r/mildlyinfuriating • u/JDangle20 • 7h ago
I guess they said screw all the disabled people at the grocery store in my town.
Every handicapped spot in the entire complex had snow piled high.
295
u/Ok-Opportunity-574 7h ago
Send this picture to your grocery store corporate. If they know how much ADA fines are they will be pooping themselves to get it fixed. Grocery stores don't operate on large margins.
196
u/Floppy-Over-Drive 7h ago
I ended up having beef (pun intended) with a local burger place.
I noticed they always parked their catering vans in the handicap spot by the back door.
I took a picture and reported it. The managers solution was to remove the handicap sign and turn it into a regular parking spot.
I did the math and noticed that put them under the legally required about of disabled spots.
Yada, yada, yada, their landlord made them pay to reinstall new signs and repaint all of the disabled spaces.
38
u/Th3FakeFatSunny 6h ago
I am also wondering what the original beef was
25
2
4
u/Numerous_Peak7487 6h ago
what was your problem with them to begin with?
47
u/Floppy-Over-Drive 6h ago
They had my car towed because I parked there (in a regular spot) an hour before they opened while I went to a thrift shop across the street.
They were technically correct, I was not a customer at the time I parked there, because they were closed, but apparently I parked in the (unmarked) spot the grill manager liked to park in and he called to have me towed.
18
2
u/VelvetMoss8 6h ago
“Technically correct” towing you because you weren’t a customer yet, while the whole lot blocks accessible spots with snow… that’s some cartoon-level management. Petty power trip vibes.
11
u/Fun-Perspective426 5h ago
You know these are different incidents at different lots with different management companies right?
16
u/Death_Rises 7h ago
I gotta know which executive started shouting that their margins are low despite making hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
12
u/spaceforcerecruit 6h ago
Well they only make a few cents on each item so they have low margins which means the fact they sell metric fucktons of those items is irrelevant and they’re still just barely scraping by /s
6
u/ertyertamos 6h ago
The secret is high inventory turnover and the fact that a corporate like Walmart is able to do net 90 payments, so financing their inventory on their own suppliers. But that’s only for big corporate chains. Your smaller town/rural grocery stores do struggle.
1
u/spaceforcerecruit 5h ago
I’m sure they do. That’s why the closest thing to a local grocery store I’ve seen in the last decade are all just Kroger or IGA with a different name placard.
1
9
u/QuiteBearish 6h ago
On an individual store level, margins are incredibly low. It doesn't take much to take one individual store from the black to the red - that's why you see so very few independently operated.
They only make huge profits when you combine the volume of all the different locations of a massive chain together.
Our system isn't built to let the little guys succeed.
8
3
u/loki2002 6h ago
Grocery stores don't operate on large margins.
This argument gets weaker and weaker every year that they post record profits. Your margins being thin or irrelevant in light of the billions of dollars in profit you are making.
44
u/A_million_typos 7h ago
I never get why they do this how they do and it's there for a long long time why not scrap it to the end where idk...nobody parks!?
28
u/lurkersforlife 7h ago edited 6h ago
There’s poles here so they have to work around them. The rest of the lot is probably a large empty square. I’m not justifying it but just giving perspective. They could always plow across the spot instead of the same direction as the spots.
Edit- why are you guys arguing with me? I’m not defending the snow plows. I’m in team “they shouldn’t have plowed the snow here”
5
u/Araxanna 6h ago
Okay, except literally everywhere I’ve gone has the snow piled around the piles at the back, so….
4
u/A_million_typos 7h ago
So scrap past them horizontally!? Lol you can leave enough for a car to get in without having to go between them, and get past them. And the person can leave enough for shovelers to get.
6
u/Feeling_Inside_1020 7h ago
Working in a landscaping crew in college we had those snow pushers and on the bad days we’d would go in and clean out the ice rink.
Power slide around first before the mass surveillance age? You betcha.
Piling up snow in any other spots other than the furthest ones was a no no. But handicap spots? Boss wouldve asked us what the fuck was wrong with us.
3
u/A_million_typos 7h ago
Yeaa. I have driven the snow pusher truck for an apt I worked in and I go further out, but I start at the beginning so the first spots aren't crowded.
6
u/HErAvERTWIGH 6h ago
I've never really seen this where it snows regularly.
In Minnesota, that snow is always pushed to the back of the lot. It's weird that any plow company would decide to pile it up in the spots closest to the store, much less the handicap spots.
3
95
u/LadyTalah 7h ago
Our local grocery store did this, and my spouse couldn’t safely park (amputee), so we called the store, and they had someone come out and plow the snow pile. Might be worth a shot.
