Friday Night Shopping

Dear Waitrose,

I thought I'd write you a little note just to let you know that I do, in fact, adore shopping with you.  Of all the supermarkets you are my favourite for many reasons, the primary of which is the fact that as you slightly overprice your products the calibre of person in store is usually much better. 

Call me a snob if you will, but if I have been at work all day and want to get something nice for my dinner, I do not want to contend with screaming toddlers and their oblivious parents.  I want to wander, quietly browsing until I find something yummy.  I then would like to pay without much of a wait and make my way home.

This evening, all was well until I got to the checkout.  Here's what I bought:

• Computer Active Magazine x 1
• Look magazine x 1
• Ciabatta Rolls x 1 pack of 4
• Deli Style Charlotte Potato Salad x1
• Coleslaw x 1
• Birds Eye Simply Salmon in Lemon/Herb butter x1
• Nestle Mint Aero x 1
• Jacques Fruit Cider x1

The young lady serving me and my father (who is well over 60, I should add) was under 18 and so had to ask a grown up if she could serve me the cider.

So we waited.  She pushed her little buzzer and waited for the lady in the barbour-style green jacket (seemingly this indicates some sort of seniority) to come over.  We waited a bit more.  And a bit more.  Probably only three or four minutes in total, but that is too long really.

Eventually, barbour-jacket comes over, types a little code into the till and looks me up and down.

Now, I will admit, I do try to take good care of my face.  The rest of my body, not so much.  I don't like the gym but do very much like alcohol/cheeseburgers/vast quantities of pasta/chocolate etc.

The policy in the majority of shops is that if you look under 21, they will ask you for ID.

Barbour-jacket's eyesight is so bad that the face below apparently looks under 21:

 

Note the lack of makeup, the bags under eyes, the smile lines (aquired mostly through years cynical/derisive laughter).  This is the face of someone who works in an office and at the moment doesn't enjoy it much.  This is not the face of an underage drinker looking to get wrecked.

I ask you, Waitrose, do you think that underage drinkers go to your stores with their dad on a friday night and buy ciabatta and salmon to go with their posh fruit cider?  Really Waitrose?  Really?  We're hardly talking fish and chips and abottle of white lightning are we?

Many people may find it flattering.  For me, it does just seem ridiculous.  I may be a little hard on myself but I am quite sure that I do not look under 21.  At the moment I'm amazed that I pass for under 41.

I do understand that you have laws and rules to follow, however I can't help but think you may be better off having the people enforcing those rules able to read without the use of brail and navigate their way around the store without the assistance of a guide dog or a white stick. 

Otherwise, thank you for a lovely shopping experience.

Best Regards

Beth

Comments

[Daniel Hoffmann-Gill]

A few things, first off you have a lovely face and indeed look young, in the area of 21 is not a flight of fancy, so well done on that front; may I also add you have large eyes and large lips, which is an excellent combo.

Secondly, you are posh as you shop at Waitrose.

How come no one has asked you to marry them yet?

[Beth]

Daniel - You flatter me, thank you. I'm not really that posh, I'm just not all that child-friendly and there are fewer screeching brats in Waitrose than there are in Tesco and so by shopping there its an altogether more serene experience! As for the marriage question, I can't answer that! I'm notoriously bad at picking the right man for the job and so I'm having a bit of a break from it all at the moment!

[HereInFranklin]

Good thing you don't live in my neck of the woods. Grocery stores in Tennessee are REQUIRED BY LAW to card each and every person buying alcohol. I am 50--I was carded yesterday. It is a nusiance, but if it keeps a kid from driving drunk, so be it. It's habit now, I just automatically pull out the ID. Oddly, the law just applies to grocery stores and convenience stores (like gas stations). Liquor stores, where they sell the wine and spirits, have no requirement.

What's more irritating is getting behind someone who wants cigarettes--they're all locked in a cabinet on the other side of the store.

[Daniel Hoffmann-Gill]

Not flattery I promise, just shooting from the hip on what I see.

Take it easy.

[ruby]

What bags under the eyes? What lines? You are a beautiful woman with great skin and bone structure, there's nothing to put down there! Although I agree you don't look like a child and teenagers wanting to get trashed don't generally also get salmon and coleslaw to go with it but the meal sounds yummy!

[Beth]

HIF - You know, that wouldn't bother me so much if it was the rule across the board. Over here, its based on the sales person's discretion. I see your point on trying to stop a kid from driving drunk but I think if someone is going to do it they'll find a way regardless, you know?

Daniel - Thank you. You too!

Ruby - Thank you for the compliments there! Unfortunately, the meal was a bit of a disappointment. I don't really like Salmon but my dad does and so we had it more for him than for me. I do keep trying to like it, its just not happening. Everything else was lovely though!

[sid]

What you mean you weren't honoured that someone assumed you were that young? Although you were with your 60 year old dad, I mean what minor would try to score alcohol with their dad?

[Gany]

Same goes for my brother even though he's 25. I won't complain however, if any cashier could annoy him a bit with his ID, he might give up smoking.

[Dena]

I could probably still get into a theme park at a children's rate. It worked at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in St. Augustine, Florida. My ticket was for 14 years or younger. I was 24.

[Beth]

Sid- it's not so much that I don't like being told I look young as much as I hate it when people don't think about things before making a judgement. I have stupidity issues I guess.

[Beth]

Gany - I think smoking is one of those things you have to want to stop yourself. If burning five quid a day doesn't stop him ubfortunately I doubt getting I.D'd would either!

[Beth]

Dena - See, now that's pretty impressive! There is always a silver lining huh?

[Roses]

I can understand your stupidity issues. I too have them.

However, sweetheart, take it from me. You don't look 21.

You are beautiful.

Stop running yourself down. It's not necessary. Life is shit enough without you being horrible to yourself. You are gorgeous. Enjoy it. Plenty enough time to indulge in being an old, wrinkled hag later.

[Roses]

PS. I lurve Waitrose! Though I am completely bone-idle and get Sainsbury's to do my shopping for me. That way I have a fighting chance of keeping to my budget.

[Beth]

Roses - Thank you! It wasn't really meant to sound like me putting myself down. I think I'm looking pretty good for 27...just not THAT good.

[Blush]

lol i still get carded for alcohol and tobacco too. it should be flattering, but ridiculous nonetheless.

[Beth]

Blush - If I smoked I'd be okay for tobacco because the legal age for that is 16 here and I definitely look older than that!

[KennethSF]

You'll probably hate me to siding with the clueless sales clerk, but you do have a very youthful look, which could justifiably be mistaken for 21 or under.

But you're right about the dad. I can't imagine an underage girl dragging along her dad if she were attempting to buy alcohol.

[Beth]

Kenneth - I don't necessarily mind being told I look younger, it was just the whole situation. As you say, an underage girl is not going booze-shopping with her dad! Logically, she'd try to get him to buy it for her!