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Original poster

Waitrose Mum & Baby carpark - parking without child!

306 replies

NZMummy15 · 12/09/2019 15:07

So today I parked at Waitrose (in a normal car park as didn't have the kids) and noticed a middle aged woman had parked in the mum and baby carpark (with no kids).

I went up to her in Waitrose and said you've just parked in a m&b carpark but you don't have any children with you. To which she replied I have a baby it's just not with me and I'm in a hurry, anyway who are you the police? Long story short I said she shouldn't be there and also mentioned this to the customer service desk who didn't care.

When I was putting my groceries in to the car she came over to me and said I shouldn't judge without knowing the full story and she actually has medical problems. I said she should be parking in the disabled car park then if that's the case, but of course did feel a little bit bad about whether I handled it right and if she was telling the truth as she didn't mention any of that earlier?

What would you have done it that situation? It's making me feel really awful now, but on the flip side I know how awful it is when you can't get a car park and you have a small baby/child so it always gets my back up!

OP posts:
Venger · 12/09/2019 16:56

They obviously weren't that bad or they wouldn't be walking round a frickin supermarket in the first place. You people just look for an argument. If she really had a bad disability, she would have a blue badge

Not all disabilities are visible and there are disabilities that do not affect your ability to walk but still require a wider bay and/or being able to park closer to the store.

Not all disabilities qualify that person for a blue badge. Yes, even the "really bad" ones.

Are you always a bit thick or have you saved it for posting on AIBU?

Valanice1989 · 12/09/2019 16:57

When I was putting my groceries in to the car she came over to me and said I shouldn't judge without knowing the full story and she actually has medical problems. I said she should be parking in the disabled car park then if that's the case

I can't believe you said that! Not all people with health problems get blue badges.

Sometimes Mums struggle mentally and emotionally and getting a parking space where they can get out of their car easily and safely is a big deal

It's the same for people without children, especially disabled people!

I once read a wise post on MN about how having children causes such massive upheaval in women's lives that some of them start to motherhood as on a par with (or even more debilitating than) disability, illness or old age. This, combined with the fact that pregnant women/new mothers often receive a lot of positive attention, can create a sense of extreme entitlement.

I wish supermarkets would get rid of parent & child spaces. People don't understand that they're just a marketing ploy. They don't help anyone - they've just created a sense of learned helplessness among parents.

Alsohuman · 12/09/2019 16:57

@Mrsmiddle, find out about hidden disabilities and come back when you’ve finished your humble pie.

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 16:57

@Mrsmiddle

If she's alone and driving, surely her disability can't be that bad.

Yes and someone with no legs would have a blue badge!! Therefore be parking in a disabled space! They obviously weren't that bad or they wouldn't be walking round a frickin supermarket in the first place. You people just look for an argument. If she really had a bad disability, she would have a blue badge. 🙄

All the LOLz. 😂 Utterly priceless. Grin

Yeah, I believe people with disabilities NEVER leave the house. They're like ghosts. They stay in the house they were in when they first became a ghost/disabled and can never ever leave..... If they do, they turn to dust and float way into the ether.

Sunflowers211 · 12/09/2019 16:58

Oh stop making excuses and moaning @NZMummy15 just because unanimously you have been told you were in the wrong.

TheFairyCaravan · 12/09/2019 16:59

If she's alonr and driving, surely her disability can't be that bad

I've got an automatic car with hand controls. In the back/boot it has a hoist so my mobility scooter can be carried at the touch of a button. I have to be able to go out alone for my sanity. Not to mention the fact I have a husband in the armed forces so staying in for 6 months is not feasible.

Disabled people are just that, disabled. Not dead.

YouJustDoYou · 12/09/2019 17:01

FIRST WORLD PROBLEM.

Engier · 12/09/2019 17:01

If she really had a bad disability, she would have a blue badge.

You clearly have no clue at all just how difficult it is to get a blue badge!

OtraCosaMariposa · 12/09/2019 17:02

I'm not anti parent and child spaces, they're a great idea.

What grinds my gears is the idea that a randomer is following people round supermarkets demanding explanations, then moaning at customer service when they don't get the response they want. That's the bit that;s batshit crazy.

