Father baffled as store refuses to sell lottery tickets

2:20pm Friday 19th October 2012 in News

Zak Haines with father Trevor, who is angry at the way they were treated while trying to buy lottery tickets at an Asda kiosk in Frome Zak Haines with father Trevor, who is angry at the way they were treated while trying to buy lottery tickets at an Asda kiosk in Frome

A father from Trowbridge was left baffled when he was refused Lotto tickets at an Asda store, because his son was with him.

Trevor Haimes, 37, and eight-year-old Zak had done their weekly shopping at the store in Frome on Saturday afternoon and went to a kiosk to buy lucky dip Lotto tickets.

However, when Zak asked for the tickets, the cashier refused to sell them to him. Then the shopworker refused to serve Mr Haimes, on the grounds he could give the tickets to his son.

Mr Haimes, of Carders Corner, said: “Initially, I thought they were joking. But the third time they said they couldn’t serve me, the woman said I was teaching my son to gamble. She said I was ‘unsaleable’.

“I said that I’d taken him down the beer aisle, and now I was taking him to a tobacconist to get a lottery ticket, so was I teaching him to drink and smoke? It’s madness. “They obviously weren’t for him.”

Mr Haimes even asked Zak to go and stand in the entrance of the store, just outside the building, and again asked for tickets but was still refused.

Eventually, Mr Haimes asked for a refund on all his shopping, which came to about £50.

He said: “When she said, sarcastically, ‘Have a nice day, sir, thank you’, I thought. ‘I’m not having this,’ and asked for a refund on my shopping. “It was the shame and embarrassment, really. It’s absurd.”

That afternoon, Mr Haimes and Zak went to several other stores to buy lottery tickets and had no problems being served, despite Zak asking for them.

“We went to Sainsbury’s, Asda in Trowbridge and a petrol station. Zak asked for the tickets and we got served each time,” said Mr Haimes.

Mr Haimes has complained to Asda, but the firm has backed its staff.

An Asda spokesman said: “We’re committed to following legislation around National Lottery sales.”

Comments(30)

€d says...
5:09pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Simple, buy the Lotto ticket yourself and don't get your 8 year old son to buy them. Why do people make life so difficult for themselves?

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Mrs Donnyfly says...
8:32pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Oh how awful for the poor man and his son. Kind of puts all the problems in the world into perspective, doesn't it?

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Marrytime says...
1:51am Sat 20 Oct 12

€d wrote:
Simple, buy the Lotto ticket yourself and don't get your 8 year old son to buy them. Why do people make life so difficult for themselves?
Or buy them via lottery website, even the cat bought some tickets there.

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Marrytime says...
1:51am Sat 20 Oct 12

€d wrote:
Simple, buy the Lotto ticket yourself and don't get your 8 year old son to buy them. Why do people make life so difficult for themselves?
Or buy them via lottery website, even the cat bought some tickets there.

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old 'arry says...
6:58am Sat 20 Oct 12

Nice to know he has the money to waste on several lots of lottery tickets. Money which could be better spent on a slimming course for both.

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Grumpyoldgit99 says...
10:06am Sat 20 Oct 12

It is exactly the same with alcohol. If he had sent his son to buy some beers the store would have refused to serve him, even if he then said the beers were for himself rather than his son. Once a suspicion has been raised, a store is obliged not to sell.

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weasels ripped my flesh says...
10:17am Sat 20 Oct 12

He looks like he would be easily baffled.

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Grumpyoldgit99 says...
10:24am Sat 20 Oct 12

Good Daily Mail sadface.

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mr.choosy says...
10:28am Sat 20 Oct 12

People are dying around the world, and we have to care about Haimes hurt feelings? You have to be kidding me.

This world really is deteriorating

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Grumpyoldgit99 says...
10:43am Sat 20 Oct 12

Asda was right anyway. He was encouraging his son to gamble, otherwise he wouldn't have spent the afternoon setting a bad example by dragging him round half the outlets in Trowbridge buying lottery tickets!

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beetawix says...
11:13am Sat 20 Oct 12

Grumpyoldgit99 wrote:
Asda was right anyway. He was encouraging his son to gamble, otherwise he wouldn't have spent the afternoon setting a bad example by dragging him round half the outlets in Trowbridge buying lottery tickets!
Asda in Frome was right, but Asda Trowbridge appears to be untrained in the matter as does Sainsbury's and the unnamed petrol station.

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beetawix says...
11:26am Sat 20 Oct 12

mr.choosy wrote:
People are dying around the world, and we have to care about Haimes hurt feelings? You have to be kidding me.

