A 21-year-old woman, Merryn Walker, was recently asked to show her ID to prove she was over 18, in order to be able to try a sample of mince pie in Asda.
A branch of the supermarket, in Donnington, has now come under fire for asking Walker to prove her age. The pie sample contained a small amount of port and brandy, which the box describes as having 4% brandy and 1.5% ruby port.
Walker said ‘It’s crazy. You could probably eat a box and not be inebriated.’
What really makes this story even more ridiculous is that even though you need your ID to try a sample, you don’t need it if you want to buy a whole box of the ‘Luxury All-Butter Mince Pies’.
A spokesperson for Asda told the Independent that ‘We know our customers will love the fantastic festive food we have available this year, which is why we’re sampling bite-sized portions of some of the tasty treats in the build-up to Christmas. For obvious reasons products containing liquid alcohol are only offered to customers over the age of 18.
However, mince pies are a family staple and would usually be made available to all – but, we would never criticise an individual for trying to do the right thing when presented with a customer who’s lucky enough to look younger than their years.’
So remember, if you’re hoping to get some free mince pie samples this festive season, bring your ID!
