I had a lovely customer today who I ID'd..

[Gizmo]

Some background which I am sure you already know: In most shops in the UK if we ID for restricted age products we ID anyone who looks up to 25. If they aren't carrying ID then

As the person who did the sale we can get a large fine, lose our job and even get a criminal conviction if we were tested and did not follow procedure.


YC: Young Customer
CG: Customers Grandmother
M: Me!

Customer of about 19-20 had selected a small bottle of CAVA. I ID her.

YC: I am 20 you know!
CG: Yes, she is 20, don't you trust her?
M: We do have to ID up to 25 I am afraid, do you have any on you?
YC: No.
M: Then I am afraid I can't sell that to you today then.
YC: Oh... Gran, just buy this for me will you? (Gran has her own shopping for me to do next which does include some alcohol already.).
M: Sorry, I can't allow you to do that, I know she will be buying it for you and that isn't allowed since you don't have your ID on you to prove you are old enough to be allowed it.
YC: but, but, but.... oh that's not fair! I don't even drink, I'm only buying it to anoint my friends baby. Shes only had the baby today and I was taking it to her.
CG: Shes right, she doesn't even drink! Its not even for her!
M: Sorry, I would be putting my job and be risking a criminal conviction if I allowed you to buy that today.
CG: I know that my dear, I used to run a bar.


Finally I get them all packed and paid and they leave.

[MoonCat]

Wait...Granny knows this and yet she still doesn't care that you'd be risking your job?? What rock did she crawl out from under?

Also, 'anointing the baby'? Literally?

[Raveni]

I thought wine was how you made babies.

[Teskeria]

maybe it wasnt all there, but I only see suck on the granddaughters part. Grandma didnt actually try to buy it, just agreed the kid didnt drink. And apparently grandma at least took no for an answer.

[Gizmo]

Grandma wasn't too bad but she did whine at me too about the fact I was IDing her 20 year old granddaughter. This is why I put it here rather than Sucky - they were actually quite nice even if they were trying to get me to break the rules just for them.

I haven't managed to find a source for the tradition yet (and one of my co workers thinks its not true at all) but this is what the girl said. She wanted to anoint the baby's head with Cava.

Edit: It appears to be Wiccan/Druidic. http://www.adf.org/rituals/general/d...ng-ritual.html

[Marmalady]

Well I know there's a saying 'to wet the baby's head' which has come to mean having a drink to toast the arrival of the baby, maybe that's what it stems from?

[MadMike]

I thought wine was how you made babies.

Babies are made of wine? I thought they were made when the man put his hoohoodilly in the woman's cha-cha!

[Solumina]

Actually a lot of cultures have wine anointing associated with child birth, they aren't practiced as much as usually they were something that the midwife would do and most doctors and modern midwives don't really have the time to perform ceremonies for every birth. The one I am most familiar with started in ancient Sparta. The midwife would pour wine over her hands and wash the belly of the mother as she started having contractions and it is thought to be the main reason why the Spartans had much lower rated of childbirth related death than the rest of ancient Greece since the old school concentrated wine that would have been used does a pretty good job of killing germs. Yay sanitation!

[Gizmo]

OK... so I seem to be a grumpy young person magnet at the moment.

Had half a dozen ID cases today. One when I looked up to ID her smiled widely and was ecstatic to be ID'd. She was 30 but I made her day so that was good.

Later I had one lady who really could have been anything from 20 to 30. She complains when i ID her, saying shes 28, and I explain the ID to 25 policy and she carrys on grumbling. She wants to know do we allow 18 year olds to purchase alcohol in our store? I say "Yes as long as they have valid ID on them. If not then No." She then claims to be really offended by the whole process and is a cloud of grump until she pays and leaves.

The next customer says "I would have taken it as a compliment" and is a lovely lady so that cheers me up.

Then the very next customer, a tall bald man, really does look young. He complains when I ID him because he is 30. I say "well you do look a little younger Sir". He then makes me wait until I scan everything else and he packs it all before he will show his ID .

I swear the closer to Christmas it gets the more people get funny about our ID rules.

[sparx]

As the person who did the sale we can get a large fine, lose our job and even get a criminal conviction if we were tested and did not follow procedure.

The procedures there to prevent that happening - you can only get fined and lose your job, with the store getting fined and losing their alcohol licence, if you actually sold to an underage person - if you dont follow the procedure, however, it's your own fault.

[XCashier]

Had half a dozen ID cases today. One when I looked up to ID her smiled widely and was ecstatic to be ID'd. She was 30 but I made her day so that was good.

Hee! I once IDed someone who turned out to be 40! She was tickled pink, saying, "Wait'll I tell my husband about this!"

Yeah, I'd be way flattered if someone IDed me, too. These folks who grumble about showing ID don't know how good they have it.

[Daemonmonkey]

He then makes me wait until I scan everything else and he packs it all before he will show his ID .

When he presented the ID you should have called the manager, just to piss im off, as he did to you!

[EricKei]

I think the Grandma was at fault, as well -- she admits knowing that she could get the OP arrested or worse, and yet she goes along with the girl (for a short while) anyway.