To think it is appalling Asda are using disabled spaces?

[NightSpot]

For their click and collect orders?

Our Asda has a hut in the middle of the carpark. During lockdown understandably this became busy and was blocking the flow of traffic so they moved click and collect to the side of the store. All fine.

Went to get my order for the first time ina few weeks and realise they have now moved it to the other side of the carpark.. using the disabled bays as the collection point.

Yes, they have other disabled bays, but as I understood it they needed a certain amount or they wouldnt have been originally installed? When questioned, they said it was because they are only using one of the entrances, "hardly anyone " was using them. Surely that is not the point? They are there for a reason! And the queues to the entrance they are using are quite often up to these ones anyway so the person would have to walk further to reach the end of the queue!

There are plenty spaces near any store entrance that are not BB spaces.

Do you know the OPs store layout?

At my store there is parking in 3 sides of the store as the back of the store is our warehouse and then back onto a road - one side is the staff car park and wagon access which is a dead end into the warehouse gates; the front has P&C and disabled bays, then the entrance and drop off point and the third side has disabled bays then P&C spaces down to the warehouse gate.

So at my store if we needed the Home shopping to be accessible from the store, we would have to use disabled bays.

@lowlandLucky

The shopping has to be brought from the store to the customer do you suggest that the click and collect should be at the back of the car parks ? The Disabled bays are closest to the store therefore it makes sense to use them. I have yet to see every disabled space full in any supermarket car park and yes my DH does have a blue badge and never goes near a supermarket car park on his own

I need the space closest to the shop door so no, this does not suit me at all. Disabled people don’t all go to the shops with our partners / husbands / wives. I have already explained dissolve bays get full at my local supermarkets.

Disabled people are not some kind of homogenous group, who act like your dh.

Dissolve = disabled obvs. But dissolved is rather apt under these circumstances.

There's been an often subtle campaign going on over the last twenty years to demonise disabled people. An utterly immoral but sadly very successful one.

The harsh benefits cuts, people dying months after being found 'fit for work', spending their final months struggling financially desperately worried and scared, the lack of suitable housing, ignorant assumptions that disabled people don't pay tax (many work, and all pay tax whether income and/or or vat), the social care cuts, support and day centre closures, increase in hate crimes directed at disabled people.

It's my belief this all started when the Blair government replaced the DSS (department of social security) with the working age disabled erasing DWP (department of work and pensions). It was that government too who introduced disability benefit cuts and the system where taxpayers give large sums to private companies to 'assess' disabled people's benefits claims. Later governments simply continued from there.

Over 22,000 disabled people died from or because of coronavirus in the UK. Some of those deaths were because of official neglect. People were left with no support when carers were off sick. Some were unable to feed themselves. The government failed to prepare for this and failed to ensure the most vulnerable were cared for. And it seems the majority don't care. There's been no widespread outcry, no protests, no media campaigns. People should remember there but the grace of God...

One of the first replies to OP accuses her of being precious. As if being disabled and needing disabled space close to the store entrance is a choice.

Too few people care about the disabled unless and until it happens to them or a loved one.

Taking shopping just a few extra feet to a car is not a major hassle for shop staff.

It's not about "just carrying shopping further" it's about car park traffic, it's about the storage and access to storage of chilled/frozen items, it's about H&S of colleagues and the amount of contact they have to have with customers, it's about customer volume, it's about maintaining social distance, it's about the space needed for customers to safely load up their cars etc

The OP says that their HS is usually across the car park. Clearly there is a reason it has been moved close to the store - if the HS slots have increased then perhaps they can't physically store all the deliveries in their usual space so need more storage in the store, perhaps the car park is laid out that this area of car park is naturally sectioned off - in my store the disabled bay at the front of the store is separated from the rest of the car park by a pavement so would naturally be the most idea place to have customers stopping and getting out of their cars

So clearly as a BB holder myself, I have never had to turn around and go home, or not been able to park in the BB spaces by my work, normally because a lot of people like those on this thread have parked in them "for a minute" but are still there hours later.

NEWS the disabled spaces aren't always closest to the supermarket (the number that have P&C spaces closer outweigh those that have disabled spaces closer). I have gone home too many times unable to park close enough that I can actually get into a store. I have abandoned my car at work in the car park due to the non disabled using the spaces. I am terrified of going anywhere and not being able to park, because even with a BB, it still happens. If going somewhere new, I have to make sure I have several options if the disabled spaces are full.

And also, disabled are not on the shielded list. I am not. My condition was on the vulnerable list early in March but not bad enough to shield. I have been exceptionally lucky that I have been able to get a delivery every week and my DH has gone to top up to save me going out. But that's partly due to the worry of not being able to park.

The attitudes of many on this thread should be ashamed, and whilst I wouldn't wish disability on anyone, I suspect many will only discover how shit we have life when they too are faced with the life we have.

It is discrimination pure and simple. When we cant park close or in a space large enough, we have NO choice but to turn around and go home, or go somewhere else if there is that option.

This year has clearly shown how many people are actually pretty selfish, from attitudes on here and scenes on the news. I despair!

Home shopping is stored in one place in my work in the chill room along with all the other stuff stored there, deliveries, fruit and veg etc. There is not an unlimited warehouse behind the shopping aisles where we can magic up more room for chilled storage. We don't carry shopping its on low trolleys which makes it easy to move quickly. Our home shopping spaces are just normal spaces repurposed. There are plenty other spaces even when its as busy as its been lately.
There is no real social distancing between staff in the shop or staffing areas its impossible despite all the noticed and tape.
Apart from opening the car boot customers do not get out thier cars.

