AIBU to be incredulous that this really does happen IRL?!

[ifyourehoppyandyouknowit]

Just saw a carpark skirmish between a car with a blue badge and a car with a baby, over the last parent and child space, at a big chain supermarket. All disabled bays were full, only one PAC space left, both car reach the space at the same time. Man in blue badge holding car waves blue badge from window, people with child in the car kick off and start shouting about how he should park in the disabled bays, saying that they don't care if they are all full that is a parent and child space. I just kind of stood there open mouthed. Plenty of space to park further back in the car park as it wasn't that full. Oh, and no one was going to dissolve because the carpark is under cover.

I'm just that this really actually happens in real life! I thought it was kind of a internet ranty thing and that no one would be dickheaded enough to actually challenge a blue badge holder's right to use a PAC space outside of the internet!

And now I feel like I should have said something, but the shouty parents didn't seem like they were the type to listen to anything except the sound of their own voices.

So am I BU and very naive?

some people just like to go to the shops and get out and about thats all, I hate online supermarket shopping It takes up the same time as if id go to the shops and im such a faffer online I like to browse ,

I dont think I'm a totally stupid person (although yesterday proved i do have my moments) but i do wonder if it is not so much common sense as, ignorantly, not having considered it before.

I am lucky enough that I've never had to use a disabled space and it genuinely never occurred to me that they would take priority over a P&C space because I've been fortunate enough to never have to think about it.

I guess I like things to fit nicely into boxes so in my head disabled spaces are for blue badge holders and P&C spaces are for parents with children. I forget sometimes that life is so much more complicated than that.

This is an outdated problem in our supermarket.

The new problem is petrol/diesel car owners parking in the electric car spaces.

You haven't seen parking space rage until you've seen electric car parking space rage.

And they are closer to the door than any of the BB or P&C spaces.

I think the supermarket manager is a MNer who enjoys a good parking space thread.

Thanks sashh

Can you tell the supermarket if someone is using a space without a badge? Can they do anything?

OMG electric cars have not really reached central scotland yet not enough to warrant a Parking space , do they have plug in rechargers I cant imagine the veggie eating lentil weaving leccy car owners eat enough protein to get ragey

outrageous.

sorry if this question has already been answered - but can a blue badge holder use the P and C spaces?

MIL has a blue badge which we use when I take her shopping. She can walk short distances, but it is much easier for her to get in and out of the car if the door can be opened wide. Disabled spaces are at a real premium at our local supermarket but there is usually a P and C free. I know it is a struggle to get a child out a car seat but much less than her problems.

sorry if this question has already been answered - but can a blue badge holder use the P and C spaces?

That's a yes I believe

What I don't get are the claims that P&C spaces are to allow space to get buggies out.

• I always keep buggy in boot so the width of a park matters not. I've never ever never seen anyone get a buggy out of the back seat, anywhere, ever.

• I never take a buggy into supermarket anyway (if I'm in the car) - I use trolleys.

• with little babies I might take the CAR SEAT out and put it on top of a trolley, and it is nice to have space for that.

I do like the width of P&C parks, as it's easier to get DD in and out of car seat without banging into next parked car. But the buggy thing is always quoted as a reason for these spaces. I don't get it?

re OP - yeah people are crazy out there!

"I don't understand why more people don't utilise the online shopping option tbh."

From an elderly person POV, they have always shopped in store and older people like routine. As well as not having access to the internet,or wanting to access it.

We, as humans, get into patterns of behaviour.

There isn't much to do, when you have limited mobility and funds, going out to shop, passes the time.

MrsJay - surely you would be eating the lentils, not weaving them?

Of course Blue badge holders should have priority for any place. I've never really understood the P&C spaces though. When I'm shopping for the whole family on my own and pushing my wonky wheeled trolley in the rain to the far reaches of the Tesco car park in the rain ( and where the spaces are so close together you constantly risk getting your door damaged by the next car along) I don't smile benignly at families with a child or two having the best spaces allocated to them for no apparent reason.

If you are vegetarian I mean

We had this when we were on holiday once. We had parked in a P&C space and I had returned to the car to feed a screaming DS2 whilst DH carried on shopping with DS1 (then 2). A car with a disabled sticker pulled into the space next to us (the last one). A man directly behind then started a huge argument with the driver who was explaining he had a disabled sticker due to his wife requiring one. Eventually I offered to move our car to give him the space as it was getting so bad.

