- Feb 24, 2006
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I can live with expecting mother's parking spots but spots for hybrids cars?? I don't think so. RIDICULUS
From Friday's Globe and Mail
May 11, 2007 at 9:09 AM EDT
You've been circling the parking lot for 15 minutes when suddenly you see a patch of empty asphalt calling your name. You drive over, eagerly put on your turn signal ... and it's one of those spaces for pregnant women.
Do you take the spot?
For many people, the answer is an unrepentant "yes."
If you're one of these spot-coveting shoppers, you're likely to be even less impressed by IKEA's announcement this week that it will offer two hybrid-only spaces at all of its Canadian stores by the end of this month.
Other retailers, eager to earn green points, may follow suit. Home Depot Inc. has reserved parking for fuel-efficient vehicles at some U.S. locations, and spokesman Nick Cowling says the company is considering eco-friendly spots in Canada, too.
All of which inspires a deep eye roll from Barbara, a woman in her 60s who parked her Lexus in one of five "expecting mothers" spots at a Toronto Loblaws yesterday afternoon.
"I'm tired of driving around and seeing all these spots for mothers," said Barbara, who declined to give her last name. "They're young, they're healthy, they're strong. I'm old."
Barbara explained she was recovering from surgery and had circled the crowded parking lot three times. She would never use a disabled-parking spot, she said - in fact, in the past she's confronted people who park in one illegally. But, she noted, "I was pregnant seven times, and I didn't have a spot to park my car."
Don't even get her started on special parking for hybrids: "That's ridiculous."
Even people who support preferred parking for pregnant women say they draw the line at hybrid-only spots.
Filip Milosevic of Toronto sometimes hassles young men he sees parking in the moms-only spots. "I ask them, 'Where's your baby? Where's your baby-mama?' "
But he thinks reserving spots for hybrids is unfair. "What, that makes you more special?" he asks. "I can't afford a hybrid car. I don't agree at all with that."
The preferred parking debate has flared online recently. A photo of a hulking Land Rover parked in a spot for "alternative-fuel vehicle parking only" at a Chicago Home Depot, posted on Blogs.cars.com and Consumerist.com two weeks ago, prompted a raucous discussion of whether such spots are justified.
Globe and Mail readers similarly debated yesterday's story on IKEA's plan for eco-friendly parking.
"What's next?" one online commenter asked. "Spots for people with spots?"
The controversy demonstrates that companies should use caution when reserving parking, says retail specialist Richard Talbot of Talbot Consultants International Inc.
Spaces near an entrance are valuable, he said, so retailers should make them available to as many people as possible.
"Really, they're in the business of selling merchandise. Anything that's going to impact that negatively, they should think carefully about."
But some retailers say they haven't had any complaints. Loblaws has reserved parking spaces for expectant mothers and parents of small children for years, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Margles. The policy caters to the 80 per cent of Loblaws customers who are women, she said. "We would defend them till the end."
Many shoppers wholeheartedly support reserved spots.
"It would be disgusting if someone who didn't have a child or wasn't pregnant parked in one of those spots," said Annie Graham, heading into a Toronto Loblaws.
Ms. Graham said she thinks hybrid-only parking is a great idea and doesn't mind looking a little harder for a spot.
"With the obesity epidemic we have now, park way over there and get a walk in," she said. "We're all busy, but take exercise where you can get it."
From Friday's Globe and Mail
May 11, 2007 at 9:09 AM EDT
You've been circling the parking lot for 15 minutes when suddenly you see a patch of empty asphalt calling your name. You drive over, eagerly put on your turn signal ... and it's one of those spaces for pregnant women.
Do you take the spot?
For many people, the answer is an unrepentant "yes."
If you're one of these spot-coveting shoppers, you're likely to be even less impressed by IKEA's announcement this week that it will offer two hybrid-only spaces at all of its Canadian stores by the end of this month.
Other retailers, eager to earn green points, may follow suit. Home Depot Inc. has reserved parking for fuel-efficient vehicles at some U.S. locations, and spokesman Nick Cowling says the company is considering eco-friendly spots in Canada, too.
All of which inspires a deep eye roll from Barbara, a woman in her 60s who parked her Lexus in one of five "expecting mothers" spots at a Toronto Loblaws yesterday afternoon.
"I'm tired of driving around and seeing all these spots for mothers," said Barbara, who declined to give her last name. "They're young, they're healthy, they're strong. I'm old."
Barbara explained she was recovering from surgery and had circled the crowded parking lot three times. She would never use a disabled-parking spot, she said - in fact, in the past she's confronted people who park in one illegally. But, she noted, "I was pregnant seven times, and I didn't have a spot to park my car."
Don't even get her started on special parking for hybrids: "That's ridiculous."
Even people who support preferred parking for pregnant women say they draw the line at hybrid-only spots.
Filip Milosevic of Toronto sometimes hassles young men he sees parking in the moms-only spots. "I ask them, 'Where's your baby? Where's your baby-mama?' "
But he thinks reserving spots for hybrids is unfair. "What, that makes you more special?" he asks. "I can't afford a hybrid car. I don't agree at all with that."
The preferred parking debate has flared online recently. A photo of a hulking Land Rover parked in a spot for "alternative-fuel vehicle parking only" at a Chicago Home Depot, posted on Blogs.cars.com and Consumerist.com two weeks ago, prompted a raucous discussion of whether such spots are justified.
Globe and Mail readers similarly debated yesterday's story on IKEA's plan for eco-friendly parking.
"What's next?" one online commenter asked. "Spots for people with spots?"
The controversy demonstrates that companies should use caution when reserving parking, says retail specialist Richard Talbot of Talbot Consultants International Inc.
Spaces near an entrance are valuable, he said, so retailers should make them available to as many people as possible.
"Really, they're in the business of selling merchandise. Anything that's going to impact that negatively, they should think carefully about."
But some retailers say they haven't had any complaints. Loblaws has reserved parking spaces for expectant mothers and parents of small children for years, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Margles. The policy caters to the 80 per cent of Loblaws customers who are women, she said. "We would defend them till the end."
Many shoppers wholeheartedly support reserved spots.
"It would be disgusting if someone who didn't have a child or wasn't pregnant parked in one of those spots," said Annie Graham, heading into a Toronto Loblaws.
Ms. Graham said she thinks hybrid-only parking is a great idea and doesn't mind looking a little harder for a spot.
"With the obesity epidemic we have now, park way over there and get a walk in," she said. "We're all busy, but take exercise where you can get it."
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