Supermarket Parking Fine Tickets

Supermarket Parking Fine Tickets

Giant Supermarket chain ASBO has begun penalising shoppers found abusing priority parking spaces at a north-west London store.

Drivers who park in disabled bays without displaying a blue badge may be fined £60, as could people wrongly using parent and child spaces.

Special parking wardens began enforcing the scheme ahead of its England-wide roll out.

Anyone caught parking in a space they are not entitled to will be asked to move and those who refuse or seriously abuse the system will be fined.

Taking ASBO's lead, other supermarkets have been following these new extra-judicial policies.

MURRISON's have introduced a speed limit and one-way system in their aisles to reduce outbreaks of 'trolley rage'.

Things came to a head last month when a fight broke out over a crusty baguette resulting in a man being hospitalised after being concussed by a tin of butter beans.

Any breaches of the new rule will result in £10 on-the-spot fines and deduction of storecard points.

Tougher sanctions

A BAINSBURY store in Nottingham has experienced particular problems with school children at lunch-time including wreckless skateboarding and chewing gum deposits being left on vegetable produce. The Store Manager felt it was time to take affirmative action

"It was getting ridiculous, every day they would be coming in changing over price tags, wolf-whistling old ladies and doing rude things in the poultry department"

Last week two 14 year old miscreants were sent to the new custom-built Borstal set up by a consortium of the retail industry. So far their parents have been unable to find them and won't be given directions until they change over their loyalty cards.

At TASCO special measures have also been introduced nationally, including strip-searches of suspicious shoppers and random breath tests for those exiting the 'Beer, Wine and Spirits' section. They also have temporary holiding cells modelled on Guantanamo Bay where they can detain people for up to 14 days.

The 'shoot to kill' policy at COSTLO in Birmingham has been remarkably effective as there has been a 90% drop in shoplifting since its introduction. Senior Security Guard Jason Nutbar explained

"There are clear rules of engagement posted at the front door, so they know the risk. Two shots to the torso and they go down. We use a 24-hour body-retrieval and cleaning squad to minimise disturbance for everyone as we don't want to spoil the happy shopping experience for our valued customers. We even use silencers to prevent any panic"

This rather radical policy may be rolled out nationally.

An international incident

But certainly the most bizarre incident occurred at the German-owned LEDL store in Inverness. The Manager decided to declare the store as German sovereign territory, in the manner of a foreign Embassy.

Despite the inconvenience of passport control and X-Ray machines customers flocked to the premises when they found out it had a European style 24-hour liquor license and legalised prostitution, including 2 for 1 offers on a Monday night.

However this was too much for the sensibilities of the local council who held an emergency meeting. Initially they appeared hamstrung by international law until one offficial pointed out that the town of North Berwick was technically still at war with Germany. This stroke of inspiration provided just the breakthrough the councillors needed.

After frantic phone calls and negotiations a team from the North Berwick Licensing Board was dispatched to the Highlands and after a 12 hour siege they stormed the supermarket. Casualties were light and after intervention from 10 Downing Street and the Federal Government in Berlin the Store Manager Archie McTickler signed an Armistice at the fish counter. Peace and harmony was restored.

Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen.

Prevention not cure

On top of all these actions are a raft of measures to punish determined shoplifters.

These are especially aimed at rich old ladies and young children from private schools as supermarkets are now employing deterrents to try and avert the problem before it starts.

With Civil Recovery proceedings retail stores can boost their profits significantly by introducing a quasi-fine system of financial penalties.

Therefore anyone caught stealing from their stores, suspected of stealing or just simply walking funny or asking directions to the toilet can be liable. In fact according to consumer watchdogs the highest risk for shoppers is to browse along the aisles and have the temerity to leave the store without buying anything.

This is being applied in clothing stores and other outlets too.

Consumer affairs expert Alice Chaffinch explains;

"The worst thing for the High Street shops is for people to be strolling around their premises trailing dirt and dust onto their carpets and enjoying the central heating and free background music.This all costs money in maintenance and fuel bills which the customer is expected to reimburse"

A patron of one store in Uddleston was sent a bill for £200 for fondling 14 pairs of trousers, checking 6 price tags before deciding to buy at the charity shop next door. According to the 82 year-old accused, Mrs Doris Rinse, the bill was itemised as follows;

Administrative costs: £80

Time to look at CCTV : £60

Carpet cleaning : £25

Fuel : £15

Postage: £5

Staff Christmas Party contribution : £10

Security staff wages : £.0.50p

Plus an extra £4.50 just to round it up to £200

The CCTV pay-per-view charge was particularly disturbing and indicative of a growing trend. The costs of staff looking at things has alarmed critics especially as it is becoming more prevalent for retail assistants and security guards to look at people more to help profit margins.

One man who wished to remain anonymous was stared at by two staff in a London store for a full 10 minutes leading to a charge of £150 plus VAT.

Another young man was chased for 5 minutes down a street in Glasgow and although not apprehended he was caught on CCTV. After a good half an hour scrutiny of the footage he was arrested by security at his home. There were also reinforcements present from the Hardware Department in case things got rough.

He was billed for £350 pounds which included call-out fees and dry-cleaning for the guards who originally pursued him. Apparently they had to change their shirts which had been covered in sweat from the chase.

The stores defend themselves by claiming immunity and full sovereignty over their own turf. They also point out that it frees up time for the Police to catch real criminals with no money and no profit value such as street beggars and fare-dodgers.

Also, they claim, thanks to Police vigilance public urination figures have fallen which benefits everyone, especially shopkeepers who have to open up in the morning.

But tell us what you think of these new methods introduced by the retail industry, a step too far? or a much needed crackdown on problem customers? Have you been affected personally? Tell us your story.

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