An Asda store in Wales refused to sell a school uniform telling the parent it was a 'non-essential' item.

Five-year-old Amber Davies, from Swansea, needed new clothes after starting back at school last week, having grown out of her previous uniform, as reported by WalesOnline recently.

Her mum and grandmother, who are in a support bubble, visited their local Asda store in Llansamlet on Friday (February 26) but were turned away - though were later able to buy the uniform at Tesco.

And despite the inconvenience, Amber's grandmother, Alison Clement, said that she doesn't blame supermarket staff for refusing "essential" uniforms because they're in an "impossible situation."

She said: "Amber turned five last week and started back at school. She is very tall for her age and her last uniform was age seven to eight and did not fit her anymore.

"We went to the customer services desk at Asda and explained the situation. The staff were lovely but told us trading standards had been there the previous day and told them that under no circumstances were they allowed to sell non-essential items."

"I don't blame the staff at all. They've been put in an impossible situation and have to make the call about what is and isn't essential and then have to take the brunt."

Ms Clement said that the family didn't like going out unnecessarily in the pandemic but the refusal meant that they ended up visiting another store in their attempt to buy a new school uniform.

This called into Tesco the following day (February 27), with Amber's grandmother explaining: "We wanted to get her pinafore, a cardigan and some tights along with some trousers for my grandson who starts school soon.

"We went to Tesco customer services and explained the situation. The staff member we spoke to called a colleague who wrote down a list of what we needed, then brought the items to us so we could have a look.

"We were told by them that we weren't the first ones going there for the same reason."

Under the current Welsh Government guidance, baby clothes are the only clothing items considered "essential" - though retailers can sell non-essential items if they are "needed in an emergency or on compassionate grounds."

Amber Davies from Swansea

As reported by WalesOnline, this is up to the individual supermarket's discretion and if caught breaking the rules, retailers can be issued with compliance notices and may even be fined.

Ms Clement said "it's not fair on the staff" as it's "a big responsibility" and "they don't want to break the rules."

She added: "They've taken enough grief through this pandemic and they are the ones who have kept us all going. We need some different or clearer guidelines.

"How can we buy tobacco but not essential clothes for our children? As adults we can make do without buying clothes for a long time, but children can't - they're changing and growing all the time."

The Welsh Government guidelines state that retailers can sell non-essential items via click and collect services and through online delivery orders - though Ms Clement said this isn't always a suitable option.

She explained: "It was Amber's birthday last week and we ordered some clothes for her, but most of them had to be sent back. You can order the same size from two different shops and they will be completely different sizes by the time you get them."

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"And with school uniform you need to make sure it fits properly. You can buy multiple sizes to try on and see which fits best, but people don't always have the money to be able to order a lot in one go just to be sent back later - my daughter has been on furlough, people are struggling."

A spokesperson from Asda told WalesOnline: "Throughout the pandemic we have followed the government guidance to ensure our stores are safe. That means that we are currently not permitted to sell school clothing in our store in Swansea.

"However we do recognise that some customers may need to purchase non-essential items on emergency and compassionate grounds –in these cases we will allow customers to purchase these items.

"We also offer click and collect and home delivery through George.com, so customers can shop our full range online."

And a spokesperson from Tesco said they agreed that school uniform is considered non-essential by the Welsh Government but that in the circumstance, staff felt it was correct to sell such items.

A spokesman from Tesco said they agree that school uniform is considered non-essential by the Welsh Government, but that in this situation they felt it was correct to sell uniform to Amber's family.

They said: "School uniform is classed as non-essential by Welsh Government and these items are currently cordoned off at our Llansamlet Extra store.

"However, the current rules allow us to sell these items if there are emergency or compassionate grounds for doing so. Once the customer explained to our store colleagues that she needed to purchase the items on that basis we were very happy to help her."

A Welsh Government spokesperson had commented: "All retail businesses can offer click and collect services, which enable people to buy items they need without having to go into shops.

"Supermarkets and other shops selling multiple types of product are also able to sell products that are not on general sale at alert level four if they are needed in an emergency or on compassionate grounds."

Have you been refused a school uniform at a supermarket? Let us know in the comments section.