Not getting served because with an underager

Zambia wrote: »

I think he is a she.

So are you advocating some sort of incest ridden lesbian wedding just in order to buy Aldi's alcohol?

Happy Birthday OP

No, it was Lidl's alcohol she was looking for.





:pac:

Page 10/11 here:
http://www.rrai.ie/_fileupload/Training%20Manuals/RRAI_Training_Manual%20(2).pdf
and seeing as this document is based on law one would assume theres something in the law saying it also.

OH and happy birthday!

NormaJean wrote: »

I went up to the counter with my 15 year old sister and the man refused to sell me the alcohol because my sister was underage.
I mean come on, I'm 18 why cant I buy it. He told me if my parents were there it would be fine but I'm 18, I'm an adult, They're not responsible for me.

Can I just give the viewpoint of the man.
A friend of mine works in an off-licence where the policy is to check the id's of people who look under 23.
His take on this is that the policy of the company is there to protect him and the customer - and this is why:

If he breaks company policy he will get a reprimand - worst case scenario he will be fired - in which case he goes on the dole for a while and tries to find another job - his family suffers a little bit, but they will get through it.

If he breaks the law he faces heavy fines, possibly jail, at least a criminal record - no dole, no prospects of a job - his family will probably not survive the trauma.

Which would you choose.

I apologize if this post contains shock value but it is true

Happy birthday and many happy returns

Muas

Lidl are terrible when it comes to ID. I was in there a couple of weeks ago buying quite a bit of drink for rag week, with my dad who is 49. My dad was standing right there with me and i was paying with my laser card (which kinda says im 18 anyways?) and while putting in my pin he asked me for ID. My dad thought it was fairly ridiculous but, fair enough.
In the same lidl I was asked for ID and gave them my passport, which was only got last year I look the exact same in the picture as I do now. The woman serving told me it wasnt my passport. I showed her my student card with a picture and name on it and offered to pay with my laser card. She said they aren't forms of ID and refused to serve me.
Then in aldi a couple of weeks ago myself and 2 friends were buying cocktails. My friend was 1st shes 22 and looks her age, they asked for ID and said her license wasnt enough. My friend went next and asked could he buy the cocktail she was refused (which was the last one left in the shop too) they said no. Then I was last, youngest of the lot and didn't even get asked for ID.

I was under the impression that once OP bought the Alcohol, it would be him that would held responsible if he gave it to the minor and not lidl's?

k_mac wrote: »

Legally yes. But having a group of teenagers drinking cans out of your stores bags will damage the stores reputation.

Legally, the store is also responsible:

Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988 wrote:

31(2) - The holder of a licence of any licensed premises shall not sell or deliver or permit any person to sell or deliver intoxicating liquor to any person for consumption off his licensed premises by a person under the age of 18 years in any place other than a private residence.

Like a huge amount of the alcohol legislation in this country, it's an utterly stupid and completely impractical approach.

OP, the guy was right to not serve you if he suspected the alcohol was for your sister. He's at risk of receiving a £300 fine (for a first offence) and/or losing his job. It's a stupid law, but it is the law

The reason it would have been ok if your parents were there is because under-18s are allowed drink when in a private residence with their parent's permission.

stacexD wrote: »

i was paying with my laser card (which kinda says im 18 anyways?)

1: It's not a photo ID
2: I've had a laser card since I was 16, hardly a proof of age is it?

It's not discimination it's the law, OP went in to buy drink with their 15 year old sister. If the shop believes the alcohol is for the sister they can refuse to serve.

A little advice on this matter would go much further than misinformation about discrimination.

OP if you're over 18 and going to buy alcohol, then do so without someone younger in tow, and always carry ID. I'm 28 with a seriously receeding hairline (I look more than my age) and I always carry ID. And I have been asked a number of times.

I worked in O'Brien's off license for a while OP and the shop was totally within their rights not to serve you on the possibility that you would be supplying the alcohol to the underager.

Shelflife wrote: »

if its the case that they refused the op because they believed that they were supplying an underage person, then if thats not the actual case, has the shop assistant defamed the op of accusing them of attempting to act in an illegal manner?

by the same token do they refuse parents who are with children?

You could try and crowbar the facts given into qualified privilege, honest opinion or innocent publication. Even if not the case would probably be laughed out of court for obvious reasons. If not they would probably get contemptious damages. There would be strong public policy reasons against allowing any such defamation action to succeed, otherwise if somebody was refused service at a bar without ID based on the fact that they looked 16 but were in fact 18 then this could be construed as an allegation of an attempt to committ a criminal offence and suddenly every 18 year old who didn't get served could sue.