Flattering as it was on Friday night to be asked for ID to prove I was at least 25 (I'm a good 6 years older than that), it highlights some major problems for the system if you don't carry the correct ID with your date of birth on it.
It is difficult out there for businesses with councils and police using very deceptive traps to catch places serving to underage folks. I understand this but... seriously I don't get asked for ID normally and as such I don't carry my passport around nor a driving licence. The passport is safely hidden away at home for when I need for a holiday and my driving licence is also at home because I only have a learners one which is kept with my folder for lessons.
I was paying with a credit card, it is not a form of ID but to have credit card at still proves I'm old enough to legally drink in this country. If it's not my credit card then there are more serious problems here than underage drinking.
All I ask is that a bit of common sense is applied to the Think25 campaign, which I do consider a good idea in general but it has been reduced to two forms of ID for most places. It appears others have had serious problems with Sainsburys, folks with national ID cards (italian and portguese cards) with photos and date of birth are not accepted, if you don't have a passport or driving licence it's tough.
Last of all, I was the only person stopped with my single bottle of wine. Everyone else was buying multipacks of lager/cider I note none of them were asked on the other tills. I feel sorry for the cashier who had to ask but Friday night is felt like I was a tick box to make sure that she asked someone for ID that night.
On the other hand it did give my partner a bloody good laugh when I told him. He laughed for a solid five minutes.......
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I had the same problem at Sainsbury's self service last week, and I consider it flattering considering how haggered I look for my age. Sure a credit card ought only be available for 18+ but debit cards are available at 14+ & any kid can have a credit card if mummy or daddy agree to guarentor. It's just a card & a pin number & if mum & dad agree to be liable for the bill a 6 year old can have one.
ReplyDeleteMy drivers licence is in my wallet & so long as they ask nicely I consider it flattering to be asked. Most shops & supermarkets are okay & it's the new self service tills you can be most queried. The only time it pissed me off is in pubs with narky landlords that haven't figured out being nice about it is called hospitality.
The only time I was asked for ID was on my 18th birthday in a pub I'd been going to for over a year.
ReplyDeleteAnd nowadays when I offer to show my ID, they just laugh. Cruel young barmaids!
ReplyDeleteFrom a brief google search it appears that Sainsburys can be overly zealous, not just me then. I did briefly consider that the campaign for lout was nobbling people who were buying anyuthing over than multipacks of lager and cheap cider. :)
ReplyDeleteRedNev, ironically I have been asked for ID more times since I passed 18 than I was before I turned legal drinking age... maybe it's karma?
Didn't realise kids could get a credit card, stupid parents if they let them though!
ReplyDeleteRich parents more than stupid, but the spoiled brats of the wealthy can have any gold card Daddy chooses to give them & online authorisation stops any card once the limit is reached and the limit can be what daddy is happy with. They also get to monitor the childs spending as the bill is itemized. In some respects it is an effective way to fund an allowance.
ReplyDeleteBeing around the spectrum for this i just enjoy judging weather a cashier will ask for my ID when buying a family shop alongside two bottles of beer for the night. Think younger cashiers are more likely to do this then older ones who can see you're not out to get drunk.
ReplyDeleteYou need to grow a big bushy beard Cookie :)>
ReplyDeleteA lot of people don't have either a passport or a driving licence, so what are they supposed to do?
ReplyDeleteIn fact I don't have a current passport, and still have the old-fashioned pink driving licence without a photocard, so I'd be stuffed if asked for ID. But I don't think that's likely until they introduce Challenge 55.
I was surprised when I was asked, didn't realise not wearing make-up made me look so much younger. :) This is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
ReplyDeleteThink55? I'm waiting for when cashiers have to ask you when you buy over a government allowance if you would like the number for the AA... it can only be a matter of time.
I work for sainsburys so I'd like to apologise. But, for what it's worth, if caught selling alcohol to someone underage, I get the £5,000 fine, criminal record and lose my job. Local authoritys tend to give more weight to routinely checking supermarkets as they serve a greater amount of people. This is why cashiers can sometimes be over-selous, especially if someone in the store has recently failed a test purchase. Anyway, is it that much hassle to carry your provisional in your purse/wallet while you are learning to drive? That's where I kept mine!
ReplyDeleteHi Tom,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I think people don't realise the fines if someone serves an underage person, I didn't realise it was as high as that!
I will be carrying my license from now on, it's just normally I don't worry about it as I haven't been asked for years. Although I do hope I was stopped because I look young (I'm female we tend to be vain about this) and not a tick box. :)