Supermarket shoppers nationwide are hitting out at a controversial parking rule. Photo / 123RF
Supermarket shoppers nationwide are hitting out at a controversial parking rule. Photo / 123RF
Supermarket shoppers nationwide are hitting out at a controversial parking rule that penalises them for visiting multiple nearby stores, with fines reaching up to $85.
Parking signs at some supermarkets require shoppers to move their cars just metres away to a different car park if they want to visita neighbouring store.
It raises the question: Should you be allowed to do your supermarket shopping and pop across the road for a coffee without facing a fine?
This question comes after a parking sign was spotted at the Woolworths in Browns Bay, sparking a heated debate — with some calling the rule “pathetic”.
The sign read: “Attention, Woolworths Browns Bay customer only carpark. Enforcement applies.
“If you leave this car park without your vehicle prior to or after concluding shopping at Woolworths Browns Bay, you will be issued a Parking Breach Notice for unauthorised parking and be charged enforcement costs.”
A Woolworths spokesperson said if a genuine customer did receive a breach notice, they were able to appeal it, and, with proof of purchase, the breach notice would be waived.
Following the backlash in Browns Bay, shoppers told the Herald the rules were not isolated to the beachside community, but in fact appear to be nationwide.
Browns Bay shoppers are split over Woolworths' car-park rule. Photo / Facebook
One woman commented on a community Facebook post, saying she shopped at New World Orewa and was hit with an $80 fine after walking across the road to grab a coffee.
Another man told the Herald that a similar incident had happened at the New World in Cambridge.
“Daughter recently got 2 x $85 parking tickets for parking at the far end of their car park while visiting a cafe. Fair play to them, they waived the tickets as the signage wasn’t clear,” he said.
Many stand by the rule saying that if a parking lot is on private property, the supermarkets are well within their rights to enforce rules they see fit.
“This is for those against the rule: I parked in your driveway and visited your neighbour,” one commented.
Supermarket shoppers nationwide are hitting out at a controversial parking rule. Photo / 123RF
A Browns Bay resident, Julia, 65, told the Herald she was hit with a “very steep” $85 fine at the Woolworths Browns Bay carpark after shopping in the area for a few hours.
“The thing that really gets me is that I want to be up close to the supermarket because that’s when I have bags to carry, and I don’t want to have three or four bags to carry into my car and have to walk 200m to a car park,” she said
“Can you imagine all these oldies getting in their car and then 30 minutes later or 45 minutes later circling around to find somewhere else so they have time to go to Chemist Warehouse and get their scripts,” Julia said. “It’s just crazy.”
She said she felt this parking rule would not create more parking spaces in the busy area, but in fact just clog up the roads with people shifting their cars.
Julia said a solution could be to introduce a new rule and allocate some parks as a longer-term paid option.
A Woolworths spokesperson says if a genuine customer does receive a breach notice, they are able to appeal it, and with proof of purchase. Photo / Google Maps
A Woolworths New Zealand spokesperson said the company contracted parking enforcement services to monitor some car parks.
This decision was made to ensure customer-only parking spaces are kept free for genuine customers shopping at the store.
“Parking at our Browns Bay store is under considerable pressure, with a high level of use by people who are not shopping at our store, for example, to attend the local Sunday markets, go to the beach or shop at other stores close by.
“It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to take this step, but we need to try to ensure that genuine customers can use our car park.”
