Tesco - new alcohol policy

[Rabbitinthelight]

I now know this policy has been in place for a few months now but I was with my 2 sons aged (20 & 23)at tesco in Southampton. It was about 10pm. We had purchased food and a couple of bottles of wine (1 to cook with 1 to drink). OK so far so good. Looking forward to getting home to a nice dinner.Got to the checkout and unloaded my trolley on to the belt. After about 2 minutes, miss observant asked if we had alcohol and if we did we would have to go to the self service till. Ok this was a bit inconvenient but obliged an loaded the basket and walked to the self service checkout. Proceeded to scan the goods and of course the alcohol needed to be age verified. Little Hitler arrives and asks me for ID (I'm 41), so quite happily produce ID. She then asks both my sons to produce ID. My younger son doesn't have ID with him. Therefore I am refused the alcohol.

Is this legal and how would you react?

[Callyuk]

shouldnt have anything to do with your son it is you that is buying it not him i really cant see how they can refuse you i would go mental at them. its like saying i cant buy alcohol beacuse i take my 2 chirildren aged 5 and 7 with me when i do the weekly shop just crazy

[ian_uk1975]

It's legal simply because retailers are not obliged to sell you something (regardless of the reason they may give).

I'd be pissed-off if it happened to me, however, and would insist on seeing the store manager to complain.

[eldar]

Quite legal, but inconvenient.

In principle a reasonable idea stopping kids getting pissed, but implemented without any degree of common sense.

Just dump the trolley, eventually they might get the message...

[Rabbitinthelight]

That's what I did. So in future you will have to leave your defenceless children in the car while you but the shopping and a nice bottle of wine for that dinner party you're going to!

[Getragdogleg]

I do not go to Tesco anymore, do the same.

[Bree]

The company train staff to 'Think 25', and where there is a group of customers to ID the whole group. The problem with this is when staff don't use their common sense.

[JonRB]

Rabbitinthelight said:

I now know this policy has been in place for a few months now but I was with my 2 sons aged (20 & 23)at tesco in Southampton. It was about 10pm. We had purchased food and a couple of bottles of wine (1 to cook with 1 to drink). OK so far so good. Looking forward to getting home to a nice dinner.Got to the checkout and unloaded my trolley on to the belt. After about 2 minutes, miss observant asked if we had alcohol and if we did we would have to go to the self service till. Ok this was a bit inconvenient but obliged an loaded the basket and walked to the self service checkout. Proceeded to scan the goods and of course the alcohol needed to be age verified. Little Hitler arrives and asks me for ID (I'm 41), so quite happily produce ID. She then asks both my sons to produce ID. My younger son doesn't have ID with him. Therefore I am refused the alcohol.

Is this legal and how would you react?

This has been covered in other threads already. It appears that Tesco do have a fairly stringent policy. It sucks, but they are under no legal obligation to sell you anything and can quite legally refuse to.

[mark317]

Bonkers. When did common sense go out the window??

[XitUp]

Why would it not be legal?

The needing to use a self service till is a bit strange, unless all the till operators were under 18.

[JonRB]

Bree said:

The problem with this is when staff don't use their common sense.

Staff have no discretion, apparently, and if they get it wrong just once will probably get the sack and a hefty fine personally. So it's hardly surprising that they don't risk it.

[Mr_annie_vxr]

As annoying as it is they can lawfully refuse to sell you alcohol if they wish.

"Going mental" at anyone is not how to conduct yourself. If you don't like the policy then you buy elsewhere.

[cs02rm0]

Tip the contents of the trolley on the floor.

If they're going to treat you like a kid you may as well act like one.

[Holst]

I think they can refuse to sell it and there isnt anything you can do.

You could write to the store manager, if everybody who has this problem does this maybe they will be a bit more sensible.

[Rabbitinthelight]

Thanks JonRB i'm a PH virgin (No smutty comments please)
Search disabled at the moment so was unable to see if this topic had been covered.

[khevolution]

having worked in a food store before, i have encountered this situation before, and therefore can understand both sides of this argument all tho, i there is a few things i can't understand

first of all there should be no reason why you would have to move to a self serve check-out rather then then being served by a fellow species, only way i can see why was if the checkout operator was too young and needed to have authorisation from a supervisor, and couldn't be arsed and just Fob'ed you off

As for the ID situation, if they believe that the alcohol is for somebody under the legal age then they do have the right to ask, as for why they asked you for ID i dunno, unless your a REALLY young looking 41 year old

[TheStoat]

Just ask to see the manager next time you're in and mention what happened. If he/she has any sense they will retrain the staff member in question...

[Invisible man]

Complain to their manager.....and once he has repeated the mantra as only a Tescos Store Manager could, go on line and complain again. My daughter (23) was treated like an errant school kid by something resembling Hitler in a bad suit only considerably thicker and less cheerful.

[EvoBarry]

I'd second the "leave them with the trolley and no sale" idea. Retards.

In this particular case I'd have perhaps tried to argue that the other two weren't with you, just a chance meeting at the supermarket mebbe?

[Rabbitinthelight]

What got me the most was the fact that this policy treats me as a bad parent. As if even if my children were under age, I would plying them with booze the moment I stepped out of the door. I work in a pub and am a Personal Alcohol Licence holder and know the law. How in the hell can they do this. Do they next stop selling cakes to fat people?