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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Children in petrol stations

80 replies

Twickerhun · 09/01/2020 07:33

At our local petrol station the staff serving told another customer that children under 16 must stay in the car and not go on the forecourt or to the shop for health and safety reasons. I always thought it was customers choice of you let your kids out of the car? For what it’s worth I would leave the baby in the car when I fill up but if I’m there with teenage children I let the teenagers out of they want to go to the shop. I think it should be parental choice and AIBU to think this rule is too much?

OP posts:

Siameasy · 09/01/2020 12:22

Even if the police were called because there’s a queue the police have no power to stop you taking your kid into the garage or taking as long as you need in the shop or indeed the toilet.
I’m quicker on my feet with my DD in tow should I desire to take her than an elderly or disabled person - should they stay in the car too? And at the end of the day you are allowed to park at the pump fill up and go and look in the shop yourself thus taking even longer.

Willow2017 · 09/01/2020 12:23

Also don't know of many petrol stations that have toilets unless they are service stations on motorways or major route
Our local petrol station has a toilet and it's used as the local shop by local people and kids out and about. Its also the post office. And it doesn't have pay at pump either.
Just because you don't experience it doesn't mean no toilets is the norm.

It's a ridiculous rule. I left my kids as babies in the car but wouldn't leave an older child who could get out thier car seat. And my teens go there on thier own, telling them they have to stay in the car if i am there would be preposterous.
Local garage would lose a shed load of money if they did this!

RhymingRabbit3 · 09/01/2020 12:27

i never leave my baby/kids in the car when i pay for petrol. ever. so much can go wrong.

But it's not likely is it? Ive never heard of a car spontaneously combusting with a child in it, or a fatal accident involving a stationary car parked on a forecourt. Surely with that attitude you would never do anything!
I never take my kids to the park, so much can go wrong!
I would never drive my car on the motorway, so much can go wrong!
I never go swimming, so much can go wrong!

Spam88 · 09/01/2020 12:35

I think the OP needs to clarify whether it's just unaccompanied kids..? Surely they can't have a policy whereby you have to leave children unattended in cars on the forecourt? If nothing else, they could let themselves out (you can't put child lock on every door) and be in a lot more danger than if they accompanied their parent.

With regard to the sub-topic of toilets that seems to have come up - I've never come across a petrol station without a toilet, but you mostly wouldn't know they were there if you weren't looking for them.

Owlypants · 09/01/2020 12:47

I've never been to a petrol station with this rule. A few petrol stations round here have a subway in them with an area to sit in which attracts kids from the local high school at lunchtime, they're never asked to leave

MiniEggAddiction · 09/01/2020 12:51

I've seen police called to petrol stations because queues have backed on to the road before now, so yes, if parents were causing delays by taking small children out of cars while they pay I imagine the police would be called.

What an odd thing to say. I have never ever seen police called because of queues at a petrol station and if they were then everyone would be banned from getting out to use the shop not just parents. If the petrol station is buys tough luck the shop is there and people are entitled to use it.

MiniEggAddiction · 09/01/2020 12:52

I doubt any petrol station would have a rule that meant parents should leave children unaccompanied in their cars.

zoobincan · 09/01/2020 12:53

At our local petrol station the staff serving told another customer that children under 16 must stay in the car and not go on the forecourt or to the shop for health and safety reasons.

Was the customers kids dicking about? I can see that being a way of basically telling them to control their kids?

WalkAwaySugarbear · 09/01/2020 12:56

My kids always stay in the car. Its safer and costs less, "Mum, can I have?" as we walk through the shop.

Original poster

Twickerhun · 09/01/2020 16:06

@zoobincan no they weren’t particularly messing around they were 7/8 and happy with life but not out of control. I did wonder if the woman working at the petrol station was having a shit day and overreacted to that particular family

OP posts:

Original poster

Twickerhun · 09/01/2020 16:08

@spam88 the kids who were told they couldn’t be on the forecourt / shop and should be in the car were accompanied by a man who I assume was their dad and they were 7/8 years old and not being particularly lively in their behaviour

OP posts:

BlaueLagune · 09/01/2020 16:12

I can't see how a petrol station can enforce this. Firstly, you fill up, then you go into the shop (with child in tow) to pay. They're not going to tell you, you don't need to pay, are they? And no parent is going to go back to the car with the child and then come back again.

