Altercation in carpark

[Icecreamsundaz]

I was in a supermarket carpark, I had put my baby in her carseat and had just loaded my groceries in the boot. A car parked in the parent and child space next to me and an older couple got out, early 70s I would guess, able bodied, no kids with them
I said "sorry do you realise thats s parent and child space" and I pointed to the markings.
Well his response was very rude in tone "I came here to do my shopping, not to dance around" ?? "It should be first come first served " and they stormed off. I was a bit taken aback, I said loudly but they were a bit away at this point so not sure if they heard me "god id hate to be so ignorant". I took a picture of their car. Not really sure what I was going to do with it, thinking I would think about it and perhaps report to management. I got into my car
The next he was at my window "you took a photo, its illeageal to take photos of other people's property, delete it." I ensured my doors were locked, he stood behind my car so I couldn't reverse out, she was at my windscreen taking photos of me. Eventually they moved and I got out.
Maybe I shouldn't have said anything but there were loads of other places they could have parked but the parent and child spaces are limited. Its very frustrating when I've all my kids and can't find a free parent and child space because people like this who dont need them take them and they don't give a shit

And theres no signage at all at the supermarket i go to. Just two stick people on the floor, one bigger than the other, which is a fair representation of me and my teeny mother 😬

Yes, I found that post by @SickandTiredofEverything very odd too! 😬

If there’s no other spaces, hell yes I’ll park in a parent and child space. And saunter out, alone, swinging my shopping bags as i stroll in.

however I never ever would to a disabled space

OP did the right thing to challenge the selfish parkers.

Unfortunately, the kind of people who do this are also the kind of people who would think nothing of shooting their mouth off at you.

I admire the principle and courage of those who challenge rule breakers.

Concerning!

Definitely, I think I would ask her if SHE was OK actually!

.

I find there is usually a limited supply of parent and child spaces and a huge over-supply of disabled spaces.

Disabled spaces are important, but we don't need 300 of them at every supermarket!

And that’s a massive exaggeration

Weirdly, I see way more parent and child spaces than disabled spaces in the stores in my local town.

A women with children who has got a parent and child space, going on to attack an elderly couple in one of them is just unfathomable. I just couldn't imagine ever doing this. If I'd been one of the elderly couple, I would have asked the OP if she was OK. Her behaviour was batshit.

I dont agree.

The spaces are reserved for parents and children, not elderly couples.

The ability to follow simple rules is what made the UK great, but it seems that identity politics and multiculturalism are robbing us of this basic strength.

I think it is fair and proper to call out rule breakers.

It is, but the point im making is that in my experience there is usually a large over-supply of disabled spaces which is unnecessary.

I could well imagine a handful of wheelchair users visiting the supermarket at the same time, but not dozens of them at the same time.

Its ridiculous!

Carpark operators can issue fines in accordance with signs they have up. Most of them have times you are allowed to park there for and overstaying will result in a fine. Mine also issues fines for people who park in the p&c without children.

Doesn’t bother me

i would happily park in a P&C if no other spaces.

I would never park in a disabled spot

I must see people parked on or over the line every time I am at the supermarket. I was talking a BB holder who was saying she parks really far away in an empty area of the car park when BB spaces are full. I said if she parked on or over the line and but her BB on her car, she would have more space and nobody would say anything to her. I stand by that advice.

Yes. The rules are very strict in my local council. If you can walk a reasonable distance you din't qualify. Also you need GP letters and hospital letters which they won't provide.
I need bannisters for steps and I can't get out of a car unless I can fully open the door. I have a gadget called a car kane to help. There must be thousands of elderly people in the same boat.
I am applying for a BB for an elderly friend with Parkinsons and it is honestly like the Spanish Inquisition. Back and forth we go. Are you sure she can't walk unaided? Can she walk with a stick? You must provide a letter from her consultant (this takes weeks and weeks). You must bring her for an assessment. (To a place with no parking...)

You seem to think you are making some kind of principled point here?

You are selfish and take spaces reserved to help others.

That you only steal some spaces, and not others, does not make you virtuous or this behaviour acceptable.

Imagine a lone parent trying to move a large, heavy trolley of shopping and deal with 3 kids at the same time, in a busy car park.

The P&C spaces are there to help him/her and make the car park as safe as possible for this family group.

The spaces are not some glib reward for having a child with you, they are aimed at making the visits of parents with children easier and safer - exactly the same aim as the disabled spaces.

@nomas I can’t edit my above post but she was also saying even when she parks far away, someone always parks next to her and she can’t open the door fully (she was a wheelchair user). I can’t imagine anyone pursuing a fine for this woman.

