Tis a Monday morning, and therefore a good time to award my prestigious and world famous "Prats of The Week" award.This week the award goes to Tesco.
Tesco is refusing to sell alcohol to parents shopping with their children.
Why?
Tesco are under the foolish delusion that this somehow will reduce underage drinking.
Tesco has issued an edict to its cashiers, who have been told not to supply alcohol if they suspect an adult is buying the drink for an underage youth.
Staff have been told to "err on the side of caution" (a very Nannyesque phrase - so much caution, so little common sense) when interpreting the policy.
Needless to say, given that we live in Nanny Britain, commonsense has been thrown out of the window and hapless customers shopping with their children have been told by Tesco staff to put alcohol back on the shelves.
Debbie Bell, 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.
Dominic Zenden, a television medium, was told he could not buy six bottles of Budweiser beer when he was accompanied by his 15-year-old daughter Devon. Mind you, since he is "psychic", he should have seen that one coming!
A cashier at the shop in Sprowston, Norwich, refused to believe Mr Zenden was not going to share the drink with his daughter.
He said:
"I was dumbfounded. There was absolutely no indication that my daughter would be drinking the alcohol – it was for me.
But the woman told me that they don't sell alcohol to people who have children with them."
A Tesco spokesman said:
"I can understand the frustrations of the customer but I think that any reasonable parent would understand the problem and support our policy."
It's not up to a grocer to dictate to parents how they introduce their children to alcohol.
Tesco seem to have a wee bit of a split personality when it comes to booze, on the one hand they would us believe that they are highly responsible when it comes to selling alcohol and not encouraging "binge drinking". On the other hand, they have been known to sell booze at 22p per can.
Yet in March I wrote:
"They have recently publicly demanded that Nanny introduce new laws to ban the sale of cut-price alcohol.
Tesco claims that this is in response to the public concern over the level of drink-fuelled crime and disorder.
Tesco claim that legislation is required to 'ensure responsible pricing on alcohol'.
Now the more intelligent amongst you may well ask, why doesn't Tesco simply put their prices up?
Oh dear oh dear, how little you understand the dilemma that Tesco finds itself in.
You see, if it were to do that people would simply shop elsewhere; and we couldn't have that now, could we?"
Tesco, well deserving Prats of The week.
The solution to this is simple, boycott their stores.
Visit The Orifice of Government Commerce and buy a collector's item.
Visit The Joy of Lard and indulge your lard fantasies.
Show your contempt for Nanny by buying a T shirt or thong from Nanny's Store.
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Celebrate the joy of living with champagne. Click and drink!
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Perhaps Tesco need to be made aware of the law :- http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/alcohol/alcohol_law2.shtml
ReplyDeleteWhilst it is illegal for them to sell to under 18s its not illegal for parents to allow under 18s to drink within the family home.
Here is a better, official, guide to drinking and the law:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourchildshealthandsafety/WorriedAbout/DG_10026210
What ever happened to personal responsibility?
ReplyDeleteWill Tesco adopt a similar policy to tobacco products?
Perhaps they should not sell high calorie junk food to people with children with them.
This is a Nanny step too far.
I cannot see why there has been such a rise in patronising organisations telling adults what they can and can't do.....Actually I can...It's because we let them!!
Tonk,
ReplyDeleteIndeed we do. If confronted with such utter rubbish whilst shopping at Tescos (naturally I frequent far superior shopping emporiums) the shopper should refuse to hand back legally purchased goods, demand to see the manager, hold up the shopping line until said manager arrives, make a big bloody scene about the whole idiot, then tell them where to shove their store card and take their business elsewhere. Also, write to the chairman and tell him that Tescos has lost their business. Oh, I forgot we Brits don't do that do we - after all it is a bit of trouble and well, anything for the quiet life, eh.
Fasten your lap-strap Frosty, they're coming after us middle-aged, middle class pissheads again...
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteSurely cans of 'booze' sold for 22p would fall foul of the Trades Description Act wouldn't they?
I am awaiting my opportunity to cause disruption at someones checkout - maybe everyones.
Plastic bag charges should be enough justification I think. I could try the 'shopping for booze with kids' justification but both of mine are over 21 and seemingly brainwashed into expecting to be ID'd regularly by some 17 years old checkout assistant earning just enough per hour to pay their bus fair to and from work but threatened by £80 personal fines if 'the authorities' send in some 13 years old Lolita to 'test' their age checking credentials.
Can you say 'entrapment' without fear of persecution?
