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.

I agree.

And people bang on about them being unenforceable, but they're not. If the owner of the car park (the supermarket in this case) wants to put conditions on parking there, they can, and they can fine you if you break them. This could be only parking for 3 hours, or it could be only using the p&c space if you have a child under 12. If clearly signposted, they could fine you. Most wouldn't. But they're not unenforceable, they're just generally unenforced.

And I agree about common courtesy. It's not illegal to push in the queue at the till because you've decided your needs are greater, but you're still a dick if you do.

Because it costs more to get it delivered 🙄🙄Not everyone is in a position to spend an extra £5 a week.

Plus all the other practicalities that mean getting a delivery isn't always a viable option 🙄

Agree with this. The spaces should be for parents of children in carseats

That really pisses me off when I see people who don’t have young children using these spaces. Even the people who think the spaces are for parents who leave their older children in the car while they go into the shop. Why on earth do they need to park there? TBH I wish they’d move all the parent and TODDLER/ baby spaces to the further end of the car parks so the selfish lazy arseholes who use them without having kids would just stop. Put special ‘lazy fuckers’ spaces right outside the shop and ‘people who can’t park properly’ spaces in another zone

I would not dream of doing criminal damage to anyone’s property. My point is that some people will do it. Illegal, yes - but if you’re the type of entitled moron who parks in a parent and child space when you shouldn’t, then some people think you deserve it.

YABU. You are not entitled to a parent space - it's not a right like a disabled space is. It's marketing.

I drive a small motorhome as my every day vehicle and always (obviously) park at the far end of any supermarket carpark.
I generally have dozens of spaces back there to choose from, and I'm often parked up and in the store whilst the car I followed into the car park is still driving in circles looking for a space close to the door.
Supermarkets should be taking the spaces at the back, re-painting the lines so the spaces are 50% bigger and advertising them as 'Exec parking". Job done😁

Driving those huge 'cars' is entitlement personified. Take up so much space on the road, in any narrow street and any parking space. This one is just worse than usual.

You often have to be very organised to get a delivery at the right time. Slots are booked up days in advance, and they don't always pick the freshest food. What do you do when you just need a loaf of bread and milk? Most shops have a minimum spend, and do you wait three days for a delivery slot or just take your child to the shop? Everyone is entitled to go to the supermarket.

Just the worst kind of people. Lazy, entitled. The same category as people who don’t put their trolley back, or chuck litter out their car windows. They’ve completely forgotten or don’t know what it’s like trying to wrestle a young child in and out of the car. I wish the p&c bays were the other side of the car park and the idle CFs wouldn’t bother.

I think you did right saying something and that's coming from someone with a big shiny Jaguar 4x4, we park in P&C when we have our daughter as, while she is 8, she's in a big car seat and can't yet do the seatbelt (despite much practise she can't reach as she's small) so we need room to do it for her.
If she's not with is, or the spaces are parent and toddler, we park elsewhere. Surely she could have parked at the far end of the car park and walked if she was so worried about scratches?

Mostly I agree but some people do need them if they live out in the country.

Do you know what the age restriction was on using the P&C space in that car park, @AngeloMysterioso ? Someone on the thread has said it was 15 at their local.

What about elderly people? My partner doesn't qualify for a disabled space but needs to open the door to its full extent in order to get out which he cant do in a normal space. How do people feel about them using the spaces for parent and child?

@JadedCat out of curiosity, why did you park in a parent and child space?

Those stupid mother/baby spaces bring out the worst in everyone. They're so stupid.

@Lyannaa it's courtesy. If I'm walking into a shop and the person behind me is pushing a pram, also carrying shopping bags, and holding the hand of a small child, I'll hold the door open for them. I don't have to. They have no right to expect it, and legally I have no obligation to hold the door open. I could perfectly well let it slam behind me. But it's common courtesy to hold the door open. P&C spaces are similar. Courtesy and consideration for others. It's what separates us from primitive animals.

Probably referring to the random use of "sneeze" in the post.

Sadly becoming more and more common it seems.

I saw someone bragging about using the spaces at supermarket on local FB group and moaning that someone dared to confront them because they didn't have a child with them...

There's more and more selfish and entitled people in this world by the second!

Be very mindful of cameras recording pedestrians when you aren´t driving, you may fall foul of the data protection laws...This happened to someone I know and he was given a hefty fine and had to reset the cameras to only record when he was driving. You may find that YOU are the one in trouble.

That poster pops up on most P&C threads saying the same thing. They don’t appear to realise that one day they’ll make that threat to someone in a car park and get more of a reaction than they bargained for.

I would of agreed then showed her how easily her car scratches

Well it’s been fine so far especially when my car was damaged and footage sent to the police! So I will keep the cameras on thanks!

What? Tesco also does deliveries.

I imagine OP means that she already pays for a Sains delivery and gets most of her groceries that way, but because she wanted a single item from Tesco it was easier and cheaper to go to the store.