Retailers can reserve the right to: Refuse the sale of alcohol to an adult if they’re accompanied by a child and think the alcohol is being bought for the child. So it is the law. By assuming 100% of adults are buying 100% of the alcohol for the kids the retailer avoids a fine 100% of the time. I agree it’s a bit daft when in reality there is probably .01% of a problem. Large spanner small nut.
A law to outlaw adults buying alcohol when accompanied by a child would state it is illegal to buy alcohol when accompanied by a child. It isn't. A retailer can choose not to sell you it but it isn't the law that you can't buy it.
A law must have even made somewhere?, I fully understand your point though and agree with it, but they surely aren’t doing it to be difficult?
It is illegal to buy alcohol for under 18s. It is illegal to serve an adult buying alcohol for under 18s, but there's nothing in the law at all about being accompanied by a child when buying alcohol. It's clearly a directive from management, but buy the same alcohol from the same shop accompanied by the same child and some shop assistants will serve you, some won't. Some people like being difficult and confrontational, some don't.
Don’t you only have to be 16 to legally buy paracetamol though? There becomes a point when it stops being complementary. I did see a sign by the till that said their policy was challenge 25 so I’ll take that seems quite a high policy to have. There’s covering your back and then there’s taking it to extremes.
It's nothing to do with been difficult legally any retailer job doesn't have to sell you it. If they feel they can be in the breach of the law they have every single right to refuse you as its their own responsibility not the company's. Its the fact they don't want to risk them self's, I do agree its contradictory and hard to follow but unfortunately why would anyone risk fines or imprisonment or loosing a job on a chance that isn't needed to be took. Unfortunately the government put them in a really shitty position and people getting angry is unfair and unneeded. It is frustrating it happens to me but I don't blame any cashier
Trust me they do know the law and they are simply not willing to potentially break it due to a random person getting angry or frustrated. At the end of the day it is illegal to sell alcohol to anyone that could be buying it for younger people because there's a grey area that says you have to use your own judgment it's easier not to lose a job. The law should be changed to say unless it is overtly obvious. Just because there isn't a law that says kids can't be with adults when buying it doesn't mean they couldn't be potentially breaking a different one, you just don't understand the law or the consequences of potentially breaking it. How would you like to lose a job because of a stranger?
This is correct. It is not the law. Just retailers taking an easy/fail safe route. Same with the challenge 21 idea. It’s just barmy. You’re not gonna buy 3 bottles of Rioja and a bottle of Cognac to give to a 14 year old. However if you’ve got 24 bottles of Blue WKD and some MD20/20 then fair enough - you should be challenged.