No Booze For You, Tesco Tells Parents

Prodded by the government, the U.K. supermarket Tesco has begun refusing to sell alcohol to anybody that cashiers suspect might hand the stuff to a minor. The new policy has come as a shock to unsuspecting adults told they can't buy beer or wine because they have children with them -- some of whom are now creating a major PR problem for the country's largest supermarket chain.
Binge drinking is endemic in the U.K., from Prince Harry's infamous pub crawls to the 1,000 under-15s seen in hospitals for alcohol poisoning in 2007. Lacking the political will to go after adults who overindulge, U.K. pols have found young drinkers a more palatable target and made retailers the enforcers -- with predictably mixed results.

Tesco officials told the Daily Mail they're merely enforcing rules already on the books. Penalties against stores that sell to minors, even indirectly, are major: $20,000 and a three-month license suspension for three infractions.

The rule seems to be enforced most consistently against adults buying alcohol while accompanied by a teenager, although media reports indicate that cashiers sometimes refuse to ring up wine and beer for parents with toddlers and ID-less people as old as 31. The drinking age in the United Kingdom is 18, and kids as young as 4 may drink alcohol served by a parent at home.

The Telegraph called the policy "humiliating and daft":

Debbie Bell, 39, a housewife from York, was told she could not buy a crate of lager at a Tesco Extra in the city with her stepson Michael Bruce, 18.

Mr Bruce, a student, was unable to show the cashier any proof of his age and his mother was told to put the 24 cans of Fosters and a bottle of cider back on the shelf.

She said: "You can't do that just because somebody has kids with them.

"I was in there the day before with a 17-year-old lass and there were no problems.

"Michael wasn't even carrying the beer, he was just standing next to me."

A commenter proposed a more practical solution: "I don't have a problem buying alcohol, I merely chain my kids up outside and when I leave they can drink their fill of the cheap loss-leader lager (Tesco) so thoughtfully (sells)."

Tesco appears to take the threat of punishment far more seriously than the inconvenience to its customers. It told the Daily Mail that staffers are trained to ask for proof of age "for anyone present at the purchase who they suspect may consume the alcohol." A spokesperson added, "Quite often they may be mistaken and the adult may be buying it for themselves. But we would rather the staff err on the side of caution than risk selling to someone who is buying alcohol for people who are under age."

Photo by Flickr user Bruno Girin, CC 2.0