Over Cautious Sales Assistant

I’m sure that she was joking

they should really be kept behind the counter, not on open shelves for people to just pick up.
some local authorities visit stores to request that they do this, and in my experience they were keen to comply.
re the OP, that asst may have had some history with knife crime, whether personal or from the store.
this would make it more of an issue for her.
it does no harm to address the issue.
i hate to see knife blocks in domestic kitchens; i think they should be kept out of sight in drawers.

welbeck

they should really be kept behind the counter, not on open shelves for people to just pick up.
some local authorities visit stores to request that they do this, and in my experience they were keen to comply.
re the OP, that asst may have had some history with knife crime, whether personal or from the store.
this would make it more of an issue for her.
it does no harm to address the issue.
i hate to see knife blocks in domestic kitchens; i think they should be kept out of sight in drawers.

So true welbeck I know a shop owner who was threatened with a knife and she has never got over it to this day.

I would imagine that was a joke squirrelsue but shop keepers do have to be incredible careful
Even in the charity shop we can’t sell knives (other than dinner knives) and even scissors have to be in a glass cabinet you can’t sell anything sharp on EBay I tried to sell a tiny very old pair of tiny sewing scissors a while back but not allowed

Probably not a joke - maybe under the law the assistant has to take reasonable steps not to sell to someone who could be vulnerable, anxious, drunk, not fit, etc.

Coincidentally just the other day I bought a new carving knife and fork at Peter Jones. Those on display are behind glass and the assistant got them from the stock room and accompanied me to the till to pay - I wasn't allowed to put them in my basket and continue to browse before paying.

He said once I'd paid the store would no longer be responsible for the knife.

I too hate to see knife blocks - the way they sit there with the handles ready to grab either by a burglar or a person in a rage.

I like all gadgets to do with the kitchen I have many kitchen knives. I was questioned the reason for purchase in a trendy cook shop in Chester.
In our larger local stores it’s getting more difficult to buy decent chef knives. I looked online to buy a chef knife there is age verification required.

Knife blocks are too prominent in kitchens, it’s too convenient and vulnerable to being grabbed in the heat of the moment. We used to have one carving knife and one paring knife now we have a dozen.

Some years ago we were having a new kitchen fitted. I’d had a sort out of pots and pans and found myself with a bagful of unwanted knives - some quite lethal looking.
I took them to the City Police Station where the bemused Desk Officer inspected the bag and told me to take them home and put them in the bin. Wonder if I’d get the same response today?

There is advice online, how to dispose of knives responsibily. If disposing in the bin, you must wrap securely in newspapers.
I had to do this recently, when I decide to clear out the many, which were lurking in drawers.

The assistant was only doing, what the law requires.
I bought a set of Ninja knives online recently and had to give my DOB, when they were delivered.

Riverwalk

I too hate to see knife blocks - the way they sit there with the handles ready to grab either by a burglar or a person in a rage.

Me too. I hate the things.

She probably didn't seriously expect you to run amok with it, but if she sold a lethal 6-inch knife to someone who DID want it to comceal it about their person and DID stab someone with stab someone with it, then she would be grilled about selling it.

The shop may have a rule that every buyer was asked the question, and there may even have been an occasion when a knife that had been bought there was used in an attack. If she was expected to check, then she couldn't pick and choose - EVERY buyer of such a knife must get the third degree. She couldn't ask for a birth certificate, or a reference from a JP that the buyer was a peaceful model citizen.

And maybe she expected Squirrellsue to laugh and say "Only the roast chicken I am cooking for dinner tonight"

Supposing the OP was intending to take the knife, go outside, carefully cut it out of its packaging witht scissors she had hidden in her bag and then go on a knife rampage, would she have said yes when asked by the shop assistant whether it was her intention?

Perhaps she looked as if she might. I can see no reason why a knife fanatic should not be ^ 60 years of age with white hair and dressed smart, so obviously over the minimum age of 25 to buy a knife.^ She couls also have been buing the knife for someone else.

If it was a joke, it was in very bad taste. There's nothing remotely funny about knife crime. As for removing "dangerous" knife blocks from the kitchen, I'm sorry but that's a bit of a stretch for me. Other than keeping them out of the reach of children, mine's staying put. If, as we've tragically seen locally here on Tyneside, a teenager is determined to "tool up", they will do so whether knives are on display or not. In the trial for alleged murder which is ongoing here, a 14 year old took a steak knife from a drawer. So very sad, with so many ruined lives.

SquirrelSue I know the sales of knives (and knife crime in general) is not a laughing matter but the words Gangsta Granny immediately came into my mind!

I am in the middle of decluttering my kitchen and was amazed to see how many knives I had acquired over the years and yet how many of them I actually use. Do I really need different small knives for various cheeses - though they seemed like a good idea at the time. Why do I have a knife for grapefruit when neither of us are allowed grapefruit? However I could not be without a butter knife

I remember my grandmother using a ‘steel’ to sharpen knives, but I haven’t seen one for years. My problem seems to be that I have replaced knives but not disposed of the old ones.

I also worry a out knife blocks, apart from the obvious danger, what germs are lurking in the depths of the slots, how do you tell if you have cleaned them properly?

I hate to see knives on display, even at home. My knives are all out of sight.

NanaDana, I agree .
It's not good to be flippant about assault by knife.

There is a culture of facetiousness which is at best boring and at worst actually harmful.

I have 4 very sharp Japanese knives and they're definitely kept in a drawer. I imagine the shop assistant was following guide lines..

It’s a joke, honestly, if you wanted to buy a small pair of scissors from me I’d warn you I was going to give you my “gimlet stare” to check you looked over 25. Them I might leave you with the remark “now, no running with the scissors”. If you want to shop with no human interaction eg humour you’d best stick to self service checkouts.

From time to time I sell antique pairs of very ornate sewing scissors and have not come across problems listing them for sale. It never crossed my mind that the buyers (all American ladies) would want them for any other purpose than embroidery or display in a collection.

Biglouis, maybe it's time you began writing a thriller!

She wasn’t being over-cautious, she was joking. However, having white hair and smart clothes does not automatically mean that you are not a criminal.

I work in a store where on scanning certain products a prompt will appear on my screen asking me to ask the customer for proof that they are over 18.
Their are local authority checks done and the it is up to the individual assistant to enforce the ID requirement and the store risks being fined for not complying and can lose their licence to sell alcohol if they do.
It flashed up the other day for a cauliflower gadget 😤

Here is the Knife Angel, a sculpture made from knives collected by police across Britain in a knife amnesty and no longer out on the streets.