‘Computer Says ‘No’…’

Staff at supermarket giant Tesco refused to sell wine to a mother - in case she gave it to her 14-year-old daughter.

Fraud investigator Karen Dumelow, 46, and her daughter Emily were at the check-out when a cashier said she could not serve her in case the wine was given to the youngster.

Of course, it shouldn’t be any damn business of Tescos what she did with it – drink it herself, give it to her daughter, christen a ship with it, or pour it down the sink.

But we no longer live in a world where we expect personal responsibility from adults and take appropriate action when they break laws – now, everybody’s business is everybody’s business, up to and including the checkout operators in major supermarkets…

She had been about to pay for two bottles of white wine at the Portsmouth store while doing her weekly shopping with her daughter.

Mrs Dumelow said she spoke to three senior members of staff who agreed with the cashier who had wanted to see identification for the teenager.

So, it’s not just the checkout where they don’t select for initiative and problem-solving….

She said today: 'The checkout assistant asked Emily for ID and I just told her that obviously she didn't have any because she is only 14 years old.

'I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was crazy. Do you have to leave your children at home if you want to buy alcohol now?

No. Just don’t shop at Tesco. Shop somewhere they don’t employ box-ticking morons at the checkout, or in the administration.

Mrs Dumelow, from Milton near Portsmouth, said today: 'The part that incensed me the most was that literally one minute later I bought the wine from the same till - it was unbelievable.

'All I had to do was send my daughter to the car and all of a sudden everything was OK. '

Well, that’s because, despite what Tesco PR flacks might say, this has less to do with ‘curbing under-age drinking’ and more to do with ensuring that it is seen to comply with the latest nonsense from the government. The customers can go to hell if they don’t like it….

Tesco today apologised for the incident and the embarrassment it caused.

'We work hard to prevent under-age sales, including proxy sales where adults purchase alcohol for under-18s. However in this instance we got it wrong and sincerely apologise.'

How about you stop ‘working hard to prevent under-age sales’ and just concentrate on being a supermarket? By all means, ‘card’ those who look underage as you’ve always done – that’s sensible.

But going down the route of rushing to implement every barmy ‘initiative’ this flailing government comes up with, in a desperate bid to stave off the inevitable, is only getting you bad publicity.
Do the sensible thing – cut your losses….