I am one of those 'angering customers' i am 33 and carry no id because as i've legally been entitled to buy alcohol and cigarettes for 15 years now (17 years for cigs) and am legally old enough to be a grandma. therefore i get v v v annoyed if i get id'd, tend to cause a huge argument then boycott the shop and never ever go back!!!!

my top tip is to look at the skin and face of the person - do they have slight lines and wrinkles, or is it taut young skin?

i've always wondered why people id me, i think it's due to clothes or body size - don't just id someone because they're thin and wear youngish clothes.

if in doubt i would say don't id, you will only really get in trouble if they are under 18, and there's a massive difference in looks usually between someone who's 17 and someone who's 25 - it's usually pretty obvious.

No ID: no sale.

You can only go by your opinion. People of 30 can look under 25. And if they look under 25 to you it is your duty to ask for ID. Your job and the shop's license depend on it. Say sorry if they are upset but if they show you some ID you promise you will remember them the next time. Let's face it, they may pretend to get angry if they are trying to deceive you too.

Yeah...i worked in a shop with that policy: To be honest, I just got to know my regulars, and any vageuly youngish stranger got I.D'd.....the mystery shopper ALWAYS has ID, so if you are sure the customer is older than 18, you will be ok to serve them probably.

If in doubt, ID. My cousin got fired from a job for not requiring ID for a 60 year old man.

I'm 24 & my boyfriend is 36. Whenever we go out we either both get carded or neither of us do. It's been this way since I was legally first able to drink (In fact, I was a bit upset when we were out of town I didn't get carded on my 21st birthday!).

There is no way to guess! 17 year olds can look 25, 30 year olds can 20! The only way to make sure is to ask for id. Make sure the shop displays a clear sign indicating that staff cannot guess the ages of all customers and therefore id will be required. People get used to the fact that id is required at certain places and will start carrying some form of id on them. As for people that get cross about it - they're probably the same people that get cross about underage drinking and rant & rave about the government not doing enough about it. You can't please all the people all the time - so just do your job and accept that there are always going to be awkward customers.

You should never guess. If it's POSSIBLE the person could be underage you should check. Everyone should have their ID when they go to buy alcohol, unless they are like 65. I got ID'd going into the mall (where you only have to be 16) and I was 30. Everyone knows they could get carded, don't worry about making them angry.