Ethics of buying bargains?

I was talking to my Sister at her husband's 60th birthday celebratory meal yesterday and we were discussing our shopping bargains. She works part-time in her local Tescos, just a few hours a week. She was saying some comments about what she thought was wrong about how some people shopped. I felt a bit ashamed as I have done all the things she doesn't like on a regular basis! This is what she doesn't like......

1) People clearing ALL the bargain reduced section and not leaving anything for anyone else to buy.

2) People following the lady/man round who's reducing the items so they can have first pick

3) People parking in the "parent and child" section when they haven't got small children.

No 1 I did on Friday night as I popped into Sainsbury's on the way to collect my husband from work and they were closing in 15 minutes and the lady was reducing everything to either 10p or 30p. I got about £50 worth of shopping for £3.20 including about 4 bags of satsumas for 10p each which I have juiced. There were hardly any other customers there and they were closing shortly as I said.

No 3 I do each time I take my elderly Mum to Waitrose as she cannot walk very far at all and the parent and child spaces are nearest the store and we are parent and child! There are also hardly any children in the store when we go at 6.30 pm. She has now applied for a disabled card and been accepted but the process has taken ages and I have been asking her for months to apply for one. I wouldn't use the parent and child spaces daytime when Mums go shopping with their children.

The car park attendant at my Sister's store got assualted recently in a pub by someone who recognised him. He had challenged this customer for parking in a parent and child space when he hadn't got any children. The case was going to court but the witness has now said he won't testify -I wonder why?!!

My husband thinks it doesn't matter about who buys things when they are reduced-what does anyone else think? Are there any ethics that should apply?!!

Well I agree with 1).... and that inclues people with trolleys who park them right in front of the reduced section so that nobody else can get anywhere near. My elderly mother & I had a go at someone like that a while ago, after we'd politely waited ages. Her excuse? "I can't help that Tescos make trolleys this big, can I?" Erm, yes you can, you can park it over there like other people do, and give other people a bit of access.

Number 2) yes I am guilty of that but I try not to hassle the person doing the markdowns. I won't hover too much, I'll go off and do something else, even if it means the thing I had my eye on was marked down and gobbled up by someone else in my absence. Crushing.... but that's life.

I'm on benefits and also shop for my mother who is on state pension so we do watch the bargains carefully, although there's a lot my mother can't eat as she's on a restricted diet. I guess that just makes it a bit more painful when something we've been watching gets poached!

Nether of us drive, none of my family do, so we're blissfully sinless on your third count But mum's neighbour up the road is always upset, as she has a genuine disability and can't walk far, so her OH has every right to use the designated parking spaces and they often find idiots with no handicap parked where they have the right to.

Sounds like sour grapes to me, I wonder, does this person take advantage of her staff discount card? Is that unethical? Is that equal opportunities?

It makes me so mad to drive round and round supermarket car parks for a disabled place and not find one. All the time you see able bodied people park in disabled parking spaces with no disabled cards - they hop out of their cars and sprint into the supermarket. Ive even seen mothers with children park in disabled spaces

My mum has to use a wheelchair and it is really awkward getting it out of the boot and trying to manoeuvre it round the side of the car - more often than not it is impossible to do in an ordinary space. Trying to get mum out of the car never mind walk her to the wheelchair at the back of the car is really awful. Her mobility is really very very poor and sometimes she is on the verge of tears

Personally I think those able bodied drivers who take up disabled spaces are disgraceful. They should be clamped and their car towed away

It's worse when you are disabled, but because you don't *look* disabled, and because you are young, you get abuse from people

When registered disabled no one has the right to challange you - age has nothing to do with it.

There is a big gym opened in the grounds of one of the supermarkets we go to. These very fit agile people going into the gym, park in disabled places

They do unfortunately

Yep, I see people pulling up all the time and using the disabled/mother and child places - tbh it's mainly business men who seem to be 'nipping' in for something, but think they have the right to use these spaces.

Unless i'm having a bad day, I don't use my disabled badge/parking space, as I know other people need them more than me.

My Mom has a disabled badge but Dad does not drive now so it rarely gets used as I/my brother/sister almost always let her out at the door of the hospital, and then go and
park in the normal car park and walk back, can't see the point in using the badge and taking up the space for a disabled driver......

My nephew also has a badge he is 17 and severely autistic wiht learning and mobility issues. But my sister and brother in law only use the badge when they have to if Jack is having a bad day.

There are people who need the space. Never use them in the supermarket same rule applies drop mom off park then in reverse.

I completey agree regards "disabled" spaces.

Mother and child on the other hand annoy me immensely and have been know to park in them on occasion.

Have no problem in large supermarket car parks, but in some of the smaller ones, by the time the disabled (which I agree with) and then the "mother and child" , there is sometimes very few places left, so if I will park my car in one.

After all I am a mother and have children, it does not give a age limit on these spaces!

I take my mum a lot and we use disabled spaces, numbers of times I have seen people leap out of their cars and rush in. Sometimes I drop her off and park them pick her up afterwards .

She was going to say she didn't need her badge as one of her knees was better. She can't walk very far at all and needs the trolley to get round the shop. She gets out of breath because of a heart condition and one knee ought to be done but she is frightened because of the blood thinners she is on.

She hates having to take advantage of the concessions she is given but so deserves them. There must be loads with her attitude who don't have help like she does and who struggle if they lose the spaces to healthy people.

rune