he he this made me giggle so thought I'd share it with you all, I've just been asked for ID in M&S whilst buying cup cakes (check out their new range yum yum yummy), chocolate chip cookies (I'm having a bad day can you tell, only kidding going to a party tomorrow & have been asked to do desert & don't have time to bake!) & ...a bottle of champers!!  I giggled at the woman as I gave her my driving licence proving I'm 28! & asked when the law was introduced with regards age limits & buying cakes!! She did laugh back & said she has to check if anyone looks under 21 - made my day! who needs anti wrinkle cream!!! :) :) :) LOL!!

Yay!!! :-D
I never get ID'd anymore :-(

Thats great Gembo,

Maybe we should all take a short trip to the States to make us feel better. They ID most people in bars. Even my father when he was 50 was ID'd. Gotta love it..

I don't get asked for ID when going into a bar but i do sometimes in an off licence..Does make your day, i am only just 1yr older than you as well.

i wish i was asked for id, it would make my day,

I did think the cashier in Sainsburys was a bit strange when he wanted ID when I was buying some wine then I realised he had thought my daughter (16) was buying it not me !! For one minute I thought I had lost 30 years+ Nearly made my day too

My partner is 32 this year and was gutted at being asked for ID when buying alcohol the other day!!  Couldn't stop laughing - his face was a picture!!!  I'm just gutted it never happens to me!!

I have been IDd twice in the last 6 months - and I am 32!! Wish we could bottle it and sell it - would make a fortune!! :-D

lol, always nice :)

i was less than pleased when buying a bottle of wine with my partner when a guy stopped him to id and emphatically pointed out it wasn't me he was worried about. pass the olay that you clearly don't need would you? :)

> Maybe we should all take a short trip to the States to make us feel better. They ID most people in bars. Even my father when he was 50 was ID'd. Gotta love it..
>
>

this is getting more common in shops here to, certainly the company i work for. the law severely punnishes the individual who makes the sale if they get caught selling to someone under 18 so staff are getting very paranoid and are stopping selling to parents with kids etc just in case its for them.

I was buying liquer chocolates in poundland a couple years ago, they asked me if i was over 18, i was 50 then!

My friend was feeling very depressed about getting to 30...(worst age or what???)....It was school holidays and we were on the childminding duties so we popped into  Waitrose to buy some supplies to sit in the garden with the kids... she decided we could have a bottle of wine... I heard a shriek from her at the counter...Yep she had been asked for ID... she still mantains that was her best Birthday present!!

> the law severely punnishes the individual who makes the sale if they get caught selling to someone under 18 so staff are getting very paranoid

It was in my local paper a month or so back that a gentleman in his 70's was asked for ID.  He was very annoyed, lol, but it was the company's policy to ID everyone now as they are so scared of being fined. 

Life just seems so much more complicated than it used to be, so many rules and fines for this and that.  I know it's important to protect children from alcohol but things are getting a bit over the top you can't tell if a white haired old man with a walking stick is over 18, lol.

My 22 yr old daughter was asked for ID when she was buying Red Bull a few months ago and was told that everyone gets asked for ID when they buy these drinks!

The best one was yesterday when my 20 yr old autistic son was out for the day with his carers. They went to a large bar/cafe for lunch and he asked for a coke. The waitress asked him for ID and when the carer asked why she wanted ID when he was buying a coke, she said it was because they weren't sitting in the 'family' area. Needless to say they got up and moved to the family area but the 'normal' area is nearest the door with the 'family' area at the back of the place, surely it should have been the other way around if they are that bothered by under 16's being in the 'normal' area.

My friend (aged 30) got ID'd buying a case of lager in tesco. She explained she didnt carry id anymore - she was long past needing it. She asked if her husband (stood beside her, aged 32) could purchase it then instead? The checkout girl said no becuase he may pass it to back to you and its legal to buy alcohol for a minor :-) She explained that just because she had no id she was infact 30 and many moons away from being classed as a minor. The woman said Tesco policy is now if you look under 25 you get asked your age. I really object to this so what if you look under 25, so what if you are under the age of 25as long as you are over the age of 18 you can purchase and consume alcohol for goodness sake. Political correctness gone mad again.

Another incident - my 34 year old cousin got asked for ID, after purchasing alcohol amongst her weekly shopping. Even though her 12 year old daughter was stood with her the checkout girl was adamant!! In the end she demanded the manager came over who eventually backed down and let her have it.
No disrespect to wither my friend or cousin but they dont exactly look that young :-)

> Life just seems so much more complicated than it used to be, so many rules and fines for this and that.  I know it's important to protect children from alcohol but things are getting a bit over the top you can't tell if a white haired old man with a walking stick is over 18, lol.

i totally agree, it is all a bit over the top.

