To Judge parents who leave their children in the TOYSHOP and then go SHOPPING or to the CAFE?? I feel an article in my local paper is taking shape.

[QuintessentialShadows]

5-6 boys age between 5 and 7 were running riots in a local toyshop yesterday. Having Sword Fights, pushing and showing, running, kicking and jumping, knocking over displays of toys in the process.

I mentioned to the young woman at the tills that there was a gang of boys being very boisterous at the back of the shop, and she said: "It happens every saturday, parents use our toyshop as a creche while they go shopping, or having coffee."

How stupid and irresponsible can you get?

I am pretty irked. My son wanted to look at the Star Wars toys, we could get nowhere near them, due to the boys and the fighting.

AIBU to write a damning article in my local paper?

It is a bit of both.
If one boy or girl is left alone for a few minutes in a toy shop, it is one thing, but this was a gang of 5-6 boys. They were really not behaving themselves, they were playing with everything in sight, dropped it on the floor, pushing and shoving and playfighting with toy weapons, running, and falling into the displays.

The girl at the till said people used the shop as a free creche. The parents went shopping, or for coffee. Sometimes they were left there a few hours.

I cant believe that people can pawn off their children on a toyshop. Dont they know what they will behave like? Or do they simply not care?

I did not realize this was such a common problem in retail....

I get annoyed when shops leave 'testers' (space hoppers etc) on the floor so children can play with them. This is dangerous and are like a magnet so I think this is part of the problem.

people really dont believe their angels could possibly be naughty, once made the mistake of asking customer to stop child skidding across our floor as he had almost knocked over an elderly customer, she went made told me to mind own business ect. child then ran full pelt into window and had massive nose bleed, mum went mad again said it was our fault for not watching him. so glad i dont work in retail anymore

Once you've worked in a place for a short while, you get to know who the problem customers are. These people I have become more confident at challenging when they're children are behaving dangerously.

I used to work in a furniture shop when I first left school and we used to get a 6 year old with her toddler brother who used to turn up everyweek while mum was in the pub opposite

Like BMBDIT, my Mum always used to leave us in ELC when we were little. I must have been about 8 or 9 and my sister 10. I always assumed it was an official creche service they offered but obviously not

Will it take yet aother horrible child desappearence to get parents to realise that young children should not be left on their own. Anyone comming to the toy shop could leave with them. It can be annoying to have to drag your children with you while shopping but at least you know exactly what they are up to.

Another thing nowadays, child minders and people working with young children need to go on half a ton of courses. Clearly the shop keepers have got enough work on their plate to supervise left behind children as well. Would the parents hold them responsable should anything happen? (not necessarily abduction, but a bad fall or something...)?????

PHANTOMOFTHECHOCOLATECAKE tester are there for people to try them and see if they actually want to buy the item. It never accured to me that someone would find that as a good enough excuse to leave their children in the shop and go.

You would have thought that with all the publicity surrounding the missing children in Portugal (including MM), parents would have taken note?

Perhaps they think "it's Portugal, so even though a string of 2-8 year olds have gone missing in so many years, these things don't happen in the UK".

Perhaps they need to go to the Missing Person's UK website. Children between the ages of 2-7 do go missing in the UK as well.

Unfortunately, there are no second chances. When a young child goes missing for more than 48 hours, the authorities will assume they are dead, although they won't openly and publically admit as much.

Staff at the ELC should have no qualms in contacting the police should they find an under 5 in their shop on their own.

Agree 100% familybliss.

Agree with familybliss too. I honestly find it hard to believe that so many parents do this. I cannot for the life of me imagine leaving my kids in one shop and going off to another- anything could happen, not just abduction but accidents, they could wander off etc-its completely irresponsible, and I think shops should definitely report these parents to the police- maybe it would give them the wake-up call they need when they return to the shop and find their child gone, then be required to go to the police station to claim them. And at least the child will be safe

When I was a kid we all went to the toyshop on our own, sometimes our parents would be around doing the weekly shop, but not always. If kids got too boisterous then the staff told them off. If they didn't quieten down then they would be chucked out.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a toyshop; it's a shop for kids. If you want to get to a particular shelf you say "excuse me" and the kids move elsewhere. Don't understand the problem really.

I do not think the problem is really about children being too boisterous. I am sure the shop keepers can sort of deal with that and tell them off. The problem is that people nowadays are maybe not as nice as they were when we were little (30+years ago...) and yes some people pray on children who are left on their own.Imagine a child left alone is "chucked out "like you say. Where will they go? Will they not walk arround, alone trying to find their parents in another boutique/coffee shop in the street or shopping mall? However hard I try, I cannot find an excuse for it it is too dangerous!!!

Why don't they put up a more obvious sign along the lines of "Children must not be left unaccompanied in the store under any circumstances and in the event of any child found to be without adequate supervision the police WILL be called."

Some people are just the fucking pits. Sorry but this makes me so bloody angry.

Loving the large coffee and puppy sign though!

It has given me a business idea, though. A town centre creche. A nice and safe environment to drop your kids off to while you shop or go for coffee. With a small coffee shop attached for those mums/dads who wants to have a break and let their kids play while they read the paper. With a video area, and a playroom. For kids between 4-11 being left, and for all ages if the parent stay on the premises.

There is no such thing in town. There should be, really.

QS I have thought for a long time really that there should be some kind of facility like that in all major shopping centres. I can't think why there hasn't been one as yet but can only assume that the ad hoc nature of it, plus the piss takers as per those mentioned below wouldn't make it viable in some way.

There have been times when out shopping when I would have paid VAST sums of money to have the children looked after.

You only have one soft play here, far outside the towncentre.

There is a creche facility at the Trafford Center(near Manchester). It is true that this idea shuld be further developped. It should maybe even made free to all using the shopping facility as I heard the TC one can be a bit pricey.

When i worked at ELC this happened quite a few times. Each time it happened we called security. One time securiy called the police, the parent arrived shortly after the police and went balistic, shouting at all of us for "saying she was a bad parent". She had been gone over an hour and nobody could find her, children had no idea where she was either...

yes we called police too.they came removed the child.parents harrumphing and shouting at us

hey dont abandon your child numnuts

I worked at the ELC for two years when I was a student, and we had to put a sign in our window informing customers that we weren't offering a crèche service! It's ridiculous, I take my two into the ELC on occasion, and they have a little play but no way would I leave them. Only this morning did I see a 3year old girl left with her 6 year old brother, and she was screaming because she couldn't get out of the sandpit. No matter how loving her brother is, he shouldn't be burdened with the care of a younger sibling, it isn't safe, and it isn't fair!!

I do want my girls to be able to be left, or heaven forbid lost and know what to do - it's about educating children to behave appropriately and have respect. So many parents let their children get away with far too much. Yes, they should have fun - but they should also have respect and parental supervision.

It's about balance, I think buying in to the media hype regarding peadophiles is a little dangerous, of course there are suspicious types about, but there always has been. Unfortunately nowadays children seem less knowledgeable, perhaps it's because we want to protect them? Perhaps it's a general ignorance thing? I don't know, I've not mastered it yet either, but I want to ensure my two know never to go with a stranger, to not be tempted by sweets or toys. I remember being scared silly as a child (not ideal) but I also remember encountering a potentially dangerous man and knowing not to talk to him and to run for my life!