineken 0.0 did require staff approval on their self checkouts. I questioned it out of curiosity and they said that all items from their off sales require approval regardless.