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Can you buy alcohol in supermarkets 24/7?
Just wondering as i'm planning to go to Tesco tonight (00.01am!) I believe it used to be 8am - 11pm (I think?) in which people were able to purchase alcohol. Does anyone know when these hours were changed for the big stores - was in when the whole "24 hour drinking laws" were introduced? Or does it all just come down to individual stores and whether they have applied for the extended licenes?...do most supermarkets now sell it round the clock? It's a shame Tesco doesn't put the info for each store on it's website, although I could always phone I guess.
I believe in Scotland stores can open 24/7 all week if they want - out of interest does that apply to their licenses to sell booze aswell?
I believe in Scotland stores can open 24/7 all week if they want - out of interest does that apply to their licenses to sell booze aswell?
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Our local Tesco Express refused the bloke in front of me at 7.55am. The till will not work until 8.
In England and Wales the big stores are only allowed open on a Sunday for a max of 6 continuous hours (between the hours of 10am and 6pm), and most of them will then open at 8am on Monday, however there's nothing stopping them opening at a minute past midnight on Monday morning which is what a lot of them are doing this year what with Christmas eve falling on a Monday and the shorter hours the day before.
Our Tesco Extra as a 24-hr licence (and I remember seeing the licence application in the local paper), whilst out Sainsbury's has an 8am-11pm licence (which is a bit silly as they open at 7:30 on a Saturday and thus cannot serve alcohol until 8am).
You actually can't buy booze on a Sunday before 12.30pm in Scotland. I know this as I've been caught out at our local Sainsbury's trying to buy a bottle of wine at 12.25pm on a Sunday - no dice, unless you're prepared to hang around and wait 'til 12.30.
I wasn't aware, as some others have said, that you couldn't buy booze after 10.30pm up here in off licences - is that right? Did you mean Sundays only?
But of course since then, the 24 hour rule was passed. So like people said, it all depends whether that store in particular has applied for the licence.
I wish the government would not allow supermarkets to sell alcohol as it only encourages the wrong sort of people to take it home and get drunk, usually accompanied by loud music and hellish behaviour for hours. For any neighbours who are not yobs, this can over a period of time, be a very upsetting and soul destroying experience.
Restrict the sale of alcohol or push the price up......something has to be done now!
So you think that because some people abuse it that someone who is who doesn't shouldn't be allowed to buy the odd bottle of wine or something with their shopping and should have to go somewhere else?
It doesn't encourage anyone. If supermarkets didn't sell it I'm sure that "yobs" would happily walk to their local offlicence.
What a ridiculous statement, increasing the price of alcohol and restricting sale won't do a thing.
By the way I do not object to people buying wine to go with their meals or to cook with, but why have the supermarkets in the last few years started piling up huge stacks of bottled lager (Stella, Fosters etc) right by the front entrances? If that isn't encouraging people to buy in bulk and go home to drink it that day, well I don't know what is. I speak from my own experience here of observing how people near me behave, i.e. they are not the respectable types that want a nice bottle of wine with their meal. No they are yobs that come in and buy a twenty bottle case and walk home with it clutched to their chest, which looks really rough and common as you can imagine. Some grab a trolley and fill it ONLY with large cases of lager and again....no food or wine, they are simply yobs wanting to get drunk and cause trouble.
So I repeat...what are we the respectable 10% minority going to do about it?
I don't know, but increasing the price and restricting sale is proven not to work.
You've got a point there - don't think Tesco (who actually run UK plc) would be very happy though!
I certainly think retail prices of booze should be strictly controlled, and should not be sold to anyone under 21.
You would have to look at other laws in that case. People would be able to have sex, get married, gamble, smoke etc etc but not have a pint of shandy!