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Tesco demands ID from 33 year old man – and refuses to sell him alcohol when he hasn’t got any

TESCOI'm slow to pick up on this story but, as if by magic, I find that the point I made elsewhere yesterday, that there is a growing, bureaucratic, automatic authoritarian demand for identification (which would only be fuelled by ID cards) demonstrated in a story to make one bleed from the eyes in irritation:

Man aged 33 is refused a bottle of wine in Tesco… because he had no ID

Headline says it all, you might think. Imposing their own unnecessary rules above and beyond the law ("Think 25") – driven in part by absurdly harsh laws that punish shops for misselling goods, and also by a total lack of common sense on the part of stupid, literalist, jobsworth staff. Rules is rules. You can't be too careful. Typical demonstration of the ridiculous culture we've allowed ourselves to fall into.

But wait, there's more: his fiancée (aged 29) was there, and gave her ID. The shop still wouldn't sell it to them because "she might be buying it for a minor" (i.e. the chappie, aged 33).

And there's even MORE:

Earlier this year the same store was criticised for its 'patronising'
attitude by a furious father who was refused entry because he was
carrying his daughter on his shoulders.

Martin Dunkley, 45,
was about to enter the premises with daughter Natalie, six, when a
security guard stopped them for health and safety reasons.

Let's remember that whilst our bureaucrats excel at nannyism, they're not the only people at it – the private sector is perfectly capable of crass, cotton-wool, cloying, soft authoritarianism, too.

By Alex Deane

Hat-tip: CP at Hawktalk

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Alex Deane Posted in Home
  • http://alshaw.blogspot.com Al Shaw

    There can also be a racial dimension to this trend.
    I recently witnessed the anger of a black man, who I would have placed in his mid-to-late 30′s, who was refused cigarettes (also in a Tesco store, as it happens) because he had no ID.
    I might be making an assumption, but I felt that the white middle-aged suburban woman who was refusing the sale was not very tuned in to the ways that, historically, black men have sometimes been treated as “boys” in white-majority cultures as a way of disempowering them.
    “You look under 25 to me” may have appeared an innocuous comment from the shop assistant, but to the customer, the comment may well have had racist overtones. In fact, it was this age assumption, rather than his inability to buy some fags, that the black customer seemed particularly annoyed about.

  • Sean

    you are making assumptions and quite frankly speaking utter rubbish.

  • http://faustiesblog.blogspot.com FaustiesBlog

    I’d organise a mailing campaign for a boycott, if I were in his shoes. Hit them where it hurts – the bottom line.
    I shudder to think how this sort of thing will escalate once Tesco villages start up. Are sufficient people awake enough to try and stop this from happening?

  • Tony G

    If it had been me, Tesco would have had £140 worth of groceries to put back on the shelf.

  • Purlieu

    Expect some empty “apology” from Tesco sometime soon, usually using the expression “over-zealous”.
    Perhaps if the training/guidelines the staff were given in the first place were more realistic, this stuff wouldn’t happen.
    Management you are to blame.

  • Anon

    I’ll tell you what is happening here mate.
    The 2003 Licensing Act creates the statutory responsibility for local authorities to “protect children from harm”.
    There is also a massive political pressure from elected members of all parties to stop kids getting their hands on drink.
    Now, the statutory defence to pretty much all trading offences is:
    (a) his act was due to a mistake, or to reliance on information given to him, or to an act or omission by another person, or to some other cause beyond his control, and
    (b) he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence.
    When you buy drink, you will notice that the checkout operator is surrounded by stickers telling them not to sell various stuff to kids. When they scan it they also get a prompt from the EPOS system. They have also had training.
    Nevertheless, people still complained to councillors that kids had booze, councillors complain to council officers, council officers went out test purchasing with underage volunteers and low and behold lot’s of checkout assistants still sold the booze.
    So it goes to court, the barristers argue, the mags convict so along comes think 21.
    But some checkout assistants still sold. So Tesco got nicked again and along came think 25.
    Once a court decides that all the precautions the retailer is taking are not enough (and some barristers are very good at convincing them of this) the retailer has to add more precautions.
    Add to this the economic climate and the fact people are much more afraid of losing their jobs now and this is why this is happening.
    Do you have a constructive suggestion how to improve the situation?

