ID in Asda

[carron81]

I was at asda last night stocking up on essentials for the weekend with my mum. I was getting my shopping & my mum was getting hers. We both went to the same checkout -me first.
In my shopping I had a bottle of vodka and peach schnapps. Which the checkout assistant asked me for ID. As i went to my purse I told her I had my new student card with a photo & my date of birth. Before I could say anymore the assistant started saying "NO NO NO NO NO, It must be passport or drivers licence". I have both of these but i do not carry them about on me as I'm scared I'll lose them.Which i explained this to the lady. To which she spoke to me like a daft wee girl. I said to her im 25 look at my ID& my mum was saying the same. She didn't even look at my ID and just kept repeating Passport/drivers licence.
So,my mum then said well I'll buy them to which the lady said to my mum "Now, are you going to be drinking this" my mum was just like "i dont know, there going to be in the house so anyone can drink it" this went on& on like a tug of war between my mum & the checkout lady. My mum was like for goodness sake Im 52 my daughter is 25 &has ID. We should of asked for the manager but never. My mum eventually got sold the drink & we left the shop raging

I understand why the checkout assistants have to ID folk and the trouble/fines shops get but its just getting ridiculous. I was left feeling embarassed and annoyed, my mum was shocked that at 52 she struggled to get sold drink. I phoned head office to complain & asked if i could come in and show customer services my drivers licence&passport & they can issue me with something that will allow me to purchase drink without the hassle

I cant help looking younger than 25 ( i wouldn't say i look like a teenager either)& last night it was like I was the bad guy. I can accept getting ID but its the manner in which the staff look down their nose at people.
Whats your thoughts on ID?

[Gavin Dunt]

I use to work in a super market and now work behind a bar and the reason for only accepting drivers licence or passport is that any other form of ID can be forged so easily. The checkout gilr could have refused sale to your mother as she was buying it for you! The checkout girl, checkout supervisour and the shop can be fined if selling drink to an underage customer or a person buying age restricted products for somebody underage. Tip: Carry your ID. The checkout girl was only doing her job.

[Gavin Dunt]

To be honest if anyone I ID now showed student ID I would refuse sale. If the person asked to see the manager, I would get him and he would simply remove the person from the club. At the end of the day the person serving doesn't have to serve you. it is entirely upto them.

[carron81]

I totally understand that. I worked in a shop and we used to get it drummed into us about ID and the �80 fine but I would never speak to folk in the way that that myself and my mother were spoken to.

I know asda will congratulate the lady on ID someone but my complaint was more about her raising her voice and the NO NO NO NO NO. I just felt as its an awkward situations having to ID someone in the first place she was making a bigger scene out of it than what it should've been. The funny thing is I paid for it by visa and they accepted that!!

I've been ID in that asda before and my student card has been accepted. I think since this 21 ID scheme has come in I've been ID more now than when I was 18.

[Keeprockin]

My drivers licence has no photo,so unless lecences have changed recently,I would have thought,as you student ID contained a photo, that would be more substantial proof.
Woner how you stand if you don't drive and you holiday in the UK

[dan no1]

i cannot stand going adsa for alcohol. i am 21 next week and i look fairly young for my age. i cannott count the amount of times i have made a scene at the checkout. only recently i was buying a bottle of wine and the woman in the til put it through, then some other things, then asked me for ID. i said to her: "you've just put that through", all she could say was "i can take it off". i eventually shown my ID and went to the desk to complain where i have done so numerous times. like when the old woman on the checkout just assumes you're too young and says "oh you cant buy that, love". or when the young guy says after showing your driving licence "is that yours?" i hate it its so embarrassing!!! like you are going to make a fool out of yourself by trying to buy it if you're not old enough?? drives me crazy!!

[carron81]

Keeprockin - That's something I've always wondered. I've got friends who have never been on holiday or drive so the only form of "official" id they have is their birth certificate. Which I wonder where or if anywhere would accept that as a good enough form of ID to buy wine!!!! I have a tesco across the road from me and they accept student ID. Sometimes though they just double check with a supervisor to cover their back, which is understandable. But I've never had bother there. I just think it depend on your luck and how big a power trip the checkout assistant is on!!!

A good example of this is when my younger brother, 23 popped over to tesco with his mate of 23+ to get a couple of beers just for himself as his friend was driving. the checkout operator very smuggly asked him for ID and then was annoyed he had ID on him, so asked his friend for ID just to be awkward. My brother stood his ground and said his friend has nothing to do with the beer... he was just giving him a lift.

