Parents fuming after Morrisons ‘kicks out son, 13, over “no kids” rule’
A mum and dad have vowed never to return to a Morrisons store after their son was ‘kicked out’.
Oliver Atkinson, 13, went to Morrisons in Killingworth, North Tyneside, on July 12 to try out his new bike and buy ingredients for sausage and egg muffins.
But while in the shop his mum Hazel claims he was approached by a security guard and asked to leave.
When the mum called the store to make a formal complaint she says she was left on hold for an hour.
After the long wait Hazel claims she was suddenly told by the call handler: ‘I’m sorry, I’m not taking this phone call, have a nice day,’ before she was hung up on.
Signs at the Killingworth Shopping Centre, which Morrisons is located inside, say there is no admittance to under 18s without a responsible adult after 4pm.
But Hazel claims Oliver was shopping straight after school at 3.30pm.
Hazel 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.
‘We usually collect the ingredients for him but he wanted to go himself on his new bike so we gave him the money and off he went.
‘We spend about five-or six-hundred pounds in that shop for food, petrol, all sorts. 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.’
The mum said she thinks the policy is ageist and while she understands children go at the end of the school day, she doesn’t understand the blanket ban.
‘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,’ she said.
‘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.
‘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 kids should have to do. It’s unfortunate but it happens, what about those families?’
Oliver’s dad 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.’
A spokesperson for Morrisons 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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