  • Purlieu

    “Do you have a constructive suggestion how to improve the situation?”
    Think 35
    ….. only joking
    Supermarkets stop selling alcohol, trade goes back to proper off licences, local economy benefits, local authorities stop being influenced by media pressure and realise they have more pressing problems than a few kids, cow flies over the moon, etc

  • guy herbert

    @Anon: completely correct.
    Constructive suggestion: repeal the Licensing Act 2003 completely; stop the fatuous moral panic about drink.

  • blastproof

    In Palm Beach County, FL, USA, so-called Land of the Free, it’s “Think 30″. At Charlotte Int’l Airport, NC, USA, so-called Land of the Free, I was asked for ID to buy a beer in a bar and I’m nearly a pensioner. Near Dallas, TX, USA, so-called Land of the Free I found I was staying in a dry county; thankfully the county line was nearby and the next county was not so dry. The shape of things to come here, if we’re not careful.

  • Bob

    Last time I got carded, I told the checkout assistant to grow up, left my groceries on the conveyor belt and walked away.
    I suggest everyone else do likewise.

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    In fact, it was this age assumption, rather than his inability to buy some fags, that the black customer seemed particularly annoyed about.

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    I am approaching 40 years old, and Asda refused to sell me an nice bottle of 21 year old whisky. At first I thought they were joking but the woman said “We have to ask for ID from anyone we think is under 25.”
    If the woman asking me had said so with a smile I would have assumed she was being funny and charming, but alas she was just stupid and evidently unable to see that I wasn’t under 25 and certainly not under 18!
    I had my drivers license on me, but the the f**k should I show her. So she refused to sell to me.
    Angry at her attitude and the assistant managers refusal to overrule her I returned the next day at the same time and went on a two trolly shopping bingathon.
    I had no less that 4 specially order and very odd pizzas made for me, got loads of fish from the fish stand and meat from the butcher, then walked around the store banging into people as I hauled two extremely overloaded trollies behind and in front of me.
    At the till I waited in line for the same dozy woman then greeted her warmly. She kind of smiled at me with the vacant staring smile of a brain dead till robot.
    “Do me a favor will you?” I asked her. “Put all of this back for me.” I then sauntered off.
    It was petty I know, but oh man it made me feel so much better! :D

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    I think that is a good idea. Alcohol must be sold to people with some degree of identification.

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    Nevertheless, people still complained to councillors that kids had booze, councillors complain to council officers, council officers went out test purchasing with underage volunteers and low and behold lot’s of checkout assistants still sold the booze.

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    trade goes back to proper off licences, local economy benefits, local authorities stop being influenced by media pressure and realise they have more pressing problems than a few kids

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    Nevertheless, people still complained to councillors that kids had booze, councillors complain to council officers, council officers went out test purchasing with underage volunteers and low and behold lot’s of checkout assistants still sold the booze.

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    When you buy drink, you will notice that the checkout operator is surrounded by stickers telling them not to sell various stuff to kids. When they scan it they also get a prompt from the EPOS system. They have also had training.

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    Tesco demands ID from 33 year old man – and refuses to sell him alcohol when he hasn’t got any – good subject :)

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    If it had been me, Tesco would have had £140 worth of groceries to put back on the shelf :) Best regards

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    In fact, it was this age assumption, rather than his inability to buy some fags, that the black customer seemed particularly annoyed about :)

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    Well said Sean – you are making assumptions and quite frankly speaking utter rubbish !! :)

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    If it had been me, Tesco would have had £140 worth of groceries to put back on the shelf :)

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    @Anon: completely correct.
    Constructive suggestion: repeal the Licensing Act 2003 completely; stop the fatuous moral panic about drink.

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  • Angry 34 yr old!!

    I was refused alcohol in Tesco on saturday.
    I’m a 34 yr old woman. The woman (who was much younger than me) asked for I.D so I showed her an array of debit and credit cards (which you can’t hold till you’re 18)as that was all I had but she wanted photo I.D, like I go around carrying my passport or something. She refused to serve me and may I say she really enjoyed her moment of authority showing me up in front of numerous customers. I understand they need to be careful about serving kids but come on, I’m 34.Is this a recent thing with Tesco as I’ve never been asked for I.D before. Plus I’d like to bet if I was a teenager in a hoodie with a gang of mates she’d have served me!!! Middle aged women like me must just be an easy target.
    I will not be shopping there again.

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