Co-op staff refuse to sell 49-year-old mum a £1.50 bottle of cider because she had her 16-year-old son with her
Mature student Gini is calling on the store to review their policy
A MUM of four was stunned when she was told she couldn't buy alcohol - because she was with her teenage son.
Gini Dellow, 49, was trying to buy a £1.50 bottle of cider from her local Co-op but staff kept asking 16-year-old son Kit for ID.
Despite Gina telling the worker she was the one buying the alcohol, staff kept asking Kit for proof of age as part of their Challenge 25 policy.
She was left fuming when a supervisor told her she was barred from buying the Old Mout cider and had to go elsewhere to purchase the £1.50 bottle of booze.
Gini, from Lincoln, said: "I thought it was ridiculous that I was not allowed to buy alcohol with my grocery shopping.
"Does that mean every person shopping with children cannot buy alcohol. I think there needs to be some common sense used in this situations or they are just implying that parents are buying alcohol and giving it straight to their children. If that is the case, it should still be up to the parent anyway and the Co-operative should not be the ones to judge.”
Mature student Gini has vented her frustration at Co-op on social media and is calling on them to review the terms of their Challenge 25 policy.
The Challenge 25 scheme allows stores to refuse to sell alcohol to anyone of any age, if they believe it may ultimately be consumed by someone who is underage.
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She said: "Clearly parents can only shop there (Lincolnshire Co-operative) without their children and ask them to come and help with the shopping trip because you feel below par is out of the equation!”
Spokesperson for Lincolnshire Co-op Emma Snedden said: "Unfortunately in cases like this, the person serving the customer is in a no-win situation.
"If they genuinely think someone is under 25 they will ask for ID.
"Retailers also have the right to refuse a sale if they believe the alcohol could be consumed by someone under-age.
"There are serious consequences, both for the individual and the retailer if we fall foul of the law.
"We work with police and trading standards on our policies.
"We are bound to get it wrong sometimes and we ask customers to bear with us if we ask for ID or refuse a sale.
"We believe adhering to tough policies is the best safeguard to ensure we're not selling alcohol to those under-age."
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