Why is that twaddle? The store has the power to set conditions of entry and ask those who wont meet those conditions to leave. I appreciate that many managers wont want to get involved in that kind of thing, but it would be a way of enforcing their rules. Of course, if you didn't like their rules, and demand that you be able to abuse a courtesy offered with impunity, then you can take your custom elsewhere, where shitty entitlement is tolerated.

I love posts like this! How do you think older people managed when their kids were young? A lot of us didn’t have cars then and had to get public transport or walk to get our shopping with little kids in tow. If you need more space, you will usually find plenty further away from the store entrance and you can walk from there. Honestly ridiculous. Our parents would have probably done all the washing by hand before going shopping and actually washing the dishes after dinner. You are all so entitled theses days!!!

It depends where you go. One supermarket I go to has loads of rows of parent and child. It is a large car park but if you do not have a child it means walking often quite a way as these slots are all in the central line closest to the shop. I get they need a bigger space. I don’t get that they need to all be placed close to the store.

Often I see mums alone parked up in those. By that I mean women coming back with their trolley. Not a child in sight. And I do mean every time I shop there. No child in the car. No child with them.

Then at another supermarket comparative to size they have their front slots dedicated to disabled people. Who from my experience all do use them.
They do not have so many parent and child slots. Some but not many.

I do find some of the cars so big now that even in a normal car park slot it is difficult to open the door ( if you don’t have a supersized model ) and get out if you have one next to you. Nor can you see to drive out. Which is not always safe. And this must be so for the parent and child slots. The spaces are bigger but the cars have got larger. And so the space argument can be lost as you have lost the space.

That’s not what I wrote.

Someone posted that OP should get shopping deliveries to avoid going to the supermarket.

I said it’s 2026 and women should be able to go to the supermarket and have the support systems in place to make that possible/ not difficult with a baby.

No they don’t. Because they are not ‘their’ rules. The store have to abide by the law and P&C spaces are not protected by law, so the store don’t have any authority to ask anyone to move from them.

In a lot of cases the stores don’t have any authority over the car park at all. They are run by independent companies who sometimes set their own rules regarding P&C/disabled spaces, which may involve attaching a parking charge to anyone parking there outside the terms of use. This is not a fine, but a parking charge - basically by using the space not as intended you are accepting the charge. As long as there is clear signage advising customers that the car park operate P&C/disabled spaces differently to public/LA facilities, they are entitled to do this. But again, this is nothing to do with the store and they don’t have any authority to intervene where there is a dispute.

In the main - certainly in public and LA provided car parking, P&C spaces are advisory and others due use them for various reasons mentioned throughout the thread. It doesn’t always mean shitty entitlement, sometimes it’s out of necessity.

It is not against the law for men to go into a shop without a shirt or wearing a motorcycle helmet, but store managers often enforce against both. Just because something isn't the law of the land, it doesn't mean the manager of a premises cannot refuse custom and ask them to leave. In fact, so long as it isn't based on a protected characteristic, they could kick someone out because they didn't like their face.

Yes, often car parks are shared with other stores, and/or managed by external companies, but I'm talking about carparks owned/leased directly, public/shared carparks make my hypothetical store managers approach a lot more complicated.

No. They can’t. Have you time travelled, because this hasn’t been the case for quite some time. Most supermarkets don’t even own the car parks their customers use.

Yes. They can. A private business can refuse entry at managements discretion. A quick ask to AI reiterates my own knowledge having worked at a supermarket in my teens and early 20s:

Yes, a supermarket can legally ban you in the UK. 1]

The Legal Basis

• Private Property: Supermarkets are private property, not public spaces.
• Revoking Permission: When a shop opens its doors, it gives the public an implicit invitation to enter. Management can withdraw this invitation from any individual at any time. 1]
• Trespassing: If you return after receiving a ban or a formal banning notice, you are considered a trespasser and can face police action for trespassing or more serious charges if an offense is committed. 1]

Common Reasons for a Ban

• Shoplifting, theft, or suspected criminal behavior.
• Abusive, aggressive, or threatening behavior toward staff or other customers.
• Persistent breach of store policies or vandalism. 1]

The Limits of a Ban

• Discrimination: While a business can refuse entry, they cannot ban you based on protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 (such as race, sex, disability, religion, or sexual orientation). Doing so unlawfully could lead to a discrimination claim. 1]
• Scope: A ban can apply to a single local branch, or in severe or repeat cases (such as major retail crime), extend across an entire regional or national chain. src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/v-io5XYidJw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen> 1, 2]