TheFairyCaravan · 12/09/2019 17:02

Yes and someone with no legs would have a blue badge!! Therefore be parking in a disabled space! They obviously weren't that bad or they wouldn't be walking round a frickin supermarket in the first place. You people just look for an argument. If she really had a bad disability, she would have a blue badge. 🙄

Esther McVey, is that you?

I've got a BB and I'll park in the space that suits me best.

AlexaAmbidextra · 12/09/2019 17:02

Yes and someone with no legs would have a blue badge!! Therefore be parking in a disabled space! They obviously weren't that bad or they wouldn't be walking round a frickin supermarket in the first place.

Oh dear. Some fools just don’t know when to stop digging do they?

Mummyoflittledragon · 12/09/2019 17:03

@Mrsmiddle
I drive alone. I have a blue badge. I also walk around the supermarket occasionally when I am feeling well enough. You obviously think you’re qualified to comment, perhaps you could enlighten us on etiquette and the hierarchy of disabled. Hmm

Mrsmiddle · 12/09/2019 17:04

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Sirzy · 12/09/2019 17:05

When I was in my early 20s I used p and c spaces a lot.

I had a severe knee injury. Changed my car to an automatic so I could still drive but needed the space and closeness to help for that couple of years.

TheFairyCaravan · 12/09/2019 17:06

So let's just get this straight.. Your 'hidden disability' can be that bad you need a parking space closer to the store/bigger than a regular one,but isn't bad enough to stop you from going round a supermarket doing your shopping.. Yep OK..

Yes, that's right. Is your tiny mind blown?

Venger · 12/09/2019 17:07

Your 'hidden disability' can be that bad you need a parking space closer to the store/bigger than a regular one,but isn't bad enough to stop you from going round a supermarket doing your shopping.. Yep OK.

Please do expand on why you think 'hidden disability'needs to be in quotation marks. Do you think hidden disabilities are made up?

Billben · 12/09/2019 17:08

When I was putting my groceries in to the car she came over to me and said I shouldn't judge without knowing the full story and she actually has medical problems.

She came up with this excuse whilst doing her shopping and feeling quilty. If she really did have some medical condition, she would have used that excuse when you first questioned her about parking in the wrong place and not not having her child with her and being in a hurry. She knows she was in the wrong and just wanted to lie her way out of it.

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:08

@Mrsmiddle

Waitrose Mum & Baby carpark - parking without child!
Chloemol · 12/09/2019 17:09

This makes me so mad. You can’t see all disabilities. I have a hidden one, although also don’t have a badge. Other family members do, and if there are no disabled spaces I park in the mother and child and advise the service desk, who have always said that’s ok

Yes it can be annoying, no don’t say anything to the people who park there

Birdsfoottrefoil · 12/09/2019 17:11

See OP?? How DARE YOU suggest people with children should park in a parent and child space!!!! How dare people consider child safety!

myrtleWilson · 12/09/2019 17:12

are you by yourself when you do this @chloemol because according to @Mrsmiddle it is not possible to have a hidden disability that requires easy access to the shop and be able to drive by yourself....

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 12/09/2019 17:13

Your 'hidden disability' can be that bad you need a parking space closer to the store/bigger than a regular one,but isn't bad enough to stop you from going round a supermarket doing your shopping.

FFS, you really can't fix stupid!

Alsohuman · 12/09/2019 17:13

It’s nothing to do with child safety @Birdsfoottrefoil. How many children are injured or killed in car parks without these precious spaces.

Chloemol · 12/09/2019 17:13

@ mrsmiddle. What are you talking about? What has having a hidden disability got to do with being able to walk round a supermarket doing shopping, that’s what disabled people do as well. As per my previous post, I have a hidden disability, no I don’t need to park right outside the door, but when the car park is full I can’t park in the spots furthest W away either, but yes I can walk round the shop, but stop if I need to, they have something called cafes in most nowadays I can sit at

Until you suffer from something actually you have no idea

SachaStark · 12/09/2019 17:13

How is your child unsafe if you don’t park in a P&C space, @Birdsfoottrefoil?