Called a "c*nt" in front of his kid over a P&C spot...

They should all get jobs with the local council, blooming jobsworths!!!!!!!

Nearly everyone commenting has missed the actual illegal part, the op was harassed and verbally assaulted, now I know most mns find it hard to get butter to melt in their mouths, but when are people going to say no to anti social behaviour, verbal intimidation and actual law breaking, rather than an inconvenience? Or is that too much to ask for?

Also, having caused the situation in the first place, I do wonder how they would have reacted had you the guts to say "you are right, I'm really sorry" instead of telling them to have a good day and laughing at them. I think your reaction really do highlight how entitled you can be. Hopefully this is a lesson learnt for you.

Tbh I don't see why we have P&C spaces, we never had them when I was kid and parents managed just fine. Now parking in a disabled space without a blue badge pisses me right off and I see it far too often, especially at the hospital and when my husband used to pick me up after work,I would wait right in front of the disabled spaces because that's where he would park with my badge to help me in and out of the car. My husband claims he has used P&C before when called out his response was 'it doesn't say i have to have them with me.' and he also told me his Dad used one when he was young adult and said 'I am a parent and this is my son it does not specify an age'.

She obviously must have left the child behind in the hardware store to make space for the tat in her car.... silly woman!! :))

Then the foul mouthed, bad tempered, amateur parking police couple probably 'fostered' the poor abandoned child until the following weekend.... when they dropped them back to the store.

The mother now has to listen to her poor little child cursing like a sailor for the next few months/ years after spending a week with Mrs & Mr Foul Mouth.... .....
ah well karma is a bitch!!

P.s. the tat is great though!!

Bloody hell. Their reaction was out of all proportion with the minor sin you committed (which would have annoyed me, but no more than that.)

What can I say? They're not happy people and they found someone to take it out on. Were you really shaken up? I hope you're OK.

Absolutely. And I would struggle to think anyone would have a problem with you using a P&C space. I certainly hope not.

It is a shame they used such vulgar language in front of their child.
However, not only did you do the wrong thing because you felt entitled, you then passively aggressively antagonised them by saying have a nice day. Obviously this is going to enhance their rage. You then went a step further by laughing in their face as they expressed their upset and anger. They had a right to feel upset and angry and you had caused that situation and then when they react, you just laugh in their face. Wow quite frankly!

No one is 'c**t' for parking in 'them' spaces.

At least we agree that they aren’t ONLY for P&C but also acceptable for some one with a broken leg in a wheelchair or the very old and unstable.

I suggest ‘shopping for loads of stuff’ could involve 8 foot long ladders, flat packs and sacks of gravel (hypothetically) that are extremely unwieldy and dangerous to wheel across a car park.

my point is we shouldn’t be rigid in our acceptance of rules. Much like you feel the temporarily disabled are deserving to use a parent and child space even though they are not a parent with a child, I am suggesting there are other circumstances where someone can morally use the space.

whether the OP fits this isn’t something I could know as I wasn’t there. Nor do I know what she was dealing with or the car park.

a society that forgets the intention behind rules and sticks rigidly to the letter of the law is a society without compassion or humanity. This is the situation in some countries that are very rigid, transactional and litigious.

they have lost their sense of community

There’s no extra ‘boot space’ in a p&c space, you just wanted to park there.

There's no excuse for that language, but there's also no excuse for taking a parking space that isn't meant for you. Stop being so entitled.

I think if you’re going to be selfish be prepared to be called out for being selfish, & yes sometimes that might be by a nut.

both in the wrong. But you are an absolute c**t for parking in them spaces when you don’t require it, and she’s disgusting for behaving like that in front of her child.

I don't even look in other cars to see if they have a child in there.
Too busy cracking on with my own life.

It would be interesting to see how much passion people have for P&C places if they were all located at the back of the carpark, not right outside the entrance. I'd imagine it would show which people really 'needed' it for practicality, and which just like the bonus.

Still doesn't mean they are enforceable .

Because that's the only context in which I've ever heard people describe their shopping as "a massive haul"?

Anyone can use a P&C space. They aren't protected by law and are just a courtesy. It's about time people started realising that. I use them all the time when ableds take up all the disabled spaces (which ARE protected!). I need the space for my ramp and wheelchair.

You were perfectly within your rights to use a P&C space and I'd have reported the couple to the police. Just don't use disabled spaces.

I really can't see how this is a big deal. There were loads of free P and C spaces and OP needed the extra room; they're just a courtesy provided by the store. Why does it matter? It's not like she stopped anyone else using a space.

This. I’m surprised so many people are somewhat justifying the behaviour. It seems completely unnecessary especially given there were other p&c spaces.

And let’s face it a couple like this don’t exactly sound law abiding themselves, but yet they’re aggressively enforcing and policing something that isn’t even law.

How rude to criticise the way someone speaks! Mind your own business and stop patronising people!

Parking in a P&C space with no child is opening yourself up to a confrontation

She was insane, just absolutely unhinged behaviour. Her poor kid.

lots of people saying you shouldn't have used the space, but do people really care when there are lots free? I'd have been mildly irritated if someone used the only free p&c space, but if there were plenty going I just wouldn't care?

p&c spaces are nice and helpful and I'm glad when I get one, but not to the extent that I would have a serious issue with someone else using one as a rare one off because it was an enormous help to them.

There's nothing to stop you using a designated space in a car park belonging to the premises you're using. Parent and child spaces are not legally enforceable and are just a courtesy with more space either side.

Since you weren't taking a space she needed, she had absolutely no right to be annoyed at your choice at all, nevermind reacting like a lunatic.

People who go around thinking this is incredibly annoying regardless have too much time on their hands and are very self centred. We're all inconvenienced occasionally, have to wait, don't get the thing that would be slightly easier for us. How does it matter if we're all fine and everyone can manage.