To think this woman was taking the piss?

[AngeloMysterioso]

In a supermarket car park with two DS’s, 2yrs and 11 months. It’s pretty busy (half term round here) and the car in front of me takes the last parent and baby space, leaving me to park in a regular space opposite and squeeze baby and toddler out of the car and into the trolley which outs had to put in the road.

Fair enough I guess, first come first served and all that, until I see the woman getting out of the car with a girl who looks about ready to sit her GCSE’s, who both saunter into the shop.

As it happened, we were both getting back to our cars at the same time, and I asked her if she was aware that she had parked in a parent and baby space. She said she was, but her car is too big for a regular space and she didn’t want it to get scratched. The car in question was a shiny black Jaguar 4x4.

AIBU to think this woman was entitlement personified?

There’s a chance I reminded her that the space is for parents with children, not parents with children and people with big cars, and if she’s so concerned about scratches she needs to learn to park her ridiculous car properly or get something smaller.

She’s being silly. What a tit!

Shes a cf, but i wouldn't go shopping with toddlers etc, get it delivered

There's a chance your reminder to her was very well said :)

Sorry, please could you remind me which party was entitlement personified.

Ime she may not be a cf.... I had a 7 seater when I needed it for my 6 dc. I once parked in a non p+c space in a small local supermarket shop. Car was hit quite badly. Said supermarket declined my request to have the reg of the twat who did it. The police also refused to take it further.. So I had to pay my excess and claim on my own insurance... If I had parked in a p+c which I had right to it would have been avoided... Maybe she had more dc at home.... Maybe she had also been unlucky.. And technically she did have a dc with her..

It was either the woman parking in a parent and child space with an able bodied teenager for no other reason than because she has a big car, or the woman with a rogue wriggly toddler and a baby in a car seat…

She’s unreasonable. But as an aside, those cars fit in spaces just fine - the fact she can’t park it doesn’t entitle her to parent and child spaces.

this infuriates me too, im sure you can tell.

I normally do but Sainsbury’s doesn’t sell the Lightning McQueen birthday cakes so had to make a special trip to Tesco

I don’t take a parent and baby space unless my DC are physically with me… and you know as well as I do that the spaces are to allow easier access for car seats, strapping children in, bringing the trolley alongside the car and out of the road, they are also positioned either side of the footpath into the shop so you don’t have to have small children by the road etc. None of which applies when the DC with you is a teenager.

Yeah she was a CF but lots of people are. Just roll your eyes and move on. Not the end of the world

Why bring your children into the shop just get it delivered

Good for you OP. She obviously just can't park her massive car.

I've already answered that.

If she don't want her car scratched then I suggest she parks at the back of the car park where no one does and waddles her fat a*s to the shop. Entitled cow

No, I prefer to have a word. I spoke firmly but politely to two women in a parent & child space years ago in M&S. Got a mouthful of abuse back. They weren’t laughing though when I reminded them that not everyone will have a polite word. Some will just run a key straight down the side of the expensive car.

I have a friend whose dad did that years ago after a parking confrontation - before there were cameras everywhere…It is pretty stupid to think that you can engage in anti social behaviour and everyone will just accept it. Sooner or later someone won’t.

These comments are ridiculous.. You can’t seriously expect that you can go through life never ever being in a situation where you need to take your toddler(s) with you to a shop.

I get my shopping delivered but I still end up having to do small mop up shops every week & sometimes it can’t be avoided taking the children.

Great example she is to her daughter

Think they should do away with all these spaces they cause nothing but contention

The entitlement of some people 🙄

There are usually many spaces at the far end of the car park which allow you to do all of this.
In the olden days you'd ideally park your car somewhere with lots of room to open the doors wide, go and get a trolley, put child(ren) in trolley, do shopping.

The designated spaces might be safer or you could argue that because they are nearer the door where there is a higher volume or traffic (taxis, parents gets het up about P&C spaces, mobility scooters) being further away is safer for your children.

They are mostly to encourage parents to go to their shop because parents and families spend lots of money. They put them near the shop for convenience.

She’s a parent with a child using a parent and child space 🤷‍♀️

Yes, she was clearly taking the piss. MN gets weird about this issue though and gets caught up in the legality rather than the common courtesy obligations. Then you'll get someone with a disability derailing the thread about how they use them.

They're for parents with young children, not to protect your overgrown/fancy car, and not for your 16 year old. If all the disabled spaces are used up, then yes, I think fairness suggests that their need is such that these spaces are fair game.

Okay, why don’t you just make sure that you buy everything for that week in one shop?

@stormyweatheroutthere your last sentence made me smile.

I always find it funny when people with children old enough to get themselves into and out of a car use the parent and child spaces. It's clearly for parents with young children/pushchairs/car seats who need a bit more room to manoeuvre.

Technically, I suppose my 70 year old mum could park in 1 when I'm with her as I'm her child...

(Ps, I mean all this lightheartedly!)

The spaces are for parents with children still in car seats. Not teens who no longer need to be in a car seat.