Here (that is in France :) the legal drinking age is 18 which I think is fine because it's also the majority age.
They used not to ask your ID when you bought alcohol, especially in supermarket because of a grey area surrounding sales of alcoholic drinks to teenagers aged 16 to 18. There used to be different rules depending on the sales point was a bar, a club or a supermarket.
So, recently the government voted a new bill in order tounambiguously ban any sale of alcohol to under-18s anywhere in France. Those measures, which came into force in 2009, were accompanied by an advertising campaign.
Little did I know, when I came to NY last december, that they would ask for my ID to enter pubs and other clubs...I annoyed all our friends just because I didn't take any ID before going out :(
Yeah, they did the same advertising thing recently with alcohol and tobacco.
Eep! Yeah, it's best to carry your ID with you in the US. Even if you don't plan on buying alcohol, they check your ID for plenty of things like buying spray paint/glue (apparently teenagers breathe it to get high, ugh)and buying tickets to R rated movies. A lot of times it surprises even the people who live around here, so don't feel bad about forgetting your ID. XD If I were to travel to a European country, I'm certain that I would do the same thing. >: So they check your ID more often now in France?
The scene is the following : I'm going to the local supermarket to buy a bottle of an aperitif called "Ricard",an aniseed-flavored beverage very popular in France.
Upon arrival, I discover that the store hides behind a locked showcase all the strong alcohols. So I ask one member of the staff to open the showcase for me to grab a bottle.
The guy looks at me suspiciously and tells me : "How old are you? Can you show me your ID?"
Here, I try unsuccesfully to hide my huge vexation and reply casually to the guy : "But come one, I'm thirty you know"
Him, embarassed, "but well, you know, I have to ask because they changed the law and I'm not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages to underaged people...And you do really look young.
He finally retreated without checking my ID. I think I looked so genuinely shoked he mistook me for someone under 18 that he didn't dare asking anymore ;p
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They used not to ask your ID when you bought alcohol, especially in supermarket because of a grey area surrounding sales of alcoholic drinks to teenagers aged 16 to 18. There used to be different rules depending on the sales point was a bar, a club or a supermarket.
So, recently the government voted a new bill in order tounambiguously ban any sale of alcohol to under-18s anywhere in France. Those measures, which came into force in 2009, were accompanied by an advertising campaign.
Little did I know, when I came to NY last december, that they would ask for my ID to enter pubs and other clubs...I annoyed all our friends just because I didn't take any ID before going out :(
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Eep! Yeah, it's best to carry your ID with you in the US. Even if you don't plan on buying alcohol, they check your ID for plenty of things like buying spray paint/glue (apparently teenagers breathe it to get high, ugh)and buying tickets to R rated movies. A lot of times it surprises even the people who live around here, so don't feel bad about forgetting your ID. XD If I were to travel to a European country, I'm certain that I would do the same thing. >: So they check your ID more often now in France?
Reply
Here is what happen to me some weeks ago.
The scene is the following : I'm going to the local supermarket to buy a bottle of an aperitif called "Ricard",an aniseed-flavored beverage very popular in France.
Upon arrival, I discover that the store hides behind a locked showcase all the strong alcohols. So I ask one member of the staff to open the showcase for me to grab a bottle.
The guy looks at me suspiciously and tells me : "How old are you? Can you show me your ID?"
Here, I try unsuccesfully to hide my huge vexation and reply casually to the guy : "But come one, I'm thirty you know"
Him, embarassed, "but well, you know, I have to ask because they changed the law and I'm not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages to underaged people...And you do really look young.
He finally retreated without checking my ID. I think I looked so genuinely shoked he mistook me for someone under 18 that he didn't dare asking anymore ;p
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