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.

When my dear old dad was still alive, I sometimes would take him to the supermarket with me just for a change. He'd stay in the car as he was too frail to walk around the store. Used to park in the parent and child spaces - they don't specify that it’s the parent who has to be driving!

But yes, people who don’t want scratches or dings on their cars should park further away where it's less busy.

Actually most of the spaces are for children up to 12 years old, not just those in car seats.

It's very rare not to find a number of parking spaces free at the furthest part of the car park where ultimately, nobody wants to park. Big cars can park there quite securely that noone will want to park right next to them.

It never sneeze to amaze me how much people find it such a hardship to have to walk 50 feet more when they are in a car park. You'd think they were expected to run a half marathon!

Laziness has no end!

Probably because fresh food goes off.

I've never ever in my life had food shopping delivered. Two young children with me shopping, I think the comments implying people are ridiculous for not having shopping delivered are pathetic!!

Not only that, we've never done a big weekly shop. We go daily for a bit at a time, very occasionally we miss a day and then go every other day. Obviously it depends on how close your shops are etc., we can get there and back in 45mins.

So if OP had her own mum in the car would she also count as a child? The asda by me specifies that p&c spaces are for parents with children under 15 which I still think is way too old tbh!

I wouldn’t have even responded to that comment. I always used to go shopping with my kids when they were little and never had any issues they just sat in the trolley seat whilst I shopped.

Fair enough

I think the ‘child’ element would preclude two related adults from using a space in that way.

Come on you can’t be serious. Do you really need me to explain?

Have you ever actually had a food shop delivered before? Unavailable items… inappropriate substitutes…

Also life… sometimes you need stuff straight away.

You'll get short shrift on here OP. People will tell you there is no right to a baby and child space.

The only thing I will say is be careful of making assumptions. Sometimes I've parked in one with my older kids. Especially when my 12 year old was struggling with being a runner (fight or flight due to autism) and we didn't qualify for a disabled badge under our local scheme but he was a risk.

Obviously this doesn't seem to be the case for the person in question but it's easier to pick a baby up than a 12 year old whose a danger to themselves.

My personal take is that supermarkets should put the parent and child spaces further away to avoid them being used by others. It's the width of the spaces that benefits with car seats more than the distance from the entrance.

Those with big cars... just take two spaces teh other side of the carpark where no one wants to park. There is (unless you're paying to park) nothing to say you are only allowed ONE space. If you drive a vehicle that will not fit into one space, you have no choice but to do this!

My sister got absolutely ripped to shreds the other day for taking a P&C space, she had no child... she does have a blue badge, a heart condition and there were no disabled spaces within staggering distance though...

The parent in question hurling the abuse.. had two kids of around 13+ with her (local school uniform, has colour coded ties for each year so its a dead giveaway!). Some peoples entitlement knows no bounds.

I think they should be for children aged 8yrs and younger or with special needs - unfortunately there is no way to police this and you have to rely on the general public having a common decency which unfortunately some of them do not.

We have a large Aldi across the road and the amount of people in huge cars parking in the parent and child spaces when they are clearly on their own is beyond me - park towards the back of the car park where there are more spaces

Saying that, I went to Sainsburys last night and struggled to park a R Clio 😅

YANBU. The other week I took my kids shopping (always go Monday mornings when it's fairly quiet). I can usually get a P&C space which is needed as I have a 2.5yo and a 4yo. The 2.5yo is a flight risk and I really need the P&C spots as I can get the 4yo out, ask her to stand by the wall of the shop and I don't have to watch her while I'm getting the youngest out.

It was the Monday we'd had a torrential downpour and all of the non P&C spaces near the shop were flooded. Amazingly, all the P&C spots were taken - never happened before. So I wound up having to go and get a trolley (leaving kids in the car which I hated) so that I could put 2.5yo in it and then push the trolley and carry the 4yo (not easy!) so that they didn't get soaked up to the knees.

As we passed the P&C spaces I could see precisely zero car seats in any of the cars... it's almost like they wanted to park close to the shop and not have to get their feet wet.

I don't order for delivery as I go to Lidl for reasons of budget!

Are you serious?
People (usually women, incidentally) shouldn’t go to the supermarket with their babies so that twats driving 4c4’s can park in the parent and child spaces?

Bless you

I’d have said if she hasn’t got the confidence to park it she shouldn’t be driving it.

Some people are grade A arseholes.

I see your point about putting them further away, but I appreciate P&C spaces being near the entrance as it means I can walk with my kids into the shop without having to walk in the 'road' of the car park.

I really don't enjoy having to steer a heavy trolley, with a 2.5yo, across the car park, trying to also hold my 4yo's hand (she's very good and wouldn't run off but she's too short for most drivers to see her unless they're really paying attention).

I then have to either leave them in the car alone (which I do feel uncomfortable with if they're not in sight) or we have to unpack the trolley, do the journey in reverse and then I have to walk them back across the car park again.

She is obviously unreasonable to park there. But p&c spaces aren't enforceable, so anyone can park there. You didn't have to park directly opposite. Supermarkets usually have large car parks, often half empty at the far end.

True, it’s not the end of the world. However the more that people just stand back and allow this kind of behaviour to happen, the more selfish society becomes generally, to the detriment of all of us.

Better car park designs would allow walkways, trolleys with seats to be stored next to them. Our local tesco has that. I used to grab a trolley and shove my kids in it/ in the seats to get across the car park.

It would stop lazy arses using them.

Unfortunately the spaces are not enforceable or a legal right and people know this & don't give a shit.

What does 'bless you' mean? What's the problem with what she says?

Try that shit on my car and I’ll send it to the police. My car has two cameras.

The party taking up a parent and child space when their "child" is a fully teenager (not what they are intended for).

Yes, the woman with the big car was obviously entitlement personified. She probably hadn't had her Weetabix that morning either so was not capable of driving her big fancy Chelsea Tractor.

Were you the Jaguar 4x4 driver by any chance?