Man, 72, Refused Alcohol Over Age

[cappie]

Supermarket staff refused to sell alcohol to a white-haired 72-year-old man - because he would not confirm he was over 21.
Check-out staff at Morrisons in West Kirby, Wirral, demanded Tony Ralls prove he was old enough to buy his two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mr Ralls asked to see the manager who put the wine back on the shelf.

The grandfather-of-three said he had refused to confirm he was over 21 as it was a "stupid question."

Mr Ralls, a retired insurance firm regional manager, said he expected the store manager to resolve the situation but he was disappointed.

"I felt like saying 'What do I look like? Are you a fool?'


"He picks up the wine and, in the manner of a child taking home his ball, says 'Well, we won't serve you'."

The pensioner abandoned his shopping on the conveyor belt and left the store - but not before demanding a complaints form and phone number for Morrisons' headquarters.

Mr Ralls said: "It is bureaucracy gone mad. If the check-out lady, who was about 40, had asked me with a twinkle in her eye perhaps I would not have been so tetchy.

"But she asked me the question with a perfectly straight face and I said I wouldn't dignify the question with an answer.

"And if the manager had explained that all the staff had to ask everyone because they had previously been fined, but said I was clearly over 21, it would have been fine - but he showed no sense of humour."

Mr Ralls added that he felt embarrassed to return to the supermarket and wanted an apology for "the stupid and unnecessary confrontation."

He added: "I applaud any efforts to stop kids being served and standing on street corners getting drunk. But this was just totally stupid."

A Morrisons spokesman said: "We take our responsibility with regard to selling alcohol very seriously and all our stores operate the Task 21 scheme, which addresses the difficulties our staff face in being able to determine if a customer is legally old enough to buy alcohol.

"To further limit any element of doubt staff at the West Kirby store are required to ask anyone buying alcohol to confirm that they are over 21."


Story from BBC NEWS:

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[homeschoolmom]

That is really, really stupid. I think if the person is over THREE TIMES the drinking age, he shouldn't have to be carded. And yeah, if that's their strict policy, the checker should have shown a little humor in the situation.

[Sojourner]

It must have been a pretty substantial fine for them to take this hard-line approach to it.

[CatholicCid]

Take it as a compliment and show them your ID.

[homeschoolmom]

Which is what he said he would do if the checker had had a little humor about the situation.

[Justin86]

[quote name='CatholicCid' post='1389009' date='Sep 21 2007, 12:07 AM']Take it as a compliment and show them your ID.[/quote]
Ditto. All this "they should have shown a sense of humor about it" is ridiclous. As if the clerk is still going to think this policy is funny after the upteenth time he's asked someone who's clearly over 21. Obviously some have never had to serve the public before.

[CatholicCid]

Not everyone has a sense of humor. Maybe he should have offered them some of the wine.

[homeschoolmom]

Maybe someone should have used some common sense, realized the gentleman is well over 21 and not asked him to dig around for his ID.

Obviously some have never had to submit to this rediculous policy when they are obviously overage.

[chelsea]

i think the guy should have just complied. Its not like they were trying to insult him. The poor sales people were just trying to follow company policy. They can get in a HUGE amount of trouble for not asking for ID, whether you are 10 or 100. They have to ask. He should have just given them his ID, gotten his alcohol, and left.

[let_go_let_God]

The funny thing is that I am now rarely ever carded when I go into a liquor store. It's probably because I go to the same one but I only turned 21 in February, and I don't go that often.

God bless-
LGLG

[Justin86]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1389039' date='Sep 21 2007, 12:46 AM']Maybe someone should have used some common sense, realized the gentleman is well over 21 and not asked him to dig around for his ID.

Obviously some have never had to submit to this rediculous policy when they are obviously overage.[/quote]
And what about all the people behind him who had to wait while he made an even more ridiclous scence over this? They might be inclined to agree with me. I swear, everyone only thinks about themselves and no else around them matters.

If you have to dig around for your ID that's your problem. Why don't you keep your licsence and registration readily avaible at all times anyway? What if you get pulled over for a ticket? Try doing this in that situation. See what happens.

Just because we live in a consumer-based society does [i]not[/i] mean the customer is always right. Making an enourmous scence over a minor inconveineces is something adolscents tend to do. Act the age that you look, please.

[Sojourner]

I am with the store on this one as well. Of course the guy looks over 21, but the store has a policy in place to protect itself from fines, which as I said before must have been serious enough for them to put in this across-the-board policy. I think both parties are at fault for escalating the conflict. If the guy had reacted with a little grace instead of choosing to push the matter with a manager, then perhaps it would have been a little different. But he chose to react in the way he did, and to demonstrate the attitude that he did, which made the situation worse.

[prose]

I wonder if he picked up his booze somewhere else?

I think a "sir, we will allow it this time, but please be aware that next time we will need to see some ID as we have a strict policy about this."

I wonder if it would have been the same with a 70 year old woman

[cmotherofpirl]

THIS the most ridiculous thing I have heard today. Whatever happened to the concept of common sense??? The purpose of the law is to keep minors from drinking. To ask a white-haired old guy if he is over 21 is certainly keeping to the letter of the law [think Pharisee] but not using the law in the way it was intended.

[knightec]

Let the old man get his drink on. What else do old people have to look forward to?

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='knightec' post='1389123' date='Sep 20 2007, 02:28 PM']Let the old man get his drink on. What else do old people have to look forward to?[/quote]


Other than producing children [which is still entirely possible with the right marriage] most of the same things you do.

[CatholicCid]

[quote name='prose' post='1389089' date='Sep 20 2007, 11:46 AM']I think a "sir, we will allow it this time, but please be aware that next time we will need to see some ID as we have a strict policy about this."[/quote]

That would defite the purpose of having a strict policy


Later research proved that Mr. Ralls was infact a well disguised 18 year old.

Edited September 20, 2007 by CatholicCid

[Archaeology cat]

Wow. Well, now I can tease one of my friends who lives in the Wirral. . .

[Lil Red]

[quote name='knightec' post='1389123' date='Sep 20 2007, 11:28 AM']Let the old man get his drink on. What else do old people have to look forward to?[/quote]