We still manage to have our BB spaces free.

That's just my store though, but if we can do it I don't see why others can't accommodate their Bb customers the same as other customers thier money is just as good.

I imagine the poster who thinks the OP is 'being a bit precious' doesn't have the misfortune of being disabled or having a disabled family member or friend.

Using disabled bays for anything other than making the lives of disabled people just that tiny bit easier is bloody disgusting.

So now, we have the supermarket nicking our bays to contend with, on top of those who say 'I just popped in for some fags', 'I was only a minute or two', 'I was just using the cash machine' etc and the just plain selfish and lazy types.

These people love to take up the disabled bays, but I doubt they'd like to experience our disabilities. They make me so bloody angry.

I don't see why others can't accommodate their Bb customers the same as other customers

But they are. There are still BB spaces available, just fewer than before. Clearly there is still enough for the number of customers the store is getting or else the AIBU would have been "Aibu to be annoyed the BB spaces have been reduced and there are no longer ever any free so I cant shop?".

the supermarket nicking our bays to contend with

Legally the store has to provide BB bays to comply with the Equality Act. They are. Unless I am mistaken (and I'm happy to be corrected) there is no legal minimum number that must be provided, just a recommended minimum of 5% of spaces. Most places go above that number.

All the OPs store is doing is reducing the number of BB bays temporarily due to short term need caused by the pandemic. They are not removing the bays permanently and there are still BB bays available for customers.

Clearly disabled people are one group of people it is still ok to discriminate against.

Why shouldn't a disabled person want to do their own shopping.?

Do you want our shopping done by another person, a stranger?
Have you any idea how badly it can ve done?

And to lose the pleasure of spotting something and then buying it?

My local supermarket often has all the BB spaces occupied
That is my reality. I think it should be take away P& C first.

Unless you've been disabled or are a carer for a disabled person it's difficult for the able bodied to understand.

My local supermarket often has all the BB spaces occupied

In which case I am sure your store would take that into consideration and would make other arrangements.

There are always empty disabled spaces and never any child / family spaces - but there is clearly more need for the child spaces (just based on general statistics).

If there’s enough spaces to get parked even when it’s busy then it’s not an issue surely?

@melj1213

I don't see why others can't accommodate their Bb customers the same as other customers

But they are. There are still BB spaces available, just fewer than before. Clearly there is still enough for the number of customers the store is getting or else the AIBU would have been "Aibu to be annoyed the BB spaces have been reduced and there are no longer ever any free so I cant shop?".

How on earth can you say that from one person out of thousands of people who use Bbq spaces every day? How do you know there are enough spaces left in every supermarket when needed? How do you know how many people just have to leave eith no access to a shop?

@My0My

Look at the voting! Tells you all you need to know. 80 percent horrible people who think you are complaining when no complaint is justified.

What’s “horrible”, do you think Mr Asda will be personally offended? OP would like them to change the layout of the car park to ensure people with disabilities have the legal access they’re entitled to.

Ableism is much more horrible and discriminatory.

My0My
Look at the voting! Tells you all you need to know. 80 percent horrible people who think you are complaining when no complaint is justified.

Yes 80% think people with disabilities shouldn't complain when thier protected rights are removed. No big surprise on here these days.

For those who say this is temporary, so what?! Covid19 and the associated new legislation has not superseded the Equality Act. It might be that the supermarket is not making reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act.
OP making enquiries to ascertain if businesses meet their legal duties is not unreasonable. It may be that, in legal terms, there’s still adequate provision of parking. It’s ok to ask and to politely and respectfully challenge.

In which case I am sure your store would take that into consideration and would make other arrangements.

You're sure about that are you.

Don't be so nieve. My local asda never has free bb or p&c. Do they increase bb, or change some p&c to bb. Do they fuck. In fact they just got rid of some to put in click and collect and parking for the amazon drop box delivery van.

So the OP didn't have a problem parking because there were enough free disabled bays- but just want there to be more empty bays than is necessary 'on principle' and have everyone else inconvenienced as a result.

@FreakStar

So the OP didn't have a problem parking because there were enough free disabled bays- but just want there to be more empty bays than is necessary 'on principle' and have everyone else inconvenienced as a result.

@FreakStar

What a ridiculous statement! Perhaps she cares about other disabled people. You can see injustice in things even when they don’t directly affect you.

It's not about injustice though- unless there is not enough spaces for those that need them then there is no injustice! It's just a point of principle!

@Freakstar, thanks for that, nice to know that I’m not marginalised on a daily basis, just a point of principle.

OP making enquiries to ascertain if businesses meet their legal duties is not unreasonable. It may be that, in legal terms, there’s still adequate provision of parking. It’s ok to ask and to politely and respectfully challenge

As long as businesses provide accessible parking they are following the law. There is no number put on that as a legal minimum (unless someone has knowledge of current legislation that states otherwise) though advice is that 5% of spaces should be accessible spaces.

The company is still providing accessible spaces for BB holders therefore they are not doing anything wrong legally.

Our local Sainsburys car park has sectioned off the disabled spaces for queuing places. It pisses me off. There was a space for pick up which is now click and collect space. There's not really a reason why the queue couldn't go down by there rather than block off the disabled spaces either, there's enough pavement for 2m. Thankfully I don't need to use a disabled space but I know people who do that are now going out of their way to shop where disabled spaces are still available and thankful we're lucky we live somewhere we can choose a different localish supermarket.