An Auckland mother is up in arms after her local supermarket refused to sell her a bottle of wine because she had her children with her.
Thirty-five-year-old Kristel Aholova went to the Northcote Countdown on Saturday, along with her 10-year-old daughter, 15-year-old son and several of her son's friends.
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However when she approached the checkout the operator refused to sell her the wine, unless she could prove she wasn't going to give it to her children.
Ms Aholova demanded to speak to the store manager, who also requested proof.
"How the hell do I do that?" she told Stuff.
"I'm a single mum. I always have children with me, including some tag-alongs. I now will have to leave my children in the car unattended, if I would like to purchase wine. This is appalling!"
Countdown's alcohol responsibility manager Paul Radich said Ms Aholova was refused alcohol because of the consequences if the supermarket got it wrong.
"We may have been a little overcautious in this instance and we apologise to the customer," Mr Radich told Stuff.
"Our policy is that, where there's a person in a group who looks under 25 and our team has reason to believe beer or wine is going to be supplied to a minor, we reserve the right to ask for ID or to refuse the sale."
Newshub.
