Wimborne Woman Refused Alcohol

Wimborne shop refuses to sell wine to customer.

Vicky Dallimore (24) was refused service by Somerfield Co-operative in Crown Mead, during the Folk Festival, because her adult autistic brother didn’t have ID, even though he wasn’t buying any alcohol. She was only buying a bottle of wine and despite explaining that her brother was autistic and didn’t drink she was still refused, even though she had her own ID.

It’s easy to understand the frustration Vicky felt at not being served, after all it’s probably happened to us all at one time or another, but what matters here is the law and how it’s enforced. Somerfield Co-operative operates a ‘Challenge 25’ policy challenging anyone they believe to be under this age to provide ID. The law is very strict on the sale of alcohol and the punishments for infringements are severe. The fact here is that Vicky ‘COULD’ have been buying the wine for her brother despite her protests, and even if it isn’t law that shops check the ID of everyone accompanying the buyer you can’t blame them for doing so. They can’t be seen to take any chances because their alcohol licence is on the line.

What of Waitrose when they finally open? It’s guaranteed that Waitrose will follow the same policy, as they will also not want to fall foul of the law. So it’s not a matter of Somerfield Co-operative not being customer friendly, it’s the matter of the law and shops taking the precautions they feel necessary not to break the law.

Do you think the shop was right to refuse the sale, or do you think they were being over cautious?