[normy]

i think i would have left all my items from my trolley on the checkout belt, and told them to shove it and walked out.

I did it after queuing for 10 minutes in spain for an ice cream (which i had in my hand) and when it came to my turn, the operator closed the till.... There was another till open with as big a queue as I had just waited in, and I had to go to the back, so I just dropped the ice cream on the belt and walked.

[normy]

But as for ID, bring on ID cards for everyone.. Make it compulsory to carry them, as in many other countries, no argument, no discussion, just freedom to buy what you want.
Only ppl with anything to hide will be the ones who shouldn't be buying

[carron81]

dan no1 - yeah, totally agree with you. i always get that strange feeling when i'm at the checkout like i'm doing something wrong and that I'm getting looked down at.

I'm just not comfortable carrying about my passport or drivers licence. I've had fraud on my bank account in the past and a family member has had their wallet stolen with all cards, licence etc in it and from my experience with fraud its a nightmare having to get new cards, filling out forms, changing standing orders etc, it took about 5 months to get everything back to normal so now i go out with the bare minimum in my bag/purse. Thats why I'm fine carrying my student card as if anything happens its free for a replacement - its still a hastle sorting it out but a hell of a lot cheaper.

[carron81]

normy - I wish I'd of done that but as part of my dig money set up with my mum I buy my food and pay for some of her shopping and we'd spent over an hour in the store. But that would've been great leaving all the food on the belt and walking off because the cue was getting longer and longer.

Id cards are definately the way forward. Stores cant be this picky about ID if they haven't got 1 uk wide aceptable type of ID. If id of gone a few check outs up they probably would've accepted my ID.

[carron81]

In A Pickle - Thanks for that link. I've phoned their head office and complained last night - about 5 hours after. But I think i'll put it in writing so I can make it clear what made us so angry. You are right though the management are terrifying staff so much that i think in situations like that the staff are more stressed than the person their ID.

I dont get ID all the time but when I have been the staff have been nice about it and I understand and i dont get annoyed but just something last night was out of order.

Me and my mum did have a laugh afterwards, i looked at my shopping and said what sort of 17 year old would be buying some of the things i had in my trolley. there was fresh basil, thyme, corriander, lemon grass and a whole load of other random items!!

[dan no1]

also i just wanted to add, at the end of the day its down to opinion. some people might think you look old enought, and some people might not.

[freak_unique]

I also agree there should be one I.D card around that everyone should have that will be accepted everywhere. One of my mates went to a club and got I'ded on the doors to which he produced his driving licence and all was fine...Until he went up to the bar and the girl said he didnt look old enough and demanded to see his i.d to which he produced again his driving licence and she told him they didnt accept that!!! i dunno if she was powertripping but he had to avoid the bar all night and gte his mates to get his drinks!!! and he was like 20!!! Also my other friend has been to the same place and had her driving licence refused as I.d! Its like wow make ur minds up sometimes they will accept them and other times they wont!

[almcd007]

My Friend got I.D'd at ASDA too - she's 25 with a 3 year old boy and when asked for some ID for four cans of Lager in with her weekly shop, she said she had none - she had her visa card which would have proved she was 18 and loads of other store cards etc. When asked for her passport or driving licence she replied - I came to buy my weekly shopping not to hire a car and I certainly wasn't thinking of leaving the country. With so many ID thefts about - why should someone risk losing and carrying their passport/driving licence ? When common sense should prevail ?

[carron81]

almcd007 - what a nightmare for your friend. check out folk need to use a bit of common sense. i mean what underager would be buying a weekly shop, have a child who's walking about!!!!

Exactly who carries those sort of documents on them!!! I'm like that with my passport and drivers licence too, to me there important documents and in the 4 years iv had it the only time i have had to get my drivers licence out was when i got a speeding fine and as for my passport that comes out when going on holiday then i hire a safe and it stays there till i go home!!

[mischief121]

their only doing their job as they are taught and keeping on the right side of the law and keeping their jobs!

[saintpeter48]

sounds like a right jobs worth you had there, i wud have left it all at checkout and told them to stick it where the sun don't shine! Its alright ASDA being strict and telling staff to be on the look out but what abot customer relations, there are two ways of saying things, the right way and the wrong way!