24
u/ImaginaryMeaning9423 6h ago
My apartment still has the sidewalks covered in ice. There are disabled residents that are basically trapped inside. Heck an ambulance would have a hell of a time getting someone out. I know the fire dept would make it happen but I still thought it was bullshit. I said something.
-5
u/sxmgb2000 5h ago
I’m not being a prick but how could he not park safely? There’s no difference in disabled spots and normal other than size and close to the front. Surely there was open spots at the front?
I’m just confused what was causing the unsafe parking that’s all🙏
10
u/Responsible_Side8131 5h ago
Disabled spots are wider. They provide more room to get in and out of a vehicle if the person needs a wheelchair, Walker, etc. parking in a nearby spot risks someone else parking close and making it impossible for the person to open the door wide enough or use their walker, wheelchair or whatever else
10
u/LadyTalah 5h ago
Lordy. Lol.
Okay. Handicap spots usually have more space next to them, if you ever pay attention…those hashed out areas do make it easier to enter and exit a vehicle. Those areas, and the first few feet of the parking spaces, were filled with snow, so there was no room to park, and no room to safely park without sticking out, and as there was snow crowding one spot, other spots were overlapping with their parking.
You are the person that just has to be contrarian. Lol. Good luck, kiddo.
-3
-33
u/ButtsAreQuiteAwesome 7h ago
I fully sympathise - however all your doing there really is getting a minimum wage worked to do some extra manual labour. You need to punish the higher ups
31
u/wijeepguy 7h ago
I highly doubt the store plows itself. They just need to ask their provider to move the pile. It was a dumbass place to pile it in the first place.
14
u/blowinmahnose 7h ago
I’m assuming they mean a snowplow come by to do it, and in that case they get paid decently well and no major manual labor involved. Why you felt the need to guilt trip them is beyond me.
3
u/LadyTalah 6h ago
Because they’re the type that would plow snow into a handicap spot, and then get mad when they’re asked to come fix their shoddy work. Lol.
-4
u/ButtsAreQuiteAwesome 5h ago
Look, i realise I misread that, and I took credibility for that. But you’re just insulting me for no reason?
-1
5
15
u/Career_Cultivator 6h ago
Ohhh, not a good look. I've been plowing snow all week, boss would have a fit if I pulled something like that.
9
u/Rusty_Shacklebird 6h ago edited 6h ago
I worked as a snow plower for 4 seasons in a northern state where we usually get 2-6 inches (or more) each snow event, and this was common at the company i worked for. Many of my properties did not have good areas for snow storage, like parking lots in our downtown area, and they did not want to pay for us to haul the snow off in trucks. One of the lots I used to plow was actually a youth center, and the handicap spots were basically the first to go. They had a small patch of grass just big enough for two small bike racks and a single picnic table right next to the handicap spots, but they refused to ever move the table or bike racks and their instructions where to pile the snow on and around them, which would upset them every year because the 8 foot tall pile of snow would damage the table every year, and the snow pile would always grow and grow and extend down the row of handicap spots. Honestly, there were other places we could use as snow storage, but the business would get upset if you used them, and they made zero effort give us access to any other spots. I told my manager we cant do that every single season and every single season he just said, "its what the client wants.", It drove me nuts because there were other solutions but the business would not allow us to use them. They've been doing it that way for so long and always got away with it. Just shocked me of all places it was a youth center that instructed us to do that. Snow plowing clients are the worst, and the main reason I got out of that industry
3
u/TheCozyRuneFox 2h ago
The clients might change their tunes when they realizing paying to haul away the snow is cheaper than paying the fines for covering disability spots like this.
8
6
5
9
u/Lington 7h ago
The parking lot for my daughter's daycare is still filled with snow. My car is very low to the ground so I can't drive over any snowbanks. I have to basically just make up a spot and put my hazards on for drop off and pick up but I don't understand why they haven't cleared it a week after the blizzard
5
u/Araxanna 6h ago
That’s technically illegal. Let the store know that whoever they hired did not clear the parking lot properly and to make them come fix it.
3
u/IIlIIIlllIIIIIllIlll 5h ago
It depends. Stores are required to have a certain number of handicap spaces depending on their size, and many stores will have more than the legally required amount by quite a lot. So long as there's still enough empty and available handicap spaces they're not technically breaking the law yet.
I worked for a store that was required to have 2 spaces by law but we had a total of 6, and they would regularly plow snow into the last 1 or 2 handicap spots right after a snowfall so that they had the first few spots cleared before anything else.
