Following my recent post about our local branch of Lidl's being prosecuted for selling alcohol to underage drinkers, the case has now been dealt with by local licensing officials. The store has been allowed to keep its Liquor Licence, but on the strict understanding that they operate a "Challenge 25" policy.
The group claim that they already have a "Challenge 21" policy in place, but have been told they must apply the stricter guidelines. Tonbridge will now be the first Lidl's branch to operate "Challenge 25", but the German-owned chain has indicated that they now intend to roll this policy out across all their UK stores. The procedure is already in operation, as my 19 year old son found last night. He was asked to produce ID, which of course he was able to do, whilst paying for his beer at the checkout.
4 comments:
Ah well, so long as they don't introduce "Challenge 55", I'm not bothered...
I often think the best response to this nonsense would be to organise a national "Leave your shopping at the checkout day", involving getting groups of strapping, but obviously under-25, rugby-playing lads to put loads of beer in the supermarket trolley, along with a token packet of biscuits, and then see if they were challenged. We British are far too willing to put up with such impositions.
We certainly are far too acquiescent when it comes to accepting such things!
Cheers for the update. Seems like a sensible conclusion to me. I just hit 26 so I should be ok!
I know from experience, as i'm sure you do Paul, how hard it is to tell how old the young customer is buying the alcohol you are selling. My big fear was being 'stung'. I don't have a problem with the law or the regime put in place to police it. I think what irritates me is the lack of conscientious staff in many supermarkets
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