I'm 31, a few months ago I got asked for ID when tying to buy a can of RedBull!!!!
I don't carry ID so she refused to serve me, my 65 yr old dad was with me & vouched for my age - that wasn't good enough, so he said he'll buy the red bull, the cashier refused to sell it to him because she knew it was for me
I had my 65yr old dad with me and my 9 & 10yr old children and I couldn't even buy a can of redbull Redbull is not meant for children under 16yrs old, I know that some people don't think I look 31, but I thought that was taking the pee. I'm sure some cashiers do it to wind you up or they're on a power trip!

ETA, I've just noticed somebody else posted about needing ID for RedBull, it makes you want to bouycott the shops that do this. I've only ever been asked for ID in Tecos. Ironically when I was under age to buy alchohol, I had no problem walking into a shop & getting served it!!

it was probably in case it was for your kids. (i know it won't have been of course)

my daughter told me the other day tthat she'd been asked for i d when buying a bottle of wine,and she's 34.seeing as she was so pleased i didn't tell her that i'd been asked for mine too when i bought a kitchen knifeand i look and feel all of my 57 years.mind you she really does look younger than her age.i've just remembered too that last year when i was put on warfarin the doctor asked me if i was or intended to get pregnant any time soon!loud guffaws from 3 big kids:)x

You shouldn't need ID to buy Red Bull, only for alcoholic drinks.

Shops are paranoid now because the council send in minors who look a lot older to test purchase on alcohol. 

Not only are the companies procecuted and given fines of a ridiculous amount, they can also lose their licence.  On top of that a director from the company has to appear before a body of people from the council and the police.  The company may have a site 400 miles away where a sales assistant has made an error of judgement and they have to travel there to the local council. 

The under age teenagers who are illegally drinking on the streets are seen as the 'victims'.  It is much easier to attack the shop owner then round up all the kids on the streets.

> Shops are paranoid now because the council send in minors who look a lot older to test purchase on alcohol.

No, they are not allowed to use minors that are not clearly the age they look.
I see a few of these stories relate to people that have children with them so I suspect it has not been explained to them properly that that is the reason they are not being served rather than that they themselves look under 25. Sorry :-)
As licencees shops are entitled to refuse whoever they like.

>It is much easier to attack the shop owner then round up all the kids on the streets.

Kids are entitled to be on the streets and the fact is shops are either selling them alcohol or someone is buying their alchohol for them and I think it is right that these people should be stopped.

> it was probably in case it was for your kids

Good point.
It is annoying though, as it was the same cashier that, on a different occasion, served my younger sister (29yrs old) with a bottle of wine and refused to serve me with wine (no children present) :( :( LOL, and with her bottle of wine in the trolly, my sister went to the ciggy counter, only to be refused a pack of fags !

no denying it can get silly

>No, they are not allowed to use minors that are not clearly the age they look

Well they do, The company I work for has over 80 shops, the council send in under age children to test the staff, I have seen them on the CCTV and they definately look over the age.  Lets face it, could we tell if someone was 18, or 17 and 10 months, this is especially difficult if the ethnic origins are different to those of the staff.  We have an excellent training program for this, but as much training as you give them you can't be watching them 24/7, someone will slip up or just not think.

I was not suggesting you round up all the kids on the street, but only those drinking under age, it might just be a deterrent to them.  Not all the alcohol they are drinking is bought and paid for either, we have a big problem with theft from under age teenagers. 

As a company we try and act responsibly, we don't sell alcho pops, cider or cheap lager, but there is a bigger picture, adults like to buy a bottle of wine or a some beer on there way home from work.

There was a discussion about this on Radio 4 t'other day.  The council officer talking about the use of children observed that they have to be extremely careful to choose children that look their age otherwise their case is easily trounced in court.

> I see a few of these stories relate to people that have children with them so I suspect it has not been explained to them properly that that is the reason they are not being served rather than that they themselves look under 25.

I didn't have children with me. I just look young and beautiful. :-D

> its legal to buy alcohol for a minor :-)

Not it's not, it's illegal to buy alcohol for a minor. Was that a typo?

I had no idea Red Bull had an age restriction - why is that?

> I just look young and beautiful.

Very much so :-) so really can't blame them for enquiring.

>There was a discussion about this on Radio 4 t'other day.  The council officer talking about the use of children observed that they have to be extremely careful to choose children that look their age otherwise their case is easily trounced in court.

The problem is that you could line up twenty members of the public and ask the age of a 17 year old and most opinions will differ.  There is not an easy solution to it unless ID cards are compulsory for everyone over 18.  Even then in a busy shop, will they look at the photo carefully enough.

