Couple refused non-alcoholic beer because 33-year-old wife didn’t have ID

Zero alcohol beer is a ‘gateway drink’ according to a shopkeeper who refused to serve a 40-year-old man and his wife non-alcoholic beer because his wife, who was 33-years-old, didn’t have her ID with her.

The incident occurred on Saturday (16 December) when Konrad and Joanna Kasiske were doing their weekly shop at their local Countdown store in Ponsonby, New Zealand.

Konrad told the New Zealand Herald that he picked up a pack of non-alcoholic beer, went up to the cashier to pay and, when the beer came through, the till operator asked him for ID. He thought it was quite funny at first, but he gave his ID and thought all was well.

However, the cashier then proceeded to ask his wife for her ID which she had left at home. The cashier then refused to serve the alcohol because it was store policy that all members of a ‘group’ must have a valid ID to prevent the sale of alcohol to underage customers.

The store policy demands that anyone who looks 25-years-old or younger is checked for ID, but the couple was left feeling confused and annoyed as neither could have realistically been underage. Kasiske said it was ‘ridiculous’ and the store lacked ‘common sense’ as neither he nor his wife looked too young to buy alcohol, especially when the beer in question contained little to no alcohol.

The couple complained to management but were told the store stood by the decision because they reserve the right to refuse anyone who does not have a valid ID and looks under the age of 25.