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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That she stood in a parking space?

169 replies

StyleO · 03/10/2019 22:08

AIBU to think you can't claim a parking spot by standing in it?

Out with DH in his large vehicle today, we spotted two spaces and so he headed to the larger one. As we pulled in, a lady stepped into it and pointed over the road to a car coming out of another space. He wound the window down and she said "sorry my sister is parking here". So from what I can see her sister was moving her car closer to the cafe they were going into, that's fine, she may be disabled. What irked us is the way the lady stated it rather than asking politely.

I don't think it's technically a done thing but no harm if done politely. We found another spot rather than squeeze into the other smaller one we'd passed. It may or may not be noteworthy that the car that moved would have fit in either of the spots outside the cafe.

Also noteworthy that the spaces are not disabled bays, nor are there any in this zone.

OP posts:
lljkk · 03/10/2019 22:11

I don't agree that she was rude, in what she said or did.
I'd only find it annoying if she stood there reserving it for many minutes before her sis arrived.

Muddlingalongalone · 03/10/2019 22:16

Not ok for me.
A man did this to me recently. I was sat waiting for previous person to come out in a very small & full place and indicating to go in.
I just turned into the space so that his friend couldn't push in past me and sat there and waited. He moved eventually....

constantlyseekinghappiness · 03/10/2019 22:34

I don’t see what car size has to do with it.

You choose to have a big car. Other people don’t owe you a particular space because they have a smaller car Hmm

Original poster
StyleO · 04/10/2019 10:31

@constantlyseekinghappiness

^I don’t see what car size has to do with it.

You choose to have a big car. Other people don’t owe you a particular space because they have a smaller car^

Added for context of why we headed to that particular space, that's all.

Equally, did we owe those ladies a particular space because she decided to 'save it'?

OP posts:
LeahSMS · 04/10/2019 10:38

Oh for god sake! Op has a large car because they wanted that car. That’s his/her right! Why have people got to challenge ridiculous things just to cause an argument.

Op it’s rather rude & would have pissed me off, those are the people who go through the car park the wrong way to nab a space before other people get to it using the correct route

Clangus00 · 04/10/2019 10:47

I would have just driven very slowly into the space until she'd moved.

MsLumley · 04/10/2019 10:48

No - that's not on. A person standing in a space can't reserve it. You were pulling into the space, the other car was in another space. You got there first. I wouldn't have moved for her, damn cheek.

Coffeeandchocolate9 · 04/10/2019 10:52

If id have been in the right mood I'd have pulled as far into the space as was safe (ie not hit the lady), smiled sweetly at her and waited for her and her mate to get bored and bugger off to another space.

I'd have probably just found another space in reality

MintyMabel · 04/10/2019 11:42

What irked us is the way the lady stated it rather than asking politely.

Ask you politely if she can park in a space neither of you own and that she found first?

DD is disabled, parking can be a real PITA. If we found a space and needed someone to stand to reserve it, we would. We wouldn’t think of asking if we could park there if someone turned up with a car. How weird to think you were owed that.

MintyMabel · 04/10/2019 11:43

A person standing in a space can't reserve it

I’d love to know where that rule is written.

PurpleDaisies · 04/10/2019 11:43

You can’t reserve spaces like that. Cf.

Youvegotafriendinme · 04/10/2019 11:44

There’s a YouTube video of exactly this scenario...

Annasgirl · 04/10/2019 11:45

How on earth can any of you think it is reasonable for a person to stand in a car parking space to reserve it for a person in a car who is not there???? Where I live that would be considered bonkers.

BarrenFieldofFucks · 04/10/2019 11:48

She doesn't sound rude tbh. Surely this is kind of just a live and let live scenario? If it was the only space available I get it, but did it really inconvenience you?

familycourtq · 04/10/2019 11:49

People trying to reserve parking spaces by standing in them are twats.

Downwind · 04/10/2019 11:53

Remember doing this as a child. When heading to the beach, kids jump out and stand 'spread eagled' in a space. Everyone did it. Would think it was weird now though.

MintyMabel · 04/10/2019 11:55

How on earth can any of you think it is reasonable for a person to stand in a car parking space to reserve it for a person in a car who is not there???? Where I live that would be considered bonkers.

In the situation I’ve described above. I’ll give you another situation. DD is being picked up in a car park by a relative, she”s going to stay for a few days. We have a car seat, wheelchair, a walking frame, her walking sticks as well as her packed stuff for a week. To transfer that stuff from one car to another takes a lot to do, traipsing it across to another space is difficult, especially if OH isn’t with me. So, I find a spot with two spaces together and will stand in the second spot til the other car turns up minutes later.

I couldn’t care less whether you consider that bonkers. Walk a mile in my shoes before you judge.

Again, waiting to hear where the written rule is that you can’t do this.

MsLumley · 04/10/2019 12:05

I'd love to know where that rule is written

I'd love to know where it says that you can?

Hullygully · 04/10/2019 12:06

Do you really need a car?

Shanks' pony is much better for you and the environment.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 04/10/2019 12:09

I did this once because some woman was trying to park in the last space as my mums workplace. They let other places park there once their staff were parked but they took the piss.

If someone did it to me, I'd leave my car half in the space until I could park.

SellmeyourMLMcrap · 04/10/2019 12:16

This is something and nothing OP, you either accept the cheekiness and park elsewhere or you block the space and wait for her to get bored.

Either way, once she "claims" the space at least one of you is leaving this situation as a bit of a cock. If you drove off then it's her, if you waited then it's both of you. It's not serious though, just standard supermarket shit housery.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 04/10/2019 12:16

I would have just driven very slowly into the space until she'd moved.

As above,

Cheeky bugger!

MintyMabel · 04/10/2019 12:19

I'd love to know where it says that you can?

@MsLumley

Why would it need a rule saying you can? There isn’t a rule saying you can get out of your car once there, but presumably you still do that?

AryaStarkWolf · 04/10/2019 12:19

Of course you can't reserve a space by standing in it, how rude of her

MintyMabel · 04/10/2019 12:20

I did this once because some woman was trying to park in the last space as my mums workplace. They let other places park there once their staff were parked but they took the piss.

If someone did it to me, I'd leave my car half in the space until I could park.

You did it for your own reason and that was OK, but you wouldn’t accept someone else do it for their own reasons?