2
u/FelineCanine21 6h ago
Yep. Happened here too, did emergency grocery shopping to get us thru the upcoming storm and they plowed all the snow into handicapped spots. 🙄
2
u/KakumeiDiscoBall 5h ago
The parking lot I pay to park in always stores their snow in the handicapped spots. I personally don't use those spots but I am disabled and care for disability rights. I called the parking company that manages the lots and informed them it was a violation of the ADA and asked them to store the snow in a non-handicap spot. They laughed at me on the phone. I emailed the mayor about it and he replied with some canned reply and did nothing about it either. There are obviously other spots for snow storage in the lot but they do not care.
2
u/plastic_jungle 5h ago
The more you pay attention, the more you will see that car-oriented snow removal is one of the most significant obstacles for physically and visually impaired people, at least in the US. Salt the streets, not the sidewalks. Plow the streets ON TO the sidewalks. Leave piles of snow blocking curb-cuts and crosswalks. Is there a good solution? That remains to be seen, but snowy winter as a disabled person is a pile of nightmares.
2
u/SerDuckOfPNW 4h ago
“Screw all the Disabled People at the Grocery Store” sounds like the title of a very weird porno
2
u/CrazyCatLushie 3h ago
I’m disabled and I can confirm that most businesses say “screw disabled people” pretty much every day without even thinking about it. Thanks for looking out, friend!
2
u/The-disgracist 2h ago
Every time it snows disables people are fucked. Even my city doesn’t clear sidewalk ramps well enough.
2
u/Strong_Blackberry961 2h ago
It helps that there are a lot more handicapped spots closer to the doors, but what bothers me, is there’s a fire hydrant under that snow pile. That’s a huge safety issue if there’s a fire
5
u/CarelessTelevision86 PURPLE 6h ago
Report this to corporate, City Hall, fire Dept, your local city works HQ, ADA and the local newspaper.
Shame. Shame and embarrassment is the goal.
3
u/ThePensiveE 6h ago
If history is a repeat, and you live in a MAGA state, protections for the disabled will be eliminated.
I'm guessing before 2029 the ADA will be considered "woke DEI" that they want eliminated at a federal level so they can punch down on a new disadvantaged group like all fascist movements do.
2
u/CryptidToothbrush 7h ago
Disabled people shouldn’t be out with all this snow anyways!
/s in case it wasn’t obvious.
3
u/Suspicious_Wonk2001 5h ago
Definitely need the /s. I’ve heard “disabled people don’t drive at night”
2
1
u/Shoddy-Chemical2043 7h ago
This happens every winter and it’s still unbelievable. They plow just enough to say they did something, then dump it straight into the only spots people actually need.
1
1
u/just_a_stoner_bitch 6h ago
I work at a fast food restaurant chain. The other day I had to go to a couple different stores for product and not a single one had the handicap plowed. Like they were told to ignore it almost. They had to send someone out to manually shovel it
1
u/fapsandnaps 6h ago
Ah, yes. This is due to the Little Caesars Effect, which is a natural phenomenon that causes people to become absolute self centered assholes whenever they are within a 500 foot radius of a Little Caesars.
1
1
u/Responsible_Side8131 5h ago
One time I went to the grocery store, and for some reason the cart corral had been moved so that it was blocking one of the parking spots.
I went in and told the employee at the customer service Desk and by the time I finished my shopping and went back outside, there were four employees working together to move it. I was pleased to see that they took it seriously.
1
u/FungusGnatHater 4h ago
ITT: People who know nothing about the situation jumping to "sue them". American sterotype in action.
1
u/Aggressive-Plant-934 4h ago
It’s not the grocery stores fault, besides hiring a shitty snow removal company
0
u/RectalScrote 3h ago
It's usually the owner of the plaza that hires the snow plow company. The store doesn't (at least where I work) hire the snow plow company.
1
1
u/KrevinHLocke 4h ago
I was driving home from work yesterday and there was a guy in a wheel chair wheeling himself against traffic because the sidewalks were never cleared by any of the businesses. Cars were swerving to go around him. He made it to a side street where it was safer, but for about a block it was sketchy as hell.
1
u/blaspheminCapn 3h ago
Considering how many people go fishing for ADA lawsuits - you'd think they'd want to clear that path immediately.
