"It is bureaucracy gone mad".

[Chugnut]

I was behind a woman who was asked for ID. She responded with 'I'm 28'.

You *could* get a very young looking 28 year old though. Was she? This bloke was 71!!!

I tell her to count the rings on my nob.

Outstanding wendigo100!

[sasguru]

I tell her to count the rings on my nob.

Haven't fixed your syphilis problem then?

[BoredBloke]

"You *could* get a very young looking 28 year old though. Was she?"

No - A bit of a heffer really - obviously older than 18 though

[NickFitz]

A bit of a heffer really

heifer

(Unless you meant Simon Heffer...)

[Mailman]

I tell her to count the rings on my nob.

If that were true, the counter boy you asked to do that would most likely get done for being a pedo!

Mailman

[BoredBloke]

I wonder what would have been the reaction if the old guy had asked for proof that the person serving him alcohol was over 18?

[Old Greg]

Mrs OG and I got asked for ID in Sainsbury's the other day. We were delighted.

[DBA_bloke]

I wonder what would have been the reaction if the old guy had asked for proof that the person serving him alcohol was over 18?

Security would be called, then the old man battered to a standstill by a security bod, followed by discovery that security personnel are Polish immigrants, followed by a lengthy hearing at the European Court of Human Rights, followed by discovery that Madeleine McC is in one of the freezers, followed by accusing fingers being pointed at local Social Workers for ignoring the situation for so long, followed by the building of a mosque where the booze aisle once was, followed by foot & mouth being discovered in a tin of Steak & Onion, followed by the local MP falling for one of the Cheeky Girls, followed by a huge queue forming outside the local C+G, etc, I suppose. Hard to be 100% accurate, though.

[Joe Black]

"It sounds as though he was being a stroppy old git."

No I think he was right. Why should a pensioner have to prove that he is over 21 - surely there is a point where common sense comes into play?

As someone now based in Belgium, to me it seems quite normal.

The phrase 'sans papiers' doesn't allow common sense to intrude...

[Board Game Geek]

Suppose the guy "wasn't" 71 as he looked ?

Suppose he was a 17 year old police cadet, disguised as an old man, as part of a sting operation ?

Suppose he was 16, but with that genetic disease that makes you age prematurely ? (I forget the name....lol "marriage" sprung to mind there)

Suppose he was a 9 year old time traveller from the future, who overshot the past too much and ended up looking 71...

The fella was being awkward for the sake of sheer bl00dy-mindedness.

(or perhaps his ID said "Lord Lucan" and he didn't want to be rumbled)

Seriously...all he had to do was confirm his age. It's not the job of the person asking him to make an on the spot decision themselves.