Grant
I was thinking of going down to Tescos with one of my Grandchildren to see if they would try to stop me from buying some Hook Norton's Ol' Hockey.....Then I realised....I can't go out, as I need Nanny to tie my shoe laces for me....booo hoo:-)
ReplyDeleteI've been boycotting Tesco now for some eighteen months because of their attitude (pre-ban) towards staff who smoke. My resolve was further strengthened at Christmas by their treatment of two disabled customers who returned to their car after having spent a fortune, to be told that they had parked for too long. Tesco, of course, doesn't give two hoots about my little protest but it gives me a small satisfaction to think that I'm doing something to thwart their taking over every town centre.
ReplyDeleteIn my middle years I'm becoming extremely stroppy when I encounter this kind of nonsense and would do exactly as number 6 suggests. In fact I had a successful run in with Parcelforce only a few weeks ago (have you ever tried to get hold of a parcel that they 'tried to deliver while you were out'?. It took only my saying politely but very firmly that I was now losing patience and required the name of the chief executive to whom I would be writing for them to overturn their completely unreasonable 'policy'.
Now to tackle Asda and their policy of refusing to stock deep fried frozen chips LOL
Joyce
Do the tesco shareholders have a say in this?
ReplyDeleteI note further that Nanny now defines "binge drinking" as partaking of more than 3 "units" of alcohol (for men, women allowed less) per day, while a pint of beer/lager typically has over 2.5 "units". And Nanny wants to spend £100 million to discourage this.
ReplyDeleteSo having a can with the sixPM news and a second with the elevenPM news is "binge" drinking? And that money will stop it?
Actual binge drinkers, whether those who do it once a year or every day, are already quite well aware that they are over-doing it. And will continue to do it. If hangovers and DTs are not binge-stoppers, a placard on the side of an omnibus certainly will not.
Just back from a flying visit to the dear old Kingdom of Unity. Had the great pleasure of arriving at a M&S checkout having bought 83 quid's worth of stuff, neccesitating the use of four plastic bags. Being unaware of Marks's new policy I was rather surprised to be told that the bags would cost me 20p - not half as surprised as the check out girl was when I emptied everything out on the counter and told her that, unless she was able to find me something free in which I could carry my stuff away, one of three things would happen, either:
ReplyDelete1) I would phone my brother who lives some fifteen miles away and ask him to bring something in which to transport my purchases; in which case I would stand at the checkout until he arrived.
or:
2) I would call the manager and offer him the opportunity to give me the plastic bags (or pay for them himself). And I would, of course, stand at the checkout until he arrived.
or:
3) the girl could call the manager and explain to him why I wanted a refund on my purchases. And I would stand at the checkout until he arrived.
They took option 3 on the basis that, "If they did either 1 or 2 for me, they would have to do it for everybody."
Just to get things moving, one old dear offered to pay the 20p on my behalf {I guess if I had had a whip-round of all the irate costomers behind me, I could have got most of my shopping for free.}
I did make the point, very loudly, that I would never shop at Marks & Sparks again until they removed their stupid 'plastic bag' toll.
In the great scheme of things, a pointless gesture I suppose, but I did enjoy it [only I had to go and buy all the stuff at Sainsbury's instead].
Nice one grumpy.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering how long it might be before one was banned completely if such action was to be repeated.
My alternative plan, in order to attempt to extend the pre-ban period for maximum opportunity, would be to take my own bags, especially if shopping for clothes. I think large and preferably gaudy bags would be good but only if they advertised an alternative vendor.
Loading M&S clothes (for later return) into, say, a Primark or Matalan logo bag could be fun. Leave the labels visible of course.
Plan B would be to have some bags made up for the purpose with relevant messages printed on them.
Grant
I too have little time for Tesco for various reasons, including the disgraceful incident at Christmas involving the two disabled customers. However, it cannot be denied that there is a problem in this country with underage drinking, and I feel that any measures which may help to tackle the problem should be applauded.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, whilst I sympathise with Grumpy's experience at Marks and Spencer's (I too shop there) there is an environmental problem involving plastic bags which does need to be addressed. For about a month prior to the charge being introduced, Marks and Spencers were giving away strong reusable biodegradable plastic bags, which they have stated they will replace free of charge when they wear out. Moreover, I can see most other shops following suit before long. In any case, supermarkets and other retailers used to charge for these bags when they were first introduced: it is only more recently that they have been supplied 'free'.
I watched a piece on BBC news 24 yesterday and a spokesman said that only two percent of waste that went into landfil was packaging from supermarkets and that of that waste only point two percent was carrier bags.
ReplyDeleteA high profile "we must be seen to be doing something" jesture by Nanny.
I too have saved my Matalan/TK max/BHS/Tesco carrier bags for use in M&S next time I shop there. Actually I may take a big black bin bag...Mmmmm, there'e a thought.
My daughter (12ish at the time) went to buy a prit stick from the local shop she was refused, I then went in with her and the plonker woudn't sell it me as he said it was for my daughter..
ReplyDelete