This world really is deteriorating
its ok, we don't have to care about him.
People dying around the world naturally or otherwise and world deterioration are arguably outside the remit of the Wiltshire Times.

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notscot says...
1:37pm Sat 20 Oct 12

So - he would have been happy to pay the £80 fine the assistant could have been hit with if they were reported to Trading Standards?!!! Grow up, you ridiculous man.

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Blanche Terraine says...
6:58pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Zak Haimes and Bobby Hill, from 'King of the Hill' on TV - separated at birth?

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moaning minny says...
7:43pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Asda did the right thing not selling him the ticket i work in a shop selling lottery and scratchcards and i would have done the same thing we also will not sell scratchcards if the parent asks the a child what number scratchcard to buy. If a shop sold an age related product to his son and he was underage he would be the first person to jump and shout i bet!!!

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Blanche Terraine says...
7:54pm Sat 20 Oct 12

If I won the lottery, I would establish and fund a Campaign to Prevent the State from Promoting Gambling and False Hope.

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notscot says...
8:43pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Does he take his son into the local betting office, too?

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Mrs Donnyfly says...
2:57am Sun 21 Oct 12

moaning minny wrote:
Asda did the right thing not selling him the ticket i work in a shop selling lottery and scratchcards and i would have done the same thing we also will not sell scratchcards if the parent asks the a child what number scratchcard to buy. If a shop sold an age related product to his son and he was underage he would be the first person to jump and shout i bet!!!
Not encouraging gambling there in your last sentence are you minny?

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Mrs Donnyfly says...
11:16am Sun 21 Oct 12

Blanche Terraine wrote:
If I won the lottery, I would establish and fund a Campaign to Prevent the State from Promoting Gambling and False Hope.
I think we have enough nannying tyrants telling consenting adults what they mustn't do for their own good.

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Christof99 says...
11:53am Sun 21 Oct 12

I hate laws that stop 8 year olds from buying lottery tickets, why can't they, then they can spend their pocket money in the betting shops or heading into a local casino.
Lets campaign to get this happening so we can encourage more 8 year olds to turn to gambling to fund their need of sherbet din dab.
Then we will see more unwashed hobos drinking cheap cider where their life's went wrong and the Wilts Times will do a story about how many homeless need your help cos they started gambling at 8 years old thanks to The Haimes family disbelief his son got turned away for being underage in line with The Law.

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Blanche Terraine says...
11:59am Sun 21 Oct 12

Hank Hill wouldn't allow Bobby to gamble.

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smokingbeagle says...
2:14pm Sun 21 Oct 12

Blanche Terraine wrote:
Hank Hill wouldn't allow Bobby to gamble.
He would allow Bobby to gamble on propane.

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Nanny Ogg says...
2:14pm Sun 21 Oct 12

Has this silly man never heard of Trading Standards? Not only could the assistant in question be fined but also the individual store, the company and any other member of staff who could have prevented the sale (yes, honestly).
The only way you can spot TS is if they leave without argument, but with a smile, after the sale has been refused.

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DaveHegarty says...
9:12am Mon 22 Oct 12

I think this article was mis-titled... "8 year old boy refused sale of lottery ticket" would probably be more appropriate.

If this is the worst thing that's honestly going on in this blokes life then I have to say he's doing alright. If this is honestly news worthy then I'm both reassured and disappointed at the same time...

Reassured about Wiltshire being such a lovely place, disappointed that this is genuinely an issue worth reporting on. Maybe our dissatisfied punter could have put his pound to better use donating it to charity instead of wasting several more in a pointless test purchasing exercise?

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Nanny Ogg says...
2:15pm Mon 22 Oct 12

Agreed Mr Hegarty

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OhThisIsFun says...
11:19pm Mon 22 Oct 12

Tax on the stupid !

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notscot says...
9:01am Tue 23 Oct 12

OhThisIsFun wrote:
Tax on the stupid !
Got my vote - you gonna stand for the new pcc role?!

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€d says...
12:05pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Father baffled as store refuses to break the law

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WhatDoIPayMyCouncilTaxFor? says...
1:39pm Fri 26 Oct 12

obviously can't read as all lottery outlets clearly display a sign saying it is illegal to sell lottery tickets to anyone under 16, bloke needs to get a grip on reality in the greater scheme of things this aint worth the newsprint it takes up or the space in the paper, get a life and worry about things that really matter

Idiot

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WhatDoIPayMyCouncilTaxFor? says...
2:06pm Fri 26 Oct 12

Its a sad state of affairs when reporting someone upholding the law is news.

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