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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think Waitrose customers are the least child-friendly on earth?

166 replies

adelaofblois · 23/08/2011 19:30

Over the last few months I've been reprimanded there for 'peddling filth' (telling DS that not everyone had a Mummy and a Daddy, some people had just one of two of both); 'letting kids get under people's feet' (someone stood on DS2 and didn't even say sorry), and for 'treating the supermarket like a playground' (DS was entering my PIN, which he can do on his own, the queue was 1 person long). Tonight DS1 (3) had a tantrum about wanting a bacon bun and some old bat got up, grabbed him and told him he was ruining her cup of tea. Why she thought that would help is totally beyond me, just making my partner (who was with him at the time) feel shite by proxy. Evil bint.

Look, I know some of that sounds over indulgent, and that people always feel strongly about what goes on with kids when out-and-about, but why Waitrose only? Am I just unlucky, or are Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Booth's, Morrison's folk just much sodding nicer?

OP posts:

theinet · 23/08/2011 19:54

People have the right to go to supermarkets without having their shopping experience ruined by other people's out of control little darliings.

if they can't keep the children in hand and behaving, they should be left at home.

i still maintain busy supermarkets are no places for babies or children, people should organise their lives better and leave the kids elsewhere. it makes for a much more pleasant experience for everyone.

TenMinutesLate · 23/08/2011 19:56

Ooooo I had to post for this one....went to Waitrose today and as soon as we went through the doors my children decided to become the next candidates for the SuperNanny series - yes they were being awful but as I had just 10 items to get, I grabbed my tinhat and decided to risk the embarrassment. When I shop anywhere else I do tend to get sympathatic smiles or "oooo we've all been there" looks to which I'm thankful (and when mine are being angels I give the same smile to the next mother who cannot control their brood) however today all I got was glares that could freeze Mexico and tuts that seemed to echo. The staff were, as always, lovely but the old goats in there could not hide their disgust (obviously have no grandchildren of their own.....)

Shameful day......and all because I forgot a few bits on the internet delivery.....

lachesis · 23/08/2011 19:58

What ICod and summertime said.

BeerTricksPotter · 23/08/2011 19:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

theyoungvisiter · 23/08/2011 20:03

"i still maintain busy supermarkets are no places for babies or children, people should organise their lives better and leave the kids elsewhere."

Lol.

4/10. You'll have to try better than that.

Hulababy · 23/08/2011 20:03

Just unlucky I think. Our local branch is generally lovely. Infact I can't think of one negative experience we've had in there since it opened a few years back.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 23/08/2011 20:04

I can kind of imagine the scenarios though where these interventions have occurred...

The head twister; ok, not the best way of dealing with a wandering child but perhaps he noticed that your DS's head was right in the line of the baskets being held aloft. I'm sure you'd soon squawk if you child was cuffed by one...

Kids having a meltdown; ok, it happens to all of us and not always at a good time but it's generally loud and unreasonable and it involves ear-splitting bad behaviour that impacts on everyone in earshot. Why not acknowledge that at least? A 'sorry' smile goes a long way I find.

As for the DH laughing in that old lady's face because she commented on the pram well, how boorish can you get? The poster sounds really proud of him. I'd be disgusted if mine did that and it isn't funny. Some parents wield prams and children with abandon, supermarket aisles are confined spaces depending on how busy it is. No excuse for oafish behaviour and calling her an 'old bint' is rude.

Not everybody likes children - or is familiar with how they behave and some people find shopping stressful. It seems to be that some parents have little respect for elderly people at all and think it's fine for their children to cannon into them or run around them as if they own the place. :(

Supermarkets aren't playgrounds and to be honest, some of the posts make me glad I don't run into those children either, nor their parents.

HerdOfTinyElephants · 23/08/2011 20:04

I'm not sure how OP being told that saying some people have two mummies or two daddies is "peddling filth" can be put down to the bad behaviour of her children.

Nope, still not getting it.

catgirl1976 · 23/08/2011 20:05

Ah I haven't been in the Windermere one beertricks - that does sound bad :(

nancy75 · 23/08/2011 20:06

I shop in Waitrose , usually more than once a week, usually with DD in tow - the only comments I have had is how well behaved she is - is there a chance your children are alot more badly behaved than you think?

theyoungvisiter · 23/08/2011 20:07

Er excuse me - I was there and you weren't! He was no-where near anyone with a basket. In fact he was no-where near anyone apart from this man. And curiously, it's not yet a statutory right of anyone, even Waitrose customers, to be in a 400 yard child-free radius.

And I don't think that grabbing a child and twisting him by the head is an acceptable way of dealing with any incident, especially when the parent was right there.

