No ID, No Idea, Part 16

(We can sell alcohol and cigarettes to those that provide ID but as we often serve regular customers we don’t ask for their ID. The UK legal age to buy alcohol and cigarettes is 18. A regular customer walks in. He looks young but is actually of legal age to purchase said items.)

Customer: “I would like a packet of [Popular Cigarette Brand].”

Me: “Of course.”

(The customer leaves the store. A few minutes later my mum walks in with my sister.)

Mum: “Did you just sell cigarettes to a boy?”

Me: “Yes, but it’s okay. He’s over 18.”

Mum: “Okay, but you should know he just gave them to a girl in a school uniform.”

(I am stunned and a little annoyed but forget about the incident until later, when the customer walks back into the store to buy food.)

Customer: “Hey again, I forgot to pick up some things.”

Me: “No problem. Just to let you know, I can’t stop you from buying cigarettes for yourself, but in the  future I recommend you don’t give them to those that are underage.”

Customer: “I didn’t give my d*** cigarettes to anyone!”

Me: “A customer walked in after you purchased the cigarettes and told me you handed them to a girl in a school uniform.”

Customer: “Fine, whatever.” *pays and walks out*

(A little more time passes, I forget about the incident. I am stocking the shelves when a woman storms up to me.)

Woman: “You refused to sell my son cigarettes! He’s over legal age! We come in this store all the time!”

Me: *realising she’s talking about the earlier incident* “I’m sorry, I think there’s been some kind of miscommunication. I didn’t refuse your son service. I just told him he shouldn’t give his cigarettes to minors.”

Woman: “My son would never do such a thing! You’re a f****** liar!”

Me: “I have a very reliable eyewitness that he did.”

Woman: “Oh, so you have other customers spying on us now then? Who ratted him out?”

Me: “My mum. And to repeat myself: We have a very clear policy that we cannot sell +18 products to those intending to buy for those that are underage. If I sell cigarettes to your son and a police officer sees him give them to someone underage, he could suffer a huge fine and would could lose our license.”

Woman: “I don’t give a d*** about your f****** license.”

Me: “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”

(The woman walks out. A few months later, I am working in a different store, but I decide to pop in to the original store to see how the manager is doing.)

Manager: “Hey, did you know that [Customer] got prosecuted?”

Me: “No, why?”

Manager: “They caught him selling cigarettes to minors.”

(Apparently the girl in the uniform was his sister and he’d been buying her cigarettes, which she’d been selling at her local school. Luckily they didn’t trace any of the purchases back to our company!)