> The problem is that you could line up twenty members of the public and ask the age of a 17 year old and most opinions will differ. 

I think they use younger than that generally don't they? But, yes, it can be difficult in real life but the system has to err on the side of caution to protect young people.  This is why many companies are choosing to ask for id from anyone who appears to be under 25.  It greatly reduces the margin for error.

The last one we had was a 15 year old buying cigarettes, where they have to be 16.  The council also test on petrol too, as you have to be 16 to buy that. 

I thought you had to be 18 to buy cigarettes now?

Yes, sorry you are correct, it is petrol 16.  No wonder the shop staff get confused. ;)

Ok not strictly an ID thing but at a dog show last year a person who we see loads at shows said to me and i quote, LOL "it's nice that you bring your dad all the time"  My "dad" is my hubby :-D and is just 9 years older than me, it made my year :-D

> Yes, sorry you are correct, it is petrol 16.  No wonder the shop staff get confused. ;-)

Bit disappointing for me - last Sept it was buying cigarettes I was IDd - now if it had been over 16s when I was double that age it would have been ace. :-D (Apart from the fact I am double that age which is just scary :-o ).

surely the only true test of how old a person looks is getting whistled at by building workers(or not).they should be stationed at the entrance to every place that sells anything requiring i d.anyone not whistled at is obviously too old to need to be asked and anyone who is whistled at still has a bit of "go" about them and needs to be asked their suitability to buy fags,booze and anything else that may be dangerous in the wrong hands.it's just a thought.x

> I had no idea Red Bull had an age restriction - why is that?

I think that becasue of it's caffeen content it is classed as a stimulant. That's why I get mad for not being able to buy a can of diet redbull with my kids in tow but they will happily serve me a giant jar of coffee, who's to say I'm not going to feed my kids the coffee?
Grrrr, I am quite mad to think that I was refused a diet redbull because the cashier thought I may be buying 1 can of it for my 2 children, I had a trolly load of shopping including 2 bags of sweets and 2 cans of coke (1 each for the kids). Also included in my shopping was Ibrofen, bleach and coffee, a lot more damageing to my kids than a can of diet redbull!!

> I had no idea Red Bull had an age restriction - why is that?

I've just googled it and found this:

"each can contains 80mg of caffeine - the same amount as a cup of coffee."

"There is no legal age restriction on the purchase of Red Bull, but it is generally considered that products containing caffeine are not suitable for young children, as they do not need an extra boost of energy." taken from here

I will not be a shrinking violet if I am refused the stuff again, that's for sure!

I don't mind being asked for ID - even though I am no spring chicken :-) IMHO we have a serious problem in this country with underage drinkers and binge drinking and introducing steps to help combat this problem should be encouraged and not decried. It may be annoying for those of us who legally wish to buy alcohol, cigarettes etc for consumption by adults but it is also a step in the right direction in helping to reduce/stop cosumption by minors.

I don't know enough about Red Bull to comment on it from a very informed point of view but the  articles I have looked at would appear to suggest that it is banned in some countries such as Norway, Uruguay and Denmark. The can also carries a health warning that one should not drink more than two cans of it a day and also says that people with heart conditions should not drink it either. I think a lot of people see it as being an alternative soft drink, even though it would appear to be a drink that was formulated to provide an energy boost for athletes and sports people, and thus are likely to drink more than the recommended amount. I personally wouldn't buy it for consumption :-)

>I had no idea Red Bull had an age restriction - why is that?

There is no age restriction on Red Bull, they just advise it is not suitable for children.

> I don't know enough about Red Bull to comment on it from a very informed point of view but the  articles I have looked at would appear to suggest that it is banned in some countries such as Norway, Uruguay and Denmark

I didn't know it was banned in other countries, just had a look online and a 12 year ban in France was lifted last year. France had banned it due to the taurine content and related health implications but the EU food standards agency (I think that's the right agency) have deemed it safe. Funnily enough Taurine is in a lot of infant milk formulas so they can't honestly think it's that bad a substance!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4537831.ece

This article - not a scientific one - was one of the articles I read. There are a lot of articles about this particular drink that would lead one to suspect that it is not necessarily the best drink for everyone.

I don't drink it anyway - but will definitely avoid it now!!! I have heard of it being mixed with vodka when people are out on drinking nights - as the caffeine increases the alcohol uptake and circulation owing to its stimulatory effects on the heart etc I believe - so people get drunk quicker, but it would appear it's a lot more dangerous.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=74286&in_page_id=34

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8901-energy-drink-mixers-give-a-false-sense-of-sobriety.html

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:wWmyaOob-TkJ:www.creativenutritionsolutions.com/uploads/Energydrinks.pdf+new+scientist+red+bull+danger+study&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=40754