Boy, 13, 'kicked out' of Morrisons while trying to buy school recipe ingredients
A teenage boy was reportedly "kicked out" of Morrisons while trying to buy ingredients for a school recipe.
Oliver Atkison, 13, had gone to the Killingworth store to buy items for a sausage and egg muffin he had been taught to make at school. However his mother, Hazel, said as he browsed the aisle looking for the ingredients he was ordered out of the shop by a security guard.
When his mother then called to complain she claims she was left on hold for an hour only to then be hung up on, Chronicle Live reports.
Signs are in place at the entrance to the store which say no under 18s will be allowed inside the premises after 4pm unless they are accompanied by an adult. But Hazel insists the teenager was shopping at 3.30pm, straight after school.
Hazel questioned the policy saying it is "ageist", saying it could have an effect on some families which rely on their younger members to shop.
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Signs are in place at the entrance to the store which say no under 18s will be allowed inside the premises after 4pm unless they are accompanied by an adult (Newcastle Chronicle)She said: "There are families who have got elderly relatives who depend on them, as well as young children that they've got to look after. Unfortunately, some kids have to step up and support their families in ways that no kid should have to do. It's unfortunate but it happens, what about those families?"
Oliver was shopping in the store at the Killingworth Shopping Centre on Wednesday, July 12, when the problem arose. Hazel said he had gone to try out his new bike and buy the ingredients only to be approached by the security guard and told to leave.
She said: "It's quite frustrating because Oliver is 13 and he's just getting into cooking and he loves to cook for himself. He was looking forward to getting all this stuff and they've banned him from going to the shop."
Hazel then says that when she called the supermarket to make a formal complaint, she was left on hold. And when they finally answered she says they told her: "I'm sorry, I'm not taking this phone call, have a nice day," before she was hung up on.
Hazel and Andrew have been regular customers at the supermarket in the Killingworth Centre, but say they will now take their business elsewhere. Hazel continued: "We spend about five or six hundred pounds in that shop for food, petrol, all sorts.
Oliver was shopping in the store at the Killingworth Shopping Centre on Wednesday, July 12, when the problem arose (Newcastle Chronicle)"Not anymore. I'm not going there ever again. There's a Lidl, an Aldi, a Sainsbury's and if I drive a little bit further away there's an Asda."
Hazel said that she understands the centre's problems and that "throngs" of children go at the end of the school day. But she does not understand why a blanket ban has been issued on under-18s, and they believe that the policy is ageist.
Signs are in place at the Killingworth Shopping Centre, which Morrisons is located inside, saying that there is no admittance to under 18s without a responsible adult after 4pm.
Hazel added: "Ban the kids who are causing trouble by all means, but if a regular adult came in and started a fight, that adult would be banned from the shop and it would be policed. Maybe their photo would be put up at the security desk. I don't know how they do it, but why ban all the kids instead of just the few who are causing trouble? That's what I don't understand.
Andrew added: "It's disgusting that Morrisons are allowed to teach our town's young people that it is ok to discriminate against someone because of their age. That sort of thing can have very serious consequences on a community and cause problems for us in the future that will not go away for a very long time."
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The Killingworth Centre declined to comment on the signage and directed us to the Morrisons branch in the centre.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: "The safety of our staff and customers is the most important thing for us and so we have temporarily introduced a ban while we look for a long-term solution."
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