Excuse me, can you read???

(Sorry for the grainy cell phone picture!)

On Mondays I do my grocery shopping. I shop at a fabulous grocery store called Wegman's. If there is one near you and you have never been there, you REALLY need to give it a shot.

Anyway, Wegman's cares about its customers. Their customer service is superb. One of my favorite parts of this great service is the way they try to make things easier on us moms who have to shop with our little kids. If the weather is bad, you can go and get your car, load your kids and pull up to the curb where the "helping hands" attendants will load your groceries for you. Anytime you need help getting to your car with your groceries they will help out, and most of the time they suggest it. You don't even have to ask! They have plenty of carts with special features for holding more than one child. And, in the parking lot, there are 10 parking spots just for those of us who are lugging along our small children.

Now, before I hop on my soapbox let me say this. There are three entrances to the store. The w/child spaces are spread out between these entrances. It is a huge store, with a huge parking lot and there are plenty of spaces near the doors that are neither handicapped or w/child spaces.

SO, why is it that people with no children at their side park in these spaces. Just about every time I go, there is someone parked in one of these spaces with no car seats in their car. Two seat Mercedes...no car seat in there. Motorcycle...no car seat there.

Do they just have no idea how hard it is to take little kids to the grocery store with you? Do they not care? Do they have kids, but are disgruntled because there were no such spaces when their kids were little and think that moms today have it too easy? Do they have kids, but have forgotten what it is like? I WANT to know.

Sure it is nice to get to park at the front of the store, but if you gave me the option of taking my kids and parking at the front of the store or going alone and hiking from the farthest spot in the lot, I would DEFINITELY choose the latter.

I have seen some of these people when they park. They aren't injured or crippled or feeble. They usually appear in a hurry and hop out of their vehicles and dart into the store. Why??? Probably to rush in and get lunch from the immense section of prepared foods and various take-out "stands." Listen, I know they are in a hurry and only have so much time to get their lunch, but for goodness sakes please just park a little farther away and get some exercise.
I am certainly getting mine by carrying a 15 pound baby in a 13 pound car seat while holding tightly to a squirming toddler.

....stepping down from the soapbox now.