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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to have not given up my parking spot?

243 replies

KHR1606 · 05/12/2022 15:12

Sorry for the long post.....

I parked my car in the IKEA car park this morning. The bays next to me were for electric vehicles. I got out my car & went in the back to get my 18 month old DS out his car seat & to put his coat on. We then went to the boot to get his trike out. DS is stood next to me as I'm unfolding & securing the trike.

A woman then approaches me politely asking for my spot so she can charge her car. I look at the ground to see if I've parked in the electric bay. I see that I haven't & say "I can park here" she says, "I can too!" I politely say no because that'd mean me undoing the trike & putting it away then taking my son's coat off & putting him back in his seat then driving around for another spot. Just the thought of it wore me out! She offered to help but again I politely said I'm not willing to do it because it's just too much hassle.

The woman persisted & persisted & persisted, I'm not exaggerating. She kept saying I have an appointment & I need to charge my car. Again I said no. I said if I was without DS I would have given you my spot. She wouldn't stop asking so I got really fed up & shouted loudly, "Oh for f**k sake!" It's only then that she walked away to her car which was 2 bays away....... charging!!!!!

I didn't even realise her car was on charge because I was too busy getting DS in the trike. As I was strapping him in I heard her say "bitch", "evil", the sound of spitting but not actually spitting. All this time I was looking at DS's face talking & smiling with him. It's only when I was ready to walk off that I asked, "did you say something!?" She sarcastically smiled & said no!

She then went on again about it wouldn't have taken me long to move my car. I again repeated myself that I was parked in a suitable bay & I wasn't going to inconvenience myself & DS for her. I told her that being out with a child is sometimes difficult. She said I have a child too. I replied "Then you know! Stop being entitled!" All of this was being shouted. We had people looking at us.

I walked off and said have a lovely day!! It's only when I walked off & called my sister to vent that I realised her car was charging. Why the f**k did she want my spot then? Why ask a mother & toddler to move?
I'm glad I didn't move, especially after calling me a bitch and evil. She must not know about Jeffrey Dahmer if she thinks I'm evil!

OP posts:
MadameMackenzie · 05/12/2022 15:16

Jeffrey who?

fatsinglereadytomingle · 05/12/2022 15:16

Folk are weird. Was your car maybe near a faster charging port (if that's even a thing)

YWNBU to not move your car, I certainly wouldn't have... I know that I would've confronted her when she was muttering and "spitting" but that's not wise when you've got a wee one with you. Don't give her a second thought

AriettyHomily · 05/12/2022 15:17

Some people are just fucking odd.

PAFMO · 05/12/2022 15:20

Well, you didn't have to, no.
It might have been kind to if you could help someone out.

Frabbits · 05/12/2022 15:21

I'm going to guess it was the difference between a standard charger and a rapid charger.

I mean, you didn't have to move but I think it would have been nice if you had. Sticking your kid back in the car etc wouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes.

That said, obviously no excuse for her to react the way she did when you did say no.

YellowTreeHouse · 05/12/2022 15:23

If you weren’t in an electric charging spot then why did she want it anyway?

KangarooKenny · 05/12/2022 15:24

If you weren’t in a charging spot it tell her to jog in. If you were in a charging spot and not charging, you shouldn’t have been.

Isthisexpected · 05/12/2022 15:24

Not all charging points are working and some are significantly faster than others (by many hours). I assume this is the relevance to her appointment but she could have explained that.

I would have moved my car just to help her out personally because if I was in a bind I'd want someone to help me too. But technically you didn't need to no.

WTF475878237NC · 05/12/2022 15:28

You didn't need to put coats on and the trike away. You could have left it all on the verge, put the kids in and just moved the car. I think you make a big deal out of getting kids out the car.

That being said neither of you were in the wrong per se. Suggesting it was too much hassle to help her out makes you sound mean to me. Obviously she shouldn't have been rude in the end but I'd have been cursing you under my breath if I was going to have to wait hours instead of minutes for my car to charge just because you're a parent.

Mrsherdwick · 05/12/2022 15:33

Why did she want your spot if there wasn’t a charger? Where people parked on the charging spots and not charging their cars? If this was the case she should have raised it with IKEA and not you.

dementedpixie · 05/12/2022 15:35

PAFMO · 05/12/2022 15:20

Well, you didn't have to, no.
It might have been kind to if you could help someone out.

Why should she?
She wasn't even in a charging bay and the other person was already charging her car

Whatabouterry · 05/12/2022 15:35

I would have helped her - she started out by asking politely for something quite reasonable. Often chargers are different speeds, some don’t work properly - it may be that your space meant she could orientate her car correctly and save her considerable time.

Someone not wanting to help with the only reason being because they had a toddler would have left me in disbelief to be honest!

dementedpixie · 05/12/2022 15:37

When OP said no the woman should have take it as the answer and not continued pestering her.

Jaybird43 · 05/12/2022 15:39

She sounds like a proper knob jockey OP. I’m glad you stood your ground - she was rude and you didn’t owe her anything x

Tillylime · 05/12/2022 15:46

WTF475878237NC · 05/12/2022 15:28

You didn't need to put coats on and the trike away. You could have left it all on the verge, put the kids in and just moved the car. I think you make a big deal out of getting kids out the car.

That being said neither of you were in the wrong per se. Suggesting it was too much hassle to help her out makes you sound mean to me. Obviously she shouldn't have been rude in the end but I'd have been cursing you under my breath if I was going to have to wait hours instead of minutes for my car to charge just because you're a parent.

I don’t know if it’s apparent that there was another free spot close by.
Ikea is a busy place especially near Christmas.
I wouldn’t leave coats and a trike on a verge whilst moving my car.

However if there literally was a spot 5m away then I would.

purpleboy · 05/12/2022 15:48

Are you sure you weren't in a charging bay? Because if all the charging bays were taken then presumably those cars are on charge already so therefore there is no free charging point? You could of given her your spot but she still wouldn't be able to charge her car?

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:48

She must not know about Jeffrey Dahmer if she thinks I'm evil!

You sounds a tad… odd OP

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:49

And perhaps she was causing a hazard if she was in a normal bay but charging her vehicle by having to stretch the lead to the max?

dementedpixie · 05/12/2022 15:50

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:49

And perhaps she was causing a hazard if she was in a normal bay but charging her vehicle by having to stretch the lead to the max?

That's her problem then!
She had a space and was charging her car so why should OP drive around trying to find another space?

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:51

Why were you taking a trike in to the store? Or is this something provided by IKEA?

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:51

dementedpixie · 05/12/2022 15:50

That's her problem then!
She had a space and was charging her car so why should OP drive around trying to find another space?

Show quote history

Well they could have swapped presumably

Georgeskitchen · 05/12/2022 15:52

Not your problem . She was a CF
I wouldn't have moved my car either

dementedpixie · 05/12/2022 15:52

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:51

Well they could have swapped presumably

Show quote history

OP didnt need a charging space though which is why she didn't park in one

PlentyOFool · 05/12/2022 15:54

Proneu82 · 05/12/2022 15:48

She must not know about Jeffrey Dahmer if she thinks I'm evil!

You sounds a tad… odd OP

As do you

sassyduck · 05/12/2022 15:55

Glad you stood your ground. Very odd behaviour from her.

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