What's this "oh someone must be being unreasonable, they just haven't got my secret truth-telling goggles on?"

activate · 23/08/2011 20:09

peddlgin filth - ridiculous
letting kids get under people's feet - should be by your side or in the trolley but if stepped on should be an apology
child entering pin at checkout - would piss me off
tantrum in a restaurant / cafe - swoop him up take him out calm him down and return

so 6 of 1 half a dozen of another

fedupofnamechanging · 23/08/2011 20:12

If someone grabbed my child or twisted them by the head I'd smack them so hard they'd be shitting teeth for a week.

Think I'm an Asda shopper at heart

MrsSchadenfreude · 23/08/2011 20:15

I lived in Romania when my two were small. In the queue (huge one) at local supermarket one day when DD1 (who was about 2 at the time) kicked off. Everyone said to me - "Please - go to the front of the queue, take your little girl home, she's not happy queueing."

Which is, of course, how it should be.

And when we ate out in a restaurant, the waiter would often take DD off and entertain her while we ate our lunch.

commanderprimate · 23/08/2011 20:16

Don't know about Waitrose as I'm too poor to shop there, but I can thoroughly recommend Lidl for child friendliness. My local branch is frequented by an excellent class of old dear who smile at DC, say Hallo to him, gravely shake his hand and tell him how pleased they are to meet him, compliment me on how nice he is or are otherwise lovely.

Astronaut79 · 23/08/2011 20:17

I shop online. Think my dad thinks DS is deprived, I always get a detailed account of how much Ds enjoyed the supermarket trip when my parents take him to their local.

Andrewofgg · 23/08/2011 20:17

Must be your branch.

What is Booths? If a typo involving an extra H - I maintain that they are crapissimo for every purpose.

Oh, and whoever said children should be left elsewhere and not taken to the supermarket - what colour is the sky in your world?

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 23/08/2011 20:17

theyoungvisitor... that's what I said, it wasn't the best way of dealing with it. I don't believe for a minute that nobody has baskets there, the elderly people in my local one certainly do. Small children aren't necessarily in peoples' eyeline and if they're carrying a basket and an unsupervised child runs into it then fair enough. It's easy to turn around with a basket on your arm and for a child, getting a knock is likely to be on the head or face.

He shouldn't have touched your son but it actually used to be like that; strangers would say things and correct behaviour and the parent wouldn't make an issue out of it. It's changed so much. Everyone is supposed to care about other people's children and make allowances but it's very, very one-sided.

parakeet · 23/08/2011 20:18

This thread is weird. I have never had any experiences like this ever, and I shop in both Tesco and Waitrose. And my children are not angels. No tantrums but they do scamper around a bit gormlessly and get in people's way. I always say sorry of course and tell them to look where they're going, and they're learning.

As for the "how very dare you take your children into a supermarket" brigade. Ha ha ha, you've brought a smile to my face, thank you. Someone thinks you shouldn't even take a pram in? Hilarious.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 23/08/2011 20:21

I got told off by the cashier in M+S the other day, apparently I was telling the wrong son off (they were squabbling behind me, couldn't really see, but still none of her business) - she then thought she'd help by telling the other one off for me. I then told them if they couldn't behave we wouldn't go and get Percy Pigs, and she said "but will you follow through on that, eh?".

I did, as it happens, still think it was a bit rude for her to comment.

pamplemousserose · 23/08/2011 20:21

Who let the gransnet trolls in?

Helenagrace · 23/08/2011 20:22

I've never had a problem in Booths. 'tis the best supermarket!!

I did have a stroppy old woman in a NT property last week. I was supervising my two dcs plus two others. They were behaving beautifully. One if the cubicles had been occupied for ages so one of mine went and gently pushed the door to check it was locked. This mad old bat came out loudly complaining about "vile children" and "no idea why they can't entertain them at home like we did" and how "children just ruin everyone's day". I marched up to her and said "how funny, we think the same about old people". I should probably clarify that this NT property has an amazing play area and so on a warm day in August you could reasonably expect it to be packed with children.

I've never had an adult touch my children but if they did I probably would insist that the police were called. It's completely out of order and I'd want to make that point.

BeerTricksPotter · 23/08/2011 20:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 23/08/2011 20:24

Did anybody say that prams couldn't be taken in? No, but depending on your experience, some parents use them like ploughs.

bibbitybobbityhat · 23/08/2011 20:25

Heh heh.

I have never been told off in a supermarket, reprimanded by an older person (whether in a supermarket or not) or looked at funny on the bus. And yet I have two standard dc and go on buses and in supermarkets all the time. I MUST be doing something wrong.

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