Spotted some CFs in the wild

[AgingLikeGazpacho]

Went to the garden centre earlier with my toddler, no parent and child parking spaces available...because a pair of childless twats had taken two of the parent and child bays up for their one (1) car.

I asked them (as I schlepped from the far side of the car park to the store) whether they had a child or a disability and they said no to both.

I asked them why they thought it was appropriate to take up 2 bays and their response was that it shouldn't bother me as it was no more convenient to park in this space than any other...which made me ask why they couldn't have parked elsewhere then!

Woman then says she knows what it's like to have kids (toddler was in my arms) as she has 5 kids. I replied that she should know how inconvenient it is to park further away due to someone else's selfishness, then I sauntered off.

No point to this thread really except to raise awareness to any similarly minded twats that you are CFers.

Feel free to add your CF stories below if you want to also raise awareness of what fucks you off and hopefully shame some CFers in the process.

That is the way they do it at our local Sainsburys
There is a whole separate area with wider spaces and a safe walkway for P&C
They are not well used which makes me wonder how many people genuinely want a bigger space to safely get out their DC etc and how many just want to be closer. My DC are grown up now but I did used to use it as its easier albeit a few hundred feet further but when I drive past it now its never full

The one that really gets me is when people use a blue badge space when they haven't got the disabled/very elderly person with them. It's annoying when you have a frail 95 year old with you and you can't park near the shop because of physically active people on there own taking advantage of the space.
When challenged I once heard the argument ...'well I'm shopping for them"
And? Yes I get it's slower and inconvenient to park further away but that hardly supercedes a disabled person having to go home and not shop at all because the spaces are used up.
If I shop with my 95 year old mother we can use her blue badge. If she isn't with me I can't and wouldn't dream of doing so. I actually know someone who did get a fine fo doing this and was really annoyed because '1 was shopping for my mother' . She was 38 and was a person who visited the gym 3 times a week. Being in a hurry and it being handy just doesn't cut it

Some selfish baggages on this thread. Presumably from those who park selfishly where they want.

It’s difficult, I remember, to get a baby and car seat out of a car in a modern carpark, as there is not enough space between the cars. Toddlers ditto.

We all park selfishly on occasion, but to justify it is something else. Just entitled.

I have never heard of anyone marshalling these bays in any establishment. I once pointed out to a member of staff at one place about someone parking without kids, he just shrugged his shoulders like he didn't need the hassle.

It's a bit like paying a pound for a shopping trolley it deters some people, but others pay a pound and still take them home with them.

Parent-child parking spaces aren't actually legally protected like disabled spaces are. So, essentially, anyone can use them. I actually think you had no right to question the couple the way you did - if a stranger came up to me and asked me if I have children or a disability I'd think they're a lunatic and tell them it's absolutely none of their business - and walk away. You don't have a right to know these things about random people on the street, however annoyed you are.

This, I agree with, however.

It’s a bit like the “do you put your trolley away?” test to establish if you’re a decent person or not.

You don’t have to, no. But only doing things you have to do and making the conscious choice to go against a social convention which exists to make the lives of someone else easier leaves people free to call you a bit of a dick and challenge your poor behaviour. It’s a sad society where people are so selfish they’d risk a parent being completely unable to get their child in or out of the car to save having to walk a few extra steps themselves, assuming they're able.

Well done for saying something!

Would cost a disproportionate amount to administer

Maybe they should try to get a couple of volunteers to dress up as Barney the dinosaur and a Teletubby or similar and hang around in the section. When a car pulls up to park, they can go to the car and, once the child has been unstrapped, they can welcome and start engaging with them, saying things like "Hey, come and play with me!"; "Can we be best friends?!" and "Do you eat your veggies so you can grow up big and strong?!"

Actual children may love it - but if they seem reticent or their parent indicates as such, the character can notice this and hold back. However, if they see adults who pull up alone, they can race over and give them the full works: standing right up close and blocking their way of escape, hyper ebullient, peering into the (childless) car and shouting "Hey, come out, little one - don't be shy, I want to be your special friend - come and play with me; where are you?!?!"

No, but if they have a blue badge, they have a right to use the space. End of.

What does that have to do with my point? Why have you quoted me?

Their comment was a response to yours.

Unfortunately, I didn't spot my CF in question dumping a load of stuff outside their house when they moved out yesterday. But as they were kind enough to leave post with their name on it, it made it much easier to report them to the council for fly-tipping and to their employer for repeatedly parking their driving school branded car on double yellow lines overnight.

Considering the letters they've left behind from HMRC, Nat West, BT and the local council, I suspect they'd have even bigger things to worry about if anyone of the identify fraud persuasion were to get their hands on those.

Not sure I'd wish that on them too though...

Exactly! A privilege not a right.

I don't think it's the same. Asking someone about their children and disabilities crosses a line - I wouldn't necessarily share this information with a co-worker I see every day, let alone a random weirdo in a parking lot.

But I agree with you otherwise. Sadly, reality is that some people don't think they are less entitled to using parent-child spaces. Because, legally, they aren't.

It worked probably do the 95 year old good to walk a few paces and actually get some exercise.

I asked the question because they clearly did not have a child and both of them were lugging large, heavy plant pots so very unlikely to be disabled (also from them not using the freely available disabled parking bays nearby). What irked me was the fact that they took up 2 bays rather than 1.

I don't really care if I came across as a twat tbh, I'm sick of people not thinking about others while misusing public resources. My hope was that next time they have a bit more consideration for others next time they park. If you don't want to be called out for bad behaviour then act with integrity in the first place....

I do agree with others that the parent and child bays could probably be better placed further away with more emphasis being placed on safe passage to the shop + width of bays rather than proximity

Normally I’d say you never know of someone has a disability. I work with a client that is currently having their blue badge renewed, so we use those spaces while we wait for it to come through.

But they said no to having a disability. And even if they did, there’s no reason to take up 2 spaces! I’d have complained to the centre just for that!

Very annoying.

In future, you could report them to the garden centre management - they might actually be interested. Sainsbury's once left a very stern letter on my car when I parked in a disabled bay to dash in and get my (poorly, and in the car with me) child's prescription made up.

I know how quoting works, thank you. The reason I asked is because their comment had no relevance to mine.

Ha ha, we mysteriously had these put on cars around my way, found out was a neighbour doing them. Apparently they are a nightmare to get off!

I’m not suggesting asking the question is the same, but that the act of parking in a P&C space when you have no child with you nor any good reason not to walk the extra handful of steps determines that you probably aren’t a decent person, just like the person that doesn’t put their trolley back.

If people stopped parking in them simply because they’re legally entitled to despite it being unpleasant behaviour, people wouldn’t ask the question. We can’t police because it’s rude to ask, so the problem gets worse because no one is policing it.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Only because of the CF arseholes using them.

Hard disagree. The new car seats are like a tardis and it’s really difficult to move a small baby or child from them into a pram safely due to small parking spaces and how big cars have gotten.

A lot of parents would be happier with the spaces being further away if it gave us room for prams and to open our doors fully.