Atrocious behaviour in shops - share you horror stories here..

[howdidthishappenthen]

I've just taken DS1 (3yrs) and DD1(6m) into a clothes shop for the first time since she was born. Prepped for action by taking new library books and a snack for DS1, and bf-ing DD1 before venturing through the door.

These efforts brought me 6 minutes of quiet cooperation before both started playing up. Had to decide between letting DS1 loose, and hissing dire threats at him for running between the racks and whipping open curtains in the changing rooms (fortunately, we were the only people in there!) or strapping him in the buggy and dealing with the buckaroo antics and ear shattering shrieks. DS1 added to the merriment by grizzling miserably throughout. 15 mins after entering, and without trying on a single garment, the shop assistant suggested, through gritted teeth, that I might prefer to 'come back later when you have more time'. To which I replied that I had plenty of time, but too many children.

Thoroughly miserable about the whole event. Feeling destined to forevermore to only wear clothes that don't quite fit but can be ordered online.

Cheer me up by sharing your shopping related tales of woe, pls ladies..

Did your mum tick you off for swearing?

Ds3 in LIDL absolutetly SCREAMING at the top of his voice "Please, can I have cookies, please, please PLEASE, can I have cookies accompanied by heartwrenching sobs. We had guests coming so I had to get the shopping and couldn't just abandon it. He did this all the way to the checkout and the poor girl just put the stuff through like lightning.

Followed by "Mammy, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Mammy, I won't be a 'sgrace again, I'm sorry, Mammy"

As I put him in the car, I told him "You are NEVER coming shopping with my again!"

To which he said "Mammy, it's not the end of the world!"

At that point I was trying not to laugh

My DD1, who is DC3 if that makes sense, (and I have posted about her before) used to have tantrums of the most monumental proportions. My mother taught SN kids all her days and says she never saw anything like her.

Anyway, she's about 3 and I've decided I'm "sorting" her out (ha ha ha)

Cue me with DS1 and 2, and DD2 as well as her in Sainsburys.

And she is whining and girning I want I want I want I want I want I want

And I was being SOOOOOOO good, honestly -ignoring her, so the tantrum ramped up and up and up

And she said in the clearest, loudest voice imaginable "If you don't buy me those cookies mummy I'm going to pull down my pants and pee and poo on the floor"

And she did.

I picked "it" up in a nappy bag, mopped wee up with kitchen roll which was in trolley, paid shopping and marched her out the door in what has become known as the grip of death.

Said not one word all the way home - got her into the house, shut the doors so that no one could see me and totally let rip at her.

She can't remember it

Her older brothers, however, are a different story

TSC that is priceless Howls of laughter here too!

ds1 went through a phase of 'naked tantrums'. He had one such tantrum when we were in middle of busy area in a holiday park so we dragged him into a joining room which was used for entertainment/shows but was not in use at the time. There was a flow of people entering to look to see if anything was on, seeing naked boy kicking and screaming on the floor and turning quickly back out the door.

crying with laughther at some of these,
my DS had a spectacular tanturm on the floor outside tesco's,i was stuffing him under my arm persuading him to get up when a parent at the nursery i manage drove past. Oh my I almost wanted to shout after her....i'm a good nursery nurse honest!

Well I am quite glad your ds2 did a poo in the cupboard given the evil stares you were getting from the shop assistants. Might as well earn their disapprobation

DS2 kicked over the sales rack in CLARKS from his pushchair when he was 18m it then proceeded to knock over the next it was there fault mind as there was not enough room for my 3 wheeler to get through we made a hasty exit & didnt return for a while!!
It does not get better I was in TESCO today with DS1 & DS2 7 & 9 whilst trying to find new pj's for DS2 they were running around & round the shoe section there was one member of staff having a chat with her friend she then felt it more appropriate to tell them off rather than give the look they complied for about 30 seconds then took off again this shopping trip ended with Ds2 walking to the car screaming why dont you love me anymore all because I said no to the chocolate bar he was demanding!