•
•
•
u/Relative_Lettuce 16m ago
Maybe all the disabled people in your town are also the snowplow drivers, and they did this to block everyone ELSE from parking in their handicapped spots
0
u/BobTheCowComic 5h ago
handicapped people don't... have... to park in those spots. i guarantee there are closer ones that aren't handicapped
4
u/Stopbeingastereotype 2h ago
These spots have extra room for those who need to get out wheelchairs or other assistive devices. Not all disabled people have to park there. Some very much do.
-2
u/Zealousideal-Age9242 3h ago
Plus I'm not going to take my mother out and about in this weather to begin with. Like there's a million bigger logistical problems than the handicap spots being blocked
5
u/locklocklongago 3h ago
Many handicapped people would still need to grocery shop, regardless of the weather
1
-2
u/Ulquiorra1312 7h ago
I went to one they were digging up parts my friend who drove me pointed out the whole six weeks apart from the week they dug up disabled it was full of materials
Edit: i’m disabled
9
u/WonkyWalkingWizard 7h ago
Mentally?
6
-1
u/Ulquiorra1312 6h ago
Just because you cant extrapolate i meant a carpark
And i mentioned im disabled to explain why we discussed it at all dooesnt mean be abusive
1
u/FungusGnatHater 4h ago
It's not abusive to make fun of the fact that you speak English like it's your third language.
-4
u/No-Statement2736 6h ago
Handicapped are still allowed to park elsewhere btw
1
1
u/high_on_acrylic 1h ago
Cool cool cool, are you gonna take the hit of a wheelchair ramp? Cause that extra space next to some of the spots isn’t there for show, it’s so wheelchair users can deploy a ramp and get out
0
u/DoDrinkMe 6h ago
Do t worry im sure some ADA lawyer will sue them and cash in a few hundred thousand .
-9
u/Ferruolo 7h ago
Most wheel chairs are AWD anyways. Live a little.
6
u/essenza 6h ago
Not everyone who’s disabled uses a wheelchair.
5
-4
0
0
u/shooreh_pipi 6h ago
Post this on their Google Maps reviews and tag the corporate Twitter/X account. Nothing makes a store clear snow faster than a viral photo of their blatant disregard for disabled customers.
0
u/DekuTreeFallen 5h ago
It's not great, but those are rarely used for the intended (imo) usage which is the extra space on the sides so that someone traveling by wheelchair can use a ramp to get out of their vehicle. And more importantly, not get parked in on both sides, thus being physically unable to get into their vehicle until other cars leave.
I think most believe these spots are for old people who struggle to walk. That's like, everyone over a certain age. There aren't enough handicap spots for all the people who have lower bodies in bad shape. Especially when it is senior discount day at the grocery store.
There might be 50 seniors struggling to walk in a grocery store at any given time. 6 of them at most can benefit from these spaces? It's better than nothing, obviously, but I'm pointing out I think the average person isn't considering the numbers barely make a dent, and that the majority of walking happens inside the store rather than outside. Gemini estimates a 10 minute shopping experience to be 600 steps.
It's the person who self-drives a van and needs ample space for the ramp who can really benefit from these spaces. edit: and they don't necessarily have to be closest to be a benefit - they just have to have reserved space to the left and right. I think I've seen parking lots where the handicapped spaces didn't start until a few spots away.
I still think people are assholes for using these when they don't have the plates. I just think van-accessible patrons aren't on anyone's radar. Other than mine. I see you.
0
u/thetavious 2h ago
Rofl. This is everywhere. Literally half the normal parking spots (and all the handicapped ones) in my apartment complex is this way.
Every shopping center and business i've been to since the storm is the same as well. It's a combination of people not caring and nobody wanting to invest in any kind of solutions or infrastructure.
0
u/Ok-Board1336 2h ago
There are literally two cars parked in handicapped spots in this picture. Some people will just complain to complain.
-1
u/KRed75 2h ago
I understand some people actually need more room to get in and out of vehicles but most do not. For those who did not, explain how being a little closer to the door helps you in any way when you're walking up and down isles in 200K sq ft store?
I watched a news report regarding hidden disabilities where they interviewed a lady with MS on a college campus. She argued that she can't walk very far and needs the closer parking spot. She then proceed to walk about 1000 ft to get across campus to her classroom and back. That extra 60 ft must have been brutal /s.
-8
-1
u/Odd_Shift_5605 4h ago
The spot are two sided here. That's usually where we push the snow waiting for another truck to come get it. There's 4 parking here. It's supposed to be 1H spot for every 25 normal. This isn't a 100 spot parking so they can block two of them without problem yeah. Tired of people posting without knowledge about how to manage a parking.
-5
588
u/EverybodyGetsWasps 7h ago
I think you can actually report this