STROLLER PARKING AT B&N: UNREASONABLE?

The recent brouhaha on Park Slope Parents about stroller parking at Barnes and Noble is inspiring cries of entitlement.

A OTBKB reader called me today furious that people were making such a big deal about B&N’s request that parents and caregivers park their stroller in the front of the shop.

"People around here are so entitled," she said. "They think it’s their right to turn a local store into a community hang out."

She makes an interesting point. In winter, Parents and caregivers spend hours a day in there. They don’t spend a penny and they destroy the books. Is it unreasonable for a store to ask that people park their strollers?

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

"What gives them the right to tell Barnes and Noble what to do?" she asks.

Sure, parents get isolated and stir crazy in the cold weather and it’s understandable that they need somewhere to go with their kids. But it’s not up to a local store to fill that service.

"Why don’t people pool their resources and rent a space in a local church or a loft on Third Avenue. "When did stores become activities?" she asks.

9 thoughts on “STROLLER PARKING AT B&N: UNREASONABLE?”

  1. Greetings,
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    Lea Go
    Pet Strollers

  2. I think that these parents, that believe its their “right” to have strollers in the stores, are bonkers. Im a parent of a 7 year old. So I understand what its like to deal with a stoller. I personally hated it. Although in many ways its a convenient way to transport your child around, by no means is it my only way. I use to opt a carrying sack for my daughter when she was small. As she got bigger, I purchased a very simple stroller. Easy to close and move around. It didnt take up much space. But I was always conscious about our surroundings. At times I stayed outside if a particular store just couldn’t accomodate us. I never, ever thought that the store had to cater to me. So I would say to these parents…deal with it. If you live in the neighborhood, then teach your child to walk around. Im sure it will take a bit longer to get to your destination. Or if your child is small enough, carrying them around. Seriously, to complain that you have to park your stroller in a designated area is just pretentious. The store has a right to dictate what people do in their stores, as long its a reasonable request. Anyone complains is just a spoiled brat.

  3. Before the “so called” stroller ban we would leave ours upstairs out of consideration in the first place. We were there on Sunday and I noticed two babies in strollers in the basement, so I don’t really know how stringently this policy is being enforced.

  4. i see nothing wrong with B&N saying no to strollers. i have a dog in the city, and sometimes i take him with me when i go shopping. most stores don’t have a problem with it, and many stores encourage pet owners by having treats and such. however, some stores politely tell me dogs are not allowed, and when this happens, i kindly say, “sorry, i didn’t know” and i walk out of the store. no harm no foul. the store has every right to not allow pets if they don’t want them. i see no difference with strollers. its just common courtesy. if you don’t like their policy, go someplace else. no one’s forcing you to go to B&N in the first place.

  5. The problem isn’t the strollers, it’s the Stroller Nazi parents who think that their children are mini-deities and their right to encroach on space is divine and infinite.

  6. Yikes, Eddie, didn’t mean to p-ss you off. I see your point, but unfortunately, I cannot see that stores will outright ban strollers. It’s sometimes not practical (and no, I don’t have kids). I don’t mind if someone has one while doing business, even if a little annoying. What annoys me is the way they behave with them, as if they have the right to make everyone move out of their way or take up ALL of the space – as if they are somehow more important. However, I completely agree that strollers have gotten way too big and am particularly offended by what I call the “double-wide.”

  7. > If someone is patronizing a store and
    > purchasing their goods, they should have a
    > right to bring a stroller in
    No, they shouldn’t have that either.
    Rights, my ass.
    There is no bill of rights for shoppers. Buy all you want, but if a store doesn’t want you to have a stroller, or a boombox, or a bicycle, then its their call. Don’t like it, go next door. Its called capitalism. The owner of the store has his own rights, and he can do what he wants within reasonable restrictions.
    Unless its a wheelchair or seeing eye dog, I don’t want to hear it.
    Having a stroller that is the size of a minivan is NOT a right…

  8. The strollers might be a problem in case of a fire in that they are blocking passages out of the store.
    On Sunday morning around 11 a.m., I got on the elevator at B&N and two people with strollers got on to go downstairs. I don’t know what happened after they got there.

  9. You make good points. Sounds like entitlement to me. If someone is patronizing a store and purchasing their goods, they should have a right to bring a stroller in. But a store is not a personal hangout, and if you’re not buying, you shouldn’t be staying.

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