The icing on the cake came when the woman for whom the sticker was needed actually didn't get out of the car, just her husband. The arguing guy saw this and it all started again! Luckily DH came back at that point and we were out of there.

Birds, I agree. I wonder if the comment about online shopping was more aimed at P&C space users though? The people I take, it can be their only outing for the week. I like to make it a nice experience for them

'I cant imagine the veggie eating lentil weaving leccy car owners eat enough protein to get ragey'

Oh trust me mrsjay, we so truly are able to be ragey!
Often more so than the sluggish and torpid eaters of flesh.
We've got a leccy charger in our local car park, never seen anyone use it though.

Blue badge holders can park wherever they like as long as they are not causing an obstruction.

Let's be honest, the only reason supermarkets have P&C spaces is to attract parents who will be spending a lot of money on disposable nappies, food to feed a family for a week etc. They are the most lucrative customers and the supermarket wants their business.

Elderly people and people who have no kids or whose kids are grown up and gone do not spend nearly as much so they are not 'priority' customers as far as the supermarkets are concerned. Years ago it was elderly pensioners who got special treatement, a chair to sit on while their order was made up etc. Nowadays, they're just shoved to the back of the car park so the young mums and dads can be put to as little inconvenience as possible.

It's all down to hard nosed economics but some parents don't see this and get all precious about these spaces, regarding them as some kind of human right. They're not, they're a marketing device, that's all.

I'm suprised all the disabled bays were occupied, don't disabled people check with each other before going out! How inconvenient of them

Oh trust me mrsjay, we so truly are able to be ragey!
Often more so than the sluggish and torpid eaters of flesh.
We've got a leccy charger in our local car park, never seen anyone use it though.

must be all the vitamins and lentilly goodness

They can rage with the best of them MrsJay

I heard one shouting that they don't go and park at the pumps in the petrol station and block them before they wander around the supermarket so why should some petrol drinking Clarkson get to park in their electric charging bay?

They had a point really. And I love that "Clarkson" was used as an insult

The electric bays are lovely, they have this big futuristic looking pole at the front, with blue lights all over it and a big yellow plug painted on the floor.

A question for anyone with a blue badge - do you ever forget the badge? Would it be likely that I would end up having a go at someone who had a badge but wasn't displaying it? That would be terrible

I've done it once. I live a long, long way from the supermarket so going back to get it wasn't really an option.

I think the supermarket manager is a MNer who enjoys a good parking space thread.

I totally agree that the P&C spaces should be at the back of the carpark. I wouldn't want to see the idea abandoned altogether as it is very useful to be able to actually open the car door whilst wrangling DD into her car seat. Likewise, when DS1 was younger (he has Aspergers) he would wildly open the door without any idea of whether it would hit anything or anyone (no spacial awareness). He needed a wider space (rather the owners of neighbouring cars needed him to have a wider space ), but has never had a disability worthy of a BB.

Yes, parents would then have to watch Little Johnny very closely as they navigate the car park but don't we all have to do that in every other situation anyway?

Disabled people may need the wider space to enable transfer to a wheelchair or they may just need to be able to open the door wide enough to get their legs out of the car (I admit to not realising how difficult that could be until my dear late mum lost mobility ). There are very obvious and very good reasons why BB spaces need to be as close as possible to the shop entrance. To be honest, at most supermarkets, BB holders probably feel as though there are P&C spaces taking up the space they NEED.

I have seen similar arguments to that which the OP describes. Not pretty & extremely selfish.

IKEA makes be laugh. They have about 8 token P&C parks but around 50% of their customers have kids with them. I've never once seen a free space. It makes me giggle they even bother having them :)

On the blue badge subject..we have one.

We like to take DD to the beach.

Parking is at a premium.

The disabled spaces are ALWAYS full of cars with no blue badge.

It IS really really infuriating. I can see why people get angry.

I felt very annoyed last week when we couldn't get a space because a young guy with no badge parked there and leapt out.

But very pleased when we saw a traffic warden appear 5 mins later and give him a 60 quid fine

People also park in disabled bays at ikea with no badge then affect a fake limp if anyone sees.

How selfish can you be.