Asked for ID by an 18 year old kid
Scorpio2
Posts: 5,632 Forum Member
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OK so today I went into my local Spar to buy a packet of cigarettes and behind the counter was an 18 year old kid so when I ask him for them he asks me for ID. Seriously I'm 25 and have went into that shop for years and was never asked once.
I felt a bit insulted that this kid asked me for ID so I countered and demanded him to show ID and accused him of looking younger than 18 so as the queue got longer the kid searched for his driving licence and when he showed me it showed that he was 18 so I then showed him mine.
However I don't have a problem getting asked for ID by an older person but when someone who looks younger than you asks I took it as an insult and it seemed to me that the kid was trying to be a smart ass so I decided to make things akward for him.
When I came home I told my mum and she said that I was harsh and he was only doing his job but that's not the point he asked my with a smirk and it seemed like he attempted to embarrass me so I thought he needed to learn some respect.
Was I harsh or did I do the right thing?
I felt a bit insulted that this kid asked me for ID so I countered and demanded him to show ID and accused him of looking younger than 18 so as the queue got longer the kid searched for his driving licence and when he showed me it showed that he was 18 so I then showed him mine.
However I don't have a problem getting asked for ID by an older person but when someone who looks younger than you asks I took it as an insult and it seemed to me that the kid was trying to be a smart ass so I decided to make things akward for him.
When I came home I told my mum and she said that I was harsh and he was only doing his job but that's not the point he asked my with a smirk and it seemed like he attempted to embarrass me so I thought he needed to learn some respect.
Was I harsh or did I do the right thing?
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If I don't ID someone, and I think they look under 25 - and they turn out to be under 18, I get fined. Not just the bar, me personally. I'm only doing my job by ID'ing. We also get mystery shopped with who we ID.
I'm 22 and 4 foot 11. I look about 16, I regularly get asked if I'm old enough to be behind the bar. Obviously I'm old enough, otherwise I wouldn't have been hired. But I don't look it. If everyone had the attitude you do, I'd get no work done because I'd spend so much time showing my ID to everyone.
Stop smoking and stop living with mummy and produce ID without being a drama queen when asked.
Well, you shouldn't take it as an insult. Get some perspective and stop being so paranoid.
Most places operate Challenge 25 these days. Given that you say you are 25, it is not remotely unreasonable to be asked.
It was probably precisely because of his young age he asked you for ID. The younger we are, the harder it is to evaluate age.
I've asked for ID for people older than myself before. It's just par for the course, not trying to be awkward at all.
To be honest it sounds as if you need to learn some respect. The kid was literally doing his job. It's drilled into people serving alcohol/cigarettes these days (with threats of prosecution) that ID is the most important thing.
You were harsh, and come across as rather vindictive and peculiar too.
If you're buying age restricted products this is just day-to-day stuff.
BURN!
When you get a bit older you will be delighted to be ID'd by anyone.
Legally items have restrictions on the age of purchasers.
Stores have been stung so much in the past that the easiest way to try and reduce mistakes is to make the margin of error larger (think 18 became think 21, became 25 as it's much harder to mistake a sub 18 year old for a 25 year old).
The age of the person operating the till has no affect on it, except maybe that they are more likely to make mistakes (or not take it seriously) and thus are the ones that tend to need to think "do they look 25" more, you can be fairly sure that the store will have made sure the staff member is old enough to meet their legal obligations in terms of staff selling stuff.
Personally given the fines that can levied against both the store and the employee (not to mention the risk of the store losing it's licence to sell some items), if I was working on checkouts I'd probably be tempted to check anyone who didn't look at least 30 (I'm fairly bad at judging ages).
I used to take it as a compliment (I got asked for proof when buying razers when I was about 20, and very hairy as I hadn't had a shave for a week), and sort of miss it now I'm going grey
At the other end of the range it's mildly amusing watching how the likes of B&Q sometimes approach the subject of people being eligible for the wrinkly discount, I've noticed staff (especially the male staff) tend to be a little hesitant asking "have you heard about our diamond club" to women who look 60ish
The kid was trying to be funny and awkward. He smirked when he asked me and when I pretended I didn't have any ID he laughed.
I have been asked for ID lots of times and it has never bothered me infact I find it as a compliment.
Have you considered that you're paranoid?
You say 'smirked', but what I'm thinking is he was just smiling and being friendly, which is admittedly a rarity in retail these days.
Why were you trying to be difficult pretending you didn't have any?
Now you're drip feeding.
You didn't mention his "attitude" in the OP.
If I were being delayed in a queue whilst you asked an assistant to show you their ID I'd have spoken to you.
But I don't think that bit actually happened anyway.
Anyway, it's late and I'm sure you have work in the morning.
You pretended you didn't have any ID?
In the meantime, the queue behind you was getting longer. I bet that really impressed the other customers.
"The kid" might have only been 18, but it certainly sounds as though you were acting like a spoilt 10 year old.
It still isn't clear what the OP was trying to accomplish by delaying anyway.
The guy behind the counter is hardly likely to care, cigarettes are rarely sold on commission
No not at all I know what smiling and being friendly is. When I asked for the cigarettes the kid smirked and then slowly nodded his head and asked ''have you any ID'' in a very slow voice.
It took me unawares at the start and I quickly said what and the kid tutted. folded his arms and said. ''If you don't show me ID I can't give you the ****'' I few people behind me started to laugh and that became embarrassing.
I then lifted my wallet and the kid stared me dead in the eye and I knew by his attitude he was trying to cause a problem so I decided to pretend I couldn't find anything. Then he started to laugh which I thought was unprofessional and then I just lost it and demanded that he provided me with ID to prove that he was old enough to sell me them.
Listen I'm a nice guy but I don't like going into a shop to find someone with an attitude behind the counter.
If he simply asked if I could show him ID there wouldn't have been a problem but his attitude annoyed.
Another thing I live with my mum and so does my sister I didn't that was a problem.
I was going to compose a reply, but this pretty much covers what I was going to say.
Dammit, most of the cheeky devils don't even look at my ID when I hold it right in front of them!
This either didn't happen, or you were being paranoid.
I think you have some emotional issues, as well as aforementioned paranoia. Have you considered getting some help?
Good for you.. ?
*walks away slowly from the crazy person*
You don't possibly think you could have done the right thing, do you?
At most, the shopkeeper was perhaps a tad overzealous. You were unnecessarily mean to somebody who was simply doing their job.
I reckon by this time tomorrow "the kid" will have leapt across the counter, pinned the OP to the floor, and attacked him with a packet of B&H!
... oh, and I see that those waiting in line are now laughing at "the kid". Nice touch that ... coming just after the suggestion that the OP was holding everyone up! ;-)
Believe what you want to mate and I simply don't care. Goodnight.
I don't know why you asked to see his ID, and I've no idea why he decided to show it to you. He should have firmly asked you to either show ID or leave the queue.
I didn't think I needed to explain every last detail.
Indeed.
It's basically what particularly children do when they lie.
Each time the story is retold or explained it becomes even more embellished.
Of course you don't care, which is why you posted it on an internet forum.