Mine isn't as funny as some of these but my DS (nearly 3) smacked a man on the bottom the other day when we were queuing to pay the other day. The man was not impressed - I will telling DS off but trying not to laugh as well.

ermm, shop assistant here! We get all sorts and hopefully cope well most of the time, but there is a limit! A young man, about 15 I would guess and I assume with some sort of special needs (hope that is an appropriate term, don't wish to offend), was in our shop recently and he ended up snogging himself in a mirror, real proper sloberring, and rubbing himself against a post (you get my drift). His dad just ignored him and they left without even an apology for the mess we were left to clean up. We saved our evil stares till the dad left.

I'm so glad I've seen this thread.Makes me feel so much better about hauling ,tucked under my arm,my yelling kicking (almost five) child out of the carol service thankfully during a rather loud carol.My DH takes them to Tescos,he has to deal with the shopping tantrums.I will show him this thread!

loved the thread until floweryblue's comments. Yes the term has special needs is appropriate but your lack of empathy isn't.

I guess the dad had enough on his plate without worrying that you had to spend 30 seconds of your (working and thus paid)day wiping up a bit of spit.

Was going to post about how my SN child does cheeky but cute things in shops but maybe not.

I don't think this has anything on the poo ones which have had me ROFL but my worst ever was last Christmas.

DD was 2. She is usually quiet, shy, wouldn't say boo to a goose so this took me completely by surprise. I was on a mission to get all my Christmas shopping done and to be fair she was good all morning and I pushed it one shop too far after she warned me 'mummy I'm bored,'

I was inspecting racks of scarves to buy my nan in M&S. It was packed with old folk and DD just started to run hysterically up and down the aisles, climbing through the clothes racks, full pelt scattering grannies as she went.
I literally couldn't catch her. She thought it was hide and seek and was giggling hysterically. I actually despaired and almost burst into tears.

A friendly dad caught her for me in a pincer movement. Then he offered in all seriousness to give me the reins they had for their son which I'd never had need of before. DD heard and started to sob and wail, 'don't tie me up mummy, I'm a good girl really, oh please. oh please.' I think she thought I was going to leave her tied up like a dog outside the shop!

TheCrunchyside

I'm sorry if I upset you Chrunchy but I am not paid to wipe up slobber. I was perfectly polite to dad and son, but, I'm sorry, other people's spit makes me feel ill and I don't think it is fair to leave me to deal with it, especially if dad doesn't even acknowledge the problem or make any attempt to stop the mess happening in the first place.

floweryblue, that was really insensitive!

Crunchy, go right ahead and post about your lovely dc! As you can see from most posts here, the rest of use won't be at all fazed!

Sorry guys, you are going to have to spell it out for me, what have I sad that was really bad?

said, even

DC have discovered shoplifting (sigh). Last week a lady ran out of a charity shop after us because she'd seen DS (6) nick a little toy car (25p).
She was embarassed to ask for it back and I was mortified about his Klepto hands (sigh).

Also had DD nick something (hence where DS got the idea). I have to frisk them both like after we go into shops, now .

I can't stand food shopping online, but am seriously into buying almost anything else on Ebay.

Floweryblue - this is a thread where people have posted amusing but affectionate stories about how their kids have shown them up. they posted to support the OP.

you wrote with obvious disgust and ridiculed someone else's child.

That disgust and ridicule was directly linked to that child having special needs.

do you really think his parents should constantly have to explain and apologise for him not being able to behave appropriately?

TheCrunchyside
I am sorry that you have been upset by Floweryblue's posts. Please do share your stories of your child.

Floweryblue
As Crunchy said, it was a light-hearted thread about silly things that children do in shops. Your comment about the child with SN was inappropriate and rude. Why you felt the need to share that particular anecdote, I do not know.

You made fun of the child, who is obviously not able to control his behaviour and complained about the father who has much more on his plate than worrying about the shop assistant having to clean the mirror.

Thesecondcoming
I ROFLed at your story of the Mermaid poo, so much that my sides are aching.

The disgust and ridicule was not directly linked to the teenager having special needs - it was related to his parents not assisting him to display appropriate behaviour in public. Tbh had I been in the shop with my dd, the crotch rubbing on a post would have annoyed me, it is not an appropriate thing to do in public, and the young man in question, as he had learning difficulties / special needs, needs the help of others to be socially appropriate.

Special needs / learning difficulties is not an 'oh that's okay then' free pass to all innapropriate behaviour.

I have worked with people and children and young people with varying degrees of learning difficulties for 9 years.

But it's the sneakily pooing non-learning disabled childrens' antics that make me and