John Rumm wrote:
On 17/07/2010 00:16, John wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
On 16/07/2010 17:06, John wrote:
Clive George wrote:
On 16/07/2010 16:22, John wrote:
Clive George wrote:
On 16/07/2010 11:59, John wrote:

The point that you (and everyone else it would seem) are
missing is that it is not a _public_ car park, it is _Lidl's_
car park. I assume that when Lidl were spending the time,
money and effort to build a car park outside their shop, they
were intending it to be for their own customers. The fact that
they didn't explicitly state this on a sign somewhere, or
barrier it off to all except Lidl customers should not matter.
The car park is on their land, outside their store, so by
implication the car park is for their customers.

The OP is a customer of Lidl. So where's the problem?

And so we come full circle.

The problem is that the OP was a customer of Lidl for a few
minutes and then went off doing general shopping, leaving his
car occupying a Lidl parking space when he wasn't a customer of
Lidl.

I describe myself as a customer of various places, even though at
the moment I'm sitting at a computer.

It's in Lidl's interest to let him do reasonable amounts of other
business, otherwise there's no point in him visiting the store at
all, and there goes a customer.

One could argue that if he was preventing another customer from
shopping there they've lost out, but there seems to be no such
indication - nobody has said the car park was full.

But it might have been. How many other drivers are doing exactly
the same as the OP? I just can't believe that people are trying to
justify this. When going to Lidl I park at Lidl. When going to Asda
I park at Asda. When going into the town centre and maybe visiting
a dozen different places, I park at a public car park that is run
by the council or NCP or whoever, it doesn't matter. What I don't
do is to take up a parking space meant for patrons of a particular
place and then go elsewhere.

Its frequently not that clear cut anyway. For example a supermarket
close to the town centre near here operates a pay on exit car park,
which is free for up to two hours for customers (you get your car
park ticket stamped at the checkout or show a receipt to the
attendant on exit). They have no restrictions on leaving the shop
etc and are happy to accept people park there and shop elsewhere
even if not customers, for which they charge a fair price for the
parking space. Other branches of the same supermarket however have
different
policies; some allow use of the car park as long as you also shop in
the store, others restrict use to only those that shop there and for
no other purpose. So unless you read the small print *every* time
you visit you are not always certain of what "rules" apply

Well I'm obviously the only one who thinks the way I do so fair
enough, I'll accept that I'm a weirdo or whatever but, I still say
that it doesn't matter what "rules" apply or what you can and cannot
do - to my way of thinking it's just morally wrong to park in a
space meant for patrons of one business and then go elsewhere. The
OP states "I've done my shopping in town and returned to shop in
Lidl...".

If the shop allows the practice of using their car park and shopping
elsewhere, then I can see no reason to object on moral grounds or
otherwise. Especially if they either directly profit from the sale of
parking, or indirectly by drawing customers to their shop.

If the shop prohibits the practice (and has always done so, and makes
it clear that this is the case) then I accept your view is right and
proper. (whether it is good business practice or PR for the company in
question however is a different matter).

I see what you're saying but to me it's still not right. It's not about what
the shop allows or doesn't allow, it's about the individual driver who
chooses to do it. I just would not do it because I truly believe that
parking spaces at a shop are for customers of that shop while they do their
shopping in there. Once you've finished, you move on and let someone else
use that space while they shop there. It's just common courtesy and good
manners rather than the 'I'm alright Jack and stuff anyone else' attitude.

Another example - Round here we have a stretch of road, probably 500 metres,
with a 'right turn only' lane and a 'straight ahead only' lane. I need to be
going straight on so I sit in the queue and wait, as we all _know_ we
should, then I see ill-mannered, inconsiderate *******s shooting down the
'turn right only' lane and forcing their way into the straight ahead queue
as they get to the lights. But I won't do that. I refuse to behave that way
because it's just not right. What gives them the right to get ahead at the
expense of others? Nothing. They know they shouldn't do it, just as the OP
knew he shouldn't do it.