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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:
hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:42

@WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner

The irony of YOU accusing others of being judgemental when you did exactly the same with those lads, assuming they had no disability Hmm

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:42

@Alsohuman

Tell me Birdsfoottrefoil how many small children have been killed or injured in a car park in the last ten years?!

Don't be silly. Never happens now. We have parent and child spaces now! And have had for several decades. Smile

BEFORE the advent of the 'much-needed' parent and child spaces, 5 or 6 thousand children a YEAR in the UK, were killed in car parks!!!

Oh wait................................. 🙄

@WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner

I think it's ironic that some mumsnetters judge those of us who complain at people for parking in m&c spaces! They can judge us, but we can't judge others? ...funny place mumsnet!!

Yeah that's right, we can, and WILL judge someone who follows a woman around waitrose like a deranged stalker, to rant at her for parking in a parent and child space. And we can and WILL judge entitled mummies who think their needs and desires are greater than the disabled!

Fucking hell. The entitled-to attitude from SOME parents on here is actually shocking. Shock

WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner · 12/09/2019 17:44

Alsohuman - If you are actually also human, I presume sometimes things get on top of you,sometimes things trigger you, sometimes things bother you, and...perhaps (if you really are also human), perhaps you act on your emotions sometimes and express your annoyance (though granted, people who are not parents, parking in a p&c bay, may not be something that bothers you! But sure other things do sometimes, and sometimes you act irrationally!) (If you are perfect, that too is a pet hate of mine!!! Are you? Or are you normal and also human??)

nokidshere · 12/09/2019 17:44

Dear god.

How mollycoddled are we that we police other people in a car park.

Just get on with your life and leave others to get on with theirs. If a parent had been waiting to park she could have spoken to her herself. All this being offended on other people's behalf is exhausting. Not that I really believe people do this all the time anyway.

I parked in disabled bays in supermarkets for almost 3 years prior to getting my blue badge because, regardless of the fact that the powers that be decided I didn't need one, I actually did. Although I did tend to go at night or much quieter times.

In all supermarkets in all areas I was never challenged once.

WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner · 12/09/2019 17:46

Hiphopchick! Yes I did judge them! We all judge from time to time. I'd have felt awful of I had been wrong. Sometimes I make mistakes, it what makes me normal. (In this case though, their reaction was quite sweet, they looked sheepish and a bit bad actually. I think they were good kids really.... One did actually apologise)

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:46

@WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner

@onlyhuman is only human... Of flesh and bloody she's made...

Human........ Born to make mistakes......

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:47

Of flesh and BLOOD she's made.

Get an edit button mumsnet!! PLEASE!

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:48

BOLLOCKS, it's alsohuman - not onlyhuman

I'll get me coat [confsued]

hiphopchick · 12/09/2019 17:48

FUCK! I can't even get the confused emoticon right.

ARGH!!!!!! Angry

WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner · 12/09/2019 17:50

Why on earth would you stalk someone around a supermarket to criticise where they parked? You massively overstepped

Perhaps because she's a tired mum, fed up of people being inconsiderate, or perhpas she wasn't thinking straight, or perhaps she has mental health difficulties which overwhelm her sometimes, or perhpas she just cocked up, or perhaps she was justified in this case....

Give her a break ...

PurpleDaisies · 12/09/2019 17:50

I parked in disabled bays in supermarkets for almost 3 years prior to getting my blue badge because, regardless of the fact that the powers that be decided I didn't need one, I actually did.

I’m sorry that it was tough for you to get a blue badge, but you really shouldn’t have done that. Those spaces are for people with badges only. Not like p and c spaces.

WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner · 12/09/2019 17:51

Hiphopchick!! - just shows you are human :) lovely :) don't get your coat!! :) WineSmile

nokidshere · 12/09/2019 17:55

I’m sorry that it was tough for you to get a blue badge, but you really shouldn’t have done that. Those spaces are for people with badges only. I know.

Cohle · 12/09/2019 17:55

Perhaps because she's a tired mum, fed up of people being inconsiderate

But as many people have pointed out on this thread she was herself massively inconsiderate. Being a tired mum doesn't give you carte blanche to be rude and potentially discriminatory.

WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner · 12/09/2019 17:57

Cohle - have you never made a mistake? Are you perfect? Do you ever judge, even just a to y bit (feels like you are judging the OP, so I'd say yes)?

Cohle · 12/09/2019 18:04

Wineandchocolate Of course I make mistakes - who doesn't? But I don't start MN threads about those mistakes hoping people will tell me that actually my behaviour was fine, when clearly it wasn't.

As for judging people, I think there's a huge difference between offering an opinion to someone who has directly requested it by posting on AIBU and stalking a stranger to offer your unsolicited discriminatory criticism.

GertrudeCB · 12/09/2019 18:09

A couple of points - as someone with a disability

  1. Its not bad enough for me to be eligible for a blue badge, the criteria is very high
  2. I dont go around shouting my condition out, carrying a placard or have it tattooed on my forehead
  3. I CANT GET OUT OF MT CAR UNLESS THE DOOR IS OPEN AS WIDE AS IT GOES
  4. I much, much, much prefer to just park on the end of the row, next to the hatching, but
  5. Some prick will then use the hatching as a parking space and I will have to wait for them to come back before I move my car.

Supermarkets need to have wider bays as standard.

Ginger1982 · 12/09/2019 18:14

Who are you, the P&C space police?? FFS.

ProhibitedRodent · 12/09/2019 18:17

The criteria for a Blue Badge really isn't that high. If you get DLA or PIP you're automatically entitled to a Blue Badge - I know because that's how I got mine!

PurpleDaisies · 12/09/2019 18:18

If you get DLA or PIP you're automatically entitled to a Blue Badge - I know because that's how I got mine!

Utter rubbish. Are all the disabled people on this thread lying?

DameXanaduBramble · 12/09/2019 18:18

I popped into Waitrose today and parked in a parent space. It was very much a non event.

Sirzy · 12/09/2019 18:18

No if you get higher rate dla mobility or enough points for moving around on PIP you automatically get one. But given that both of them are notoriously hard to get and the system is shit then that obviously impacts on people being able to access disabled parking even if needed.

I am lucky Ds got one even though he only gets lower rate care but that is a postcode lottery

Alsohuman · 12/09/2019 18:22

@WineAndChocolateAgainForDinner, if I had a £ for everyone who’s made that gag about my user name I’d be loaded. I don’t spend my life berating people for behaviour I don’t like because, not only am I human, but I’m civilised, and shouting at strangers in a supermarket isn’t part of my behaviour. I totally disapprove of that kind of loutery.

yellowallpaper · 12/09/2019 18:24

It's annoying if a fit and healthy adult does this, but it's not your business to interfere. Leave it to the store to police. Having a child or baby isn't a disability and people have managed for years with parking and walking further before P&C places were invented.

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 12/09/2019 18:32

I have the terminal illness PIP (well it's the same thing but a different way of applying I think) and I got my badge automatically. I didn't want it (cried my eyes out when it arrived) but it does make some things easier

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