Supermarket refuses to sell a loaf of bread to a 10 year-old

A FATHER has hit out after a supermarket refused to sell his 10-year-old son a loaf of bread.

Paul Ward sent his son David out to fetch some white bread from their local Aldi store while he was busy preparing the family dinner - only for the schoolboy to return saying he had been refused service.

David went back, explaining that his father had sent him to buy the item on Saturday, but was again refused and then thrown out of the premises - with the store manager later explaining young children were not allowed to enter on their own in case they tried to steal something.

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David had been allowed to reach the till with his loaf and Mr Ward says his son has also been into the

supermarket - which is just 300 yards from his house - several times in recent weeks on his own without any problems.

The store say they have a policy that under-16s are not allowed in unless accompanied by an adult but Aldi confirmed it was not a national policy and Mr ward said he couldn't see any signs informing him.

Mr Ward, a 28-year-old self-employed web designer, said: "I sent David out to nip up the road on his bike and get me some bread to have with our dinner because I was busy making us some chips.

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"The next thing I knew he came in looking upset, saying that they wouldn't let him buy anything. I just couldn't understand it because he had been in there two or three times a week over the previous few weeks on his own and he didn't have a problem.

"They had even let him get up to the till with the bread before they refused to sell it to him. I said go back again and tell them that I sent you to get it for me and he came back saying the same thing."

Mr Ward then called up the shop, in Selby, North Yorks., to get an explanation from the manager of the supermarket, only to be rudely brushed off.

The father-of-three said: "When I called up at first the woman I spoke to said it was a new policy because some children had been stealing from there.

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"But then I spoke to the manager and he said it was a company policy which had been in force for a while. I can't see any sign of it on their website and there were no notices in the shop itself.

"Banning kids from going in the shop on their own because some have stolen in the past is discrimination.

"It's insulting and outrageous to tar all kids with the same brush like that. Suppose someone had seen my son being turned away? What would they have thought?"

"I was hoping to get an apology from the manager or for him to say there had been some kind of misunderstanding but he just basically said it is my shop and I can do what I want."

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Mr Ward said he understood that some corner shops with just one member of staff may have to restrict the

number of children at any one time to stop pilfering, particularly with crowds of kids going to school wanting to buy break-time snacks.

But he added: "This is a fully-manned supermarket, and David was on his own in the evening, had been in before and never caused any problems. It would have been perfectly simple just to keep an eye on him, if that's what they feel they have to do.

"And after I phoned, they could even have met him at the door with the bread. But no. They had to put him through this ludicrous pantomime, which was really upsetting for him."

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An Aldi spokesperson said: "Although this is not a national policy, in consideration of all our customers, we request that all children under the age of 16 are accompanied by an adult when entering our Selby store."

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