Christmas Puddings Blocked at Checkout in Scotland Due to Alcohol Restrictions

[Social Media]

 

A self-checkout glitch at Waitrose in Scotland has left shoppers frustrated after being prevented from purchasing Christmas treats containing alcohol before 10am. Due to the country’s strict alcohol laws, which dictate when alcoholic beverages can be sold, products like Christmas puddings and cakes laced with spirits have been mistakenly flagged as restricted items.  

 

Scottish regulations prevent the sale of alcohol in shops between 10pm and 10am. While such laws are designed to curb alcohol misuse, they’ve inadvertently extended to festive delicacies, leaving shoppers baffled and irritated. One shopper, Stewart Meldrum from Renfrewshire, shared how his wife Carol was prevented from buying a tiramisu at a self-service checkout. “At the self-service checkout, she was notified ‘assistance required,’” he explained to the *Scottish Daily Mail*. “Baffled as to why, 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.”  

 

The problem didn’t stop there. Meldrum said he witnessed another shopper experiencing the same issue while trying to buy a Christmas cake. Frustrated, Carol ultimately left without her dessert. “What next? Will they cordon off the tiramisu at night?” Meldrum, 75, asked. “Why do we in Scotland tolerate such ludicrous micro-governance? I’m seething.”  

 

Waitrose, whose festive range includes products such as a £15 Cointreau and Cranberry Christmas pudding and a £19 fruit cake infused with brandy, apologized to affected customers. A spokesperson for the retailer assured shoppers that the issue was a “temporary error” and would be fixed shortly. “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,” they said.  

 

The controversy highlights growing frustrations around Scotland’s unique alcohol laws, which not only restrict sales during specific hours but also ban multibuy offers and enforce a minimum pricing policy. Recently, the minimum price per unit increased to 65p, meaning a bottle of wine now costs at least £6.34, while a bottle of whisky cannot be sold for less than £18.20.  

 

Critics argue that such policies disproportionately impact Scottish retailers. Annie Wells, the Scottish Conservatives’ alcohol spokesperson, accused Waitrose of overcomplicating the rules. “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 said.  

 

Meanwhile, concerns have grown that stricter alcohol pricing and sales laws are driving Scots to shop in northern England or order from online retailers offering lower prices. Hassan Lal, district president of the Federation of Independent Retailers, expressed worry about the long-term impact on small businesses. “We’ve been left with a very unlevel playing field,” he said. “People are still drinking the same but they are finding alternative ways of buying it. It is the small independent Scottish retailers who are being hit, and the English supermarkets are making the money.”  

 

The situation at Waitrose serves as an example of how regulations designed to tackle alcohol-related issues can sometimes cause unintended inconvenience. While Waitrose works to resolve the glitch, shoppers like Carol Meldrum are left questioning the balance between regulation and common sense, particularly when Christmas treats like tiramisu and fruit cake are flagged as contraband before breakfast time.

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2024-12-18

 

 

 

[RuamRudy]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

The situation at Waitrose serves as an example of how regulations designed to tackle alcohol-related issues can sometimes cause unintended inconvenience. 

 

No it doesn't. The problem is wholly Waitrose's staff incompetence. 

 

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

While Waitrose works to resolve the glitch, shoppers like Carol Meldrum are left questioning the balance between regulation and common sense, particularly when Christmas treats like tiramisu and fruit cake are flagged as contraband before breakfast time.

 

If shoppers think that the failure of Waitrose to manage there POS system correctly reflects on regulations they it's the common sense of the shopper that needs to be questioned. 

[Bkk Brian]

"Scrooge" supermarkets have been blasted after banning customers from banning Christmas desserts if they contain booze outside licensing hours. Scotland's draconian alcohol rules mean that alcoholic tipples cannot be purchased in shops before 10am in the morning and after 10pm at night.

These regulations put the country at odds with the rest of the UK as booze can be bought at any time, and was brought in almost 20 years ago by the Labour/Lib Dem administration. The curfew means that anything drink containing alcohol cannot be sold in shops late at night or early in the morning.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/scrooge-shops-ban-sale-christmas-34322337

[JonnyF]

Forget the Christmas pudding, it's ridiculous that you can't buy a bottle of wine in a shop at 10:15pm.

 

Why not? What happened to freedom of choice? What if you had a late night at the office and fancy a tipple before bed? These nanny state governments love to control the "children" even though half of them are total degenerates themselves.  

 

Puritanical, paternalistic hypocrites. 

[Nick Carter icp]

21 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Forget the Christmas pudding, it's ridiculous that you can't buy a bottle of wine in a shop at 10:15pm.

 

Why not? What happened to freedom of choice? What if you had a late night at the office and fancy a tipple before bed? These nanny state governments love to control the "children" even though half of them are total degenerates themselves.  

 

Puritanical, paternalistic hypocrites. 

 

   They are Scottish, people would be drinking all day morning and night if it wasn't restricted 

[JonnyF]

7 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   They are Scottish, people would be drinking all day morning and night if it wasn't restricted 

 

Up to them. 

 

Better than eating fried Mars Bars.

[RuamRudy]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   They are Scottish, people would be drinking all day morning and night if it wasn't restricted 

 

Look at the country we are stuck next to and have been forced to subsidise for the past 300 odd years - it's enough to turn anyone to drink.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I hope haggis is on the 24 hour list.