By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-12-17 10:31:23 | Updated at 2024-12-17 12:28:44
2 hours ago
Waitrose shoppers in Scotland have been prevented from buying Christmas puddings and other festive treats containing alcohol before 10am due to the country's strict licensing laws.
Customers attempting to purchase items such as tiramisu and Christmas cake have been turned away at checkouts, with staff claiming it would be "unlawful" to sell food products containing alcohol outside permitted hours.
The supermarket chain's Christmas range includes several alcohol-infused items, including a £15 Cointreau and Cranberry Christmas pudding and a £19 fruit cake containing brandy.
Stewart Meldrum, from Newton Mearns in Renfrewshire, reported his wife Carol was left frustrated when attempting to buy a tiramisu before 10am.
Shoppers BANNED from buying Waitrose Christmas puddings before 10am over alcohol restriction
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Waitrose
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At the self-service checkout she was notified assistance required," he told the Scottish Daily Mail. "The assistant told her that the product she was trying to scan through contained alcohol and as it was before 10am the purchase was unlawful."
A fellow shopper faced similar restrictions when trying to buy a Christmas cake.
"What next? Will they cordon off the tiramisu at night? Why do we in Scotland tolerate such ludicrous micro-governance? I'm seething," said the 75-year-old Mr Meldrum.
A Waitrose spokesperson acknowledged the issue, stating: "We're very sorry for the inconvenience Mr and Mrs Meldrum experienced - this was a temporary error with our system and will be resolved very soon."
The supermarket confirmed that customers had been wrongly refused items containing alcohol in their ingredients
Christmas pudding on a plate in the foreground
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The restrictions had been incorrectly applied to products in the Christmas bakery range, despite these items being exempt from Scotland's alcohol licensing laws.
The company assured customers that the system error would be fixed promptly to prevent further issues with purchasing festive treats.
Scotland's alcohol regulations are notably stricter than those in England, with off-sales banned between 10pm and 10am.
The supermarket confirmed that customers had been wrongly refused items containing alcohol in their ingredients.
The restrictions had been incorrectly applied to products in the Christmas bakery range, despite these items being exempt from Scotland's alcohol licensing laws.
The company assured customers that the system error would be fixed promptly to prevent further issues with purchasing festive treats.
Scotland's alcohol regulations are notably stricter than those in England, with off-sales banned between 10pm and 10am.
In England, shops can sell alcohol around the clock if they have the appropriate licence.
Scottish regulations also ban multibuy offers for alcohol, while minimum pricing was recently increased to 65p per unit.
This means Scots must pay at least £6.34 for a bottle of wine and £18.20 for a bottle of whisky.
The strict pricing has led to warnings about Scots increasingly taking "booze cruises" to northern England, potentially harming Scottish retailers.
Scottish regulations also ban multibuy offers for alcohol, while minimum pricing was recently increased to 65p per unit.
A stock image of people outside the main entrance of a Waitrose supermarket
GETTY
This means Scots must pay at least £6.34 for a bottle of wine and £18.20 for a bottle of whisky.
The strict pricing has led to warnings about Scots increasingly taking "booze cruises" to northern England, potentially harming Scottish retailers.
Hassan Lal, from the Federation of Independent Retailers, said small Scottish shops were losing business to English supermarkets and online retailers charging English prices.
Scottish Conservative alcohol spokesman Annie Wells accused Waitrose of "infantilising adults and being Scrooge-ish" over the Christmas pudding restrictions.
"Common sense should prevail to ensure that these restrictions are kept within the spirit of the law instead of depriving grown adults from purchasing quintessential Christmas delicacies," she added.
The impact on Scottish retailers has been significant, with Mr Lal of the Federation of Independent Retailers warning of an "unlevel playing field."
"People are still drinking the same but they are finding alternative ways of buying it," he said. "It is the small independent Scottish retailers who are being hit and the English supermarkets are making the money."
