How to make motorhomers unpopular

[bartman]

Two selfish idiots in my local Aldi carpark this morning - one with his motorhome taking up the best part of two spaces (that can't be helped, but I always fel self-conscious about doing it in small car parks like Aldi have), but also with a trailer with a tractor on it which left precious little room to get past, and making life difficult for cars parked opposite to get out. Then having got past that, there's another similar-minded buffoon with his motorhome and trailer abandoned not in a parking space at all but at the end of the central row.
Looking at the antique farmyard junk they were towing, I would guess they were returning from the Dorset Steam Fair. They must have left their brains there. If you have to stop for provisions with a vehicle like that, common sense would tell most people to go somewhere with a bigger parking area.

 

[andyjanet]

Well I just took up seven bays in ALDI strathaven, if a car driver can’t park in one bay because he can’t drive why should I worry about taking up seven

 

[HurricaneSmith]

I'm a worrier.

I tried parking in a single space at Waitrose in Sandbach, but was concerned because the nose of my van stuck out into the roadway a little.

So I drove to a brand new Aldi at Holmes Chapel. Huge spaces where I parked with no problem.

In addition to the evening meal, I bought a bottle of wine for £4, expecting it to be rubbish. I was wrong - It was excellent.

A win win, for good parking and a great meal!
.

 

[wildebus]

your typical ALDI (small car parks?) is blessed with better parking facilities than most shops are, so I am not sure where someone is expected to know where to go, especially if, as is likely in the situation described, they are not familiar with the area?

I've gone to retail parks with my T5 plus small trailer and have had to leave again as there was not a SINGLE space that was designed* to take a vehicle longer then a estate car, so anyone with a trailer or caravan or even an 'oversized' Motorhome would be stuffed.

*and when I say "designed" I mean you couldn't even take up two spaces in a line as there was a verge between the two rows in every part of the carpark

 

[Molly 3]

Problem with aldi/ lidl car parks some use penalty charges notices and some don't ...

 

[GreggBear]

Two selfish idiots in my local Aldi carpark this morning - one with his motorhome taking up the best part of two spaces (that can't be helped, but I always fel self-conscious about doing it in small car parks like Aldi have), but also with a trailer with a tractor on it which left precious little room to get past, and making life difficult for cars parked opposite to get out. Then having got past that, there's another similar-minded buffoon with his motorhome and trailer abandoned not in a parking space at all but at the end of the central row.
Looking at the antique farmyard junk they were towing, I would guess they were returning from the Dorset Steam Fair. They must have left their brains there. If you have to stop for provisions with a vehicle like that, common sense would tell most people to go somewhere with a bigger parking area.

Not a tractor fan then?....

 

[jagmanx]

And in Switzerland...(Interlaken)
A local using a pickup truck with trailer "parked" alongside the only LPG pump in a filling station.
A big shop was connected to the filling station so he went shopping...
We must have waited 30-40 mins for him to return and drive off.
We either had to wait or go away..as with most the pump needs to be on the RHS for the gas locker and the filling station was a "one-way only".

And I thought "Trolls only lived in Norway" but maybe the Swiss mountains also attract them..
We were really "Gruyered Off" but he left Emmentally making a right Raclette.

Perhaps his wife was a "Jungfrau" but clearly not too "Eiger" to get back to her.....Perhaps she weighed a Thun ?

 

[bartman]

If we are on the road and looking for a place to park, at a supermaket or elsewhere, I make use of the satnav and Google maps to get an idea of suitability. There are two out of town supermarkets within a couple of miles of this location, one a 24 hour tesco with a huge car park and located on a retail park with further parking. These people just didn't give a damn.
I have since discovered that the "Great" Dorset Steam Fair starts this week, so they were on their way there and we can look forward to their return.

 

[witzend]

Most service stations have a shop of some sort with ample parking I've driven a large vehicle and never needed to try getting into a supermarket car park which is really only intended for cars

 

[Wully]

Think you need some prosaic big man you need to calm down before you burst a blood vessel you can’t just claim people are idiots for parking a motorhome probably the best they could in the spaces available.

 

[Clunegapyears]

We often have to take up 3 spaces, but James ‘chooses’ to not come shopping with me, so is around to move the van if necessary.

 

[GreggBear]

If I need to park anywhere awkward I always stay in the motor & send a runner to the shops....??

 

[Markd]

I try to gauge how busy the store is before taking up multiple spaces where I perceive least disruption will be caused.
Yes it's quite difficult if no end to end double bays.

 

[TJBi]

your typical ALDI (small car parks?) is blessed with better parking facilities than most shops are, so I am not sure where someone is expected to know where to go, especially if, as is likely in the situation described, they are not familiar with the area?

I've gone to retail parks with my T5 plus small trailer and have had to leave again as there was not a SINGLE space that was designed* to take a vehicle longer then a estate car, so anyone with a trailer or caravan or even an 'oversized' Motorhome would be stuffed.

*and when I say "designed" I mean you couldn't even take up two spaces in a line as there was a verge between the two rows in every part of the carpark

I know what you mean re car park design, but as for having some idea as to where to go if not familiar with the area, the Shopping POIs on a satnav can often be useful, perhaps in conjunction with Google Streetview if one has a mobile data contract.

 

[Mobroomfield]

We always try and park as far away as possible from the main car park and in a corner if we can but it’s not always easy

 

[SNODGRASS]

Why shop at Aldi or Lidl we have our own wonderful supermarkets !

 

[Deleted member 3324]

My 'record' is 7, would have gone for the full fourteen had it not been for the car parked behind the trailer. Doh! This was taken at Tesco's Inverness

 

[Trotter]

We often have to take up 3 spaces, but James ‘chooses’ to not come shopping with me, so is around to move the van if necessary.

Sensible man! If he’s anything like me, he’ll detest shopping, and either delegate or do it as quickly as possible, often missing out on what he went in for because it wasn’t where it “should “ be.
There’s a reason I use eBay and Amazon.

 

[Phantom]

The loading bays are a good size for motorhomes if the car park is full. ?

 

[harrytherid]

How can one do otherwise than take up more than one bay? My wagon is just over 7 metres long which is about 1.4 standard bay lengths and 2.3m wide which means I can not open the personnel door if anyone parks immediately along side and my wife can not get out or in the cab doors so 4 bays are needed unless some larger than normal bays are provided. In Sainsburys at Penzance there are three, I think, motorhome bays and last time I was there all were occupied by small cars when there were plenty of vacant car bays of which I occupied four; doubtless to much tut tutting from car drivers. You can't win.