And if it's a Sainsburys local, people will use it on foot if they live locally.

Sounds like a load of rubbish to me.

As for forecourts being dangerous, that's the wrong way round. Drivers are dangerous. They should drive at walking pace and be watching out for pedestrians.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 09/01/2020 16:14

@BlaueLagune pedestrians should also not just walk across the forecourt without considering that their may be moving vehicles, which they do, a lot.

mencken · 09/01/2020 16:14

because kids dick about and many parents let them do so. Then whinge if the kids get run over.

lowest common denominator rules, sorry.

BlaueLagune · 09/01/2020 16:17

pedestrians should also not just walk across the forecourt without considering that their may be moving vehicles, which they do, a lot

That's for another thread but the driver is the adult, with a licence to drive, so the duty of care is on them. Of course a pedestrian should look, but a driver shouldn't moan about pedestrians being in a shared space. Ditto car parks.

Interestingly having googled this I found another interesting point I'd not thought of - children under 16 can't buy petrol so you can't send them in to pay. Presumably though nobody would notice if they operated the pay at pump for you (eg because you'd forgotten your glasses, I could see my DH doing that).

GiveHerHellFromUs · 09/01/2020 16:19

@BlaueLagune True.

Yeah I mentioned the under 16 thing up thread because i thought maybe there were signs saying no under 16s on the forecourt and they actually meant manning the pumps, rather than walking across it.

shouldreallybeasleep · 09/01/2020 16:24

If I have children in the car I drive a little further and use a 'pay at the pump'. I know that we are lucky to have this facility close by though!

Willow2017 · 09/01/2020 16:54

Presumably though nobody would notice if they operated the pay at pump for you (eg because you'd forgotten your glasses, I could see my DH doing that).
Nope the cashier would speak to you via the intercom! They are not allowed to pump Petrol until.16.

okiedokieme · 09/01/2020 16:58

Just do pay at the pump, so much quicker anyway. Even Sainsburys has relented here and put the modern pumps in. Can't remember last time I went in, probably on holiday in the USA because the pump wouldn't accept my credit card!

Newmetoday · 09/01/2020 17:13

I’ve never seen a pay at the pump. They can’t be that popular

GiveHerHellFromUs · 09/01/2020 17:20

@Newmetoday almost every poster uses pay at the pump but they can't be that popular because you haven't see one?

Most supermarkets have them.

Plumbus · 09/01/2020 17:24

Pay at the pump doesn't work with many basic bank accounts.

According to Tesco:
Which payment cards can be used at PayatPump?
We accept all UK-registered chip and pin cards, except for Visa Electron

Which bank accounts don't give chip and pin cards?

coconuttelegraph · 09/01/2020 17:26

@GiveHerHellFromUs maybe most supermarkets have them where you are but where I am they don't. Different parts of the country have different things, that's not a surprise is it. There is one near me and when I go there it's noticeable that it's the least popular pump.

Maybe people also want to buy something in the shop so don't use it or maybe no MNers live in my area

Plumbus · 09/01/2020 17:29

I’ve never seen a pay at the pump. They can’t be that popular

Most supermarkets: ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons etc

www.statista.com/statistics/312058/petrol-station-volume-by-brand-in-the-united-kingdom/

Sainsbury's apparently most popular in the UK.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 09/01/2020 17:30

@coconuttelegraph I'm not saying different areas of the country don't have them but PP can't just assume they're not popular because she's never seen one

Sainsbury's and Tesco by us tend to have all pumps where you choose to pay at pump or go in to the shop. (Based on my experience of 4/5 different Sainsbury's and Tesco stores stores)

Asda have a split where you choose one or the other.

Morrison's varies from store to store.
Morrison's

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