Ice Cream Van being parked almost opposite school - AIBU?

[CleverCatty]

I've noticed that over Lockdown an Ice Cream Van has been parked almost opposite the school gates and most days from 2pm onwards (so when the nursery finishes for the day it's there and then when school ends).

The van used to be parked further down the road on which I live but has obviously moved further, nearer to the school?

AIBU that it shouldn't be every day or am I just being a Moaning Minnie?

Seriously OP?
You sound bored

My dd and ds used to love an ice cream from the van next to the school. Happy summer days.

You should see the secondary school. It takes two vans to serve them!!! Always packed.

@Bellyups

Seriously OP? You sound bored

a bit bored but if I look out of my window I can see the van tempting me!

We had an ice cream van IN the yard when I was at school. Every lunch time

@FamilyOfAliens

I cringe at the name though too - it's 'Uncle .....' vomit.

What do you mean by this, OP?

the name of the ice cream van is 'Uncle... Jerry' (not the real name) - it just sounds a bit matey to me.

but IABU and if he sells cider lollies I'll forgive him and start buying them.

What, wait a minute kids having sweets/ treats every day kill me now.

For me - it's encouraging kids to eat fatty, sweet, ice cream more often than they would otherwise. get a grip.

There’s such a thing as personal responsibility. If the kids are eating too much ice cream then the person to blame is the parent for not saying no.

just think he's preying a bit on kids and parents though

Bit over the top. He's not preying on anyone. He's not forcing anyone to buy from him. He's obviously seen a potential market there.

When I was at school the ice cream van was there every day

@AlCalavicci

When I was a kid at my primary school we had on ice-cream van parked at each gate ( three gates on three different roads ) each was run by a different company and they always vied for the 'best' gate to park at .

In secondary school they actual parked in the schools car park , they were there all year round and must of made a fortune selling ice cream and slush puppies in the summer and hot chocolate dusted with extra chocolate and whipped cream in the winter .
he sold sweets all year round , I was a sucker for the mint mojos.

So I think yabu , it must be a hard enough living to make as it is in that trade so as long as he is parked safely I can not see the issue , as PP have said it is up to the parents to control their DCs .

To be fair to me - I've not WFH properly (the odd day here and there before lockdown, once a week etc) so I've not noticed ice cream vans parked anywhere!

Yes, there's a school 2 minutes from where I live, but by the time I got home from work in the evenings normally the ice cream vans have gone home (and should have waited for me - JOKE!).

He does come in the summer evenings and yes I do succumb to that sometimes.

"see previous threads on here and on NM have criticised this being so close to the school and every day."

So why the need for another thread?

@giggly

What, wait a minute kids having sweets/ treats every day kill me now.

some councils have banned them being outside schools though.

and other people have started threads about this

@tuttifuckinfruity

"see previous threads on here and on NM have criticised this being so close to the school and every day."

So why the need for another thread?

these threads were ages ago, before the lockdowns.

Don’t you sound a delight.

when i was at school, once a week, the ice cream man would be allowed to park in the playground and sell. it was great fun!

@tuttifuckinfruity

"see previous threads on here and on NM have criticised this being so close to the school and every day."

So why the need for another thread?

So she can jump on the bandwagon.

“For me - it's encouraging kids to eat fatty, sweet, ice cream more often than they would otherwise.”

Is it the icecream man’s issue that parents can’t say no to their children if they ask for an icecream when they see the van?!

I actually hate the fact that the icecream man who comes down my street parks right at the top, I plan on asking him to start parking outside my house as I’m pregnant and craving whippy icecream 😂😂😂

Let the icecream man make a bloody living.

Surprised so many people are ok with this. Pester power is a recognised force in marketing. It’s the same as why supermarkets were supposed to be stopping having sweets next to the tills.

It's not up to an ice cream van owner to police how many sweets I buy my kids. That's my job.

There's a shop opposite the primary school here, which is also where the bus stop to the high school is. They make a mint selling to the children, yet no-one would ever suggest they close or move. It's not different.

Business sell. Parents parent.

@BullOx

Don’t you sound a delight.

I am a delight generally honest!

It should be nearer to the school than any Chelsea Tractor. It's reason for being there is more legitimate in my opinion. And I agree that it is for parents to resist pester power.

It’s actually easier in some ways if they’re always there, cos you can accustom the kids to a resounding “no”! If it only shows up occasionally, they’re so excited and really make a fuss.

@CuthbertDibbleandGrubb

It should be nearer to the school than any Chelsea Tractor. It's reason for being there is more legitimate in my opinion. And I agree that it is for parents to resist pester power.

We don't seem to get that many Chelsea Tractors though I did see a lovely Porsche Boxster with a child seat parked close to the school the other day!

As long as they're parked responsibly then I couldn't be wound up by it.

On the sugar/fat/ice cream side of things, you'd be disgusted by one of my primary schools as a child. The lollipop lady had jars of lollies some days. I used to love the rhubarb and custard ones (red, yellow and green swirled boiled sugar types).

It's up to parents to moderate their children's diet though.

As long as its not a hazard its fine.

Regarding healthy choices, the parents need to learn to say no

@JustLyra actually I vaguely remember a London borough(?) banning fast food places within a certain distance of schools which is similar