Motorized Wheel Chair Suckage

[RedRoseSpiral]

At my Evil Empire location we have three motorized wheel chairs. One is out of commission because of a dead battery, a second was no where to be found today, and the third was getting all of the attention. I got door greater duty for about 25 minutes when this very large woman walks in. She was already out of breath from walking from her car and was wondering wear the motorized wheel chair (MWC) were. I told her the only one currently usable was already occupied, so she went to the benches behind me to wait for it. That's when the suckage started.

As I'm greet customers and handling returns, I start to hear the woman behind me muttering. It seems the person who was using the MWC was checking out. It was a little old lady who had a cane in her basket along with her purchase. The larger lady behind me was quietly cussing the old woman out for taking to long at the register and how she was missing out on her shopping. I'm glad she didn't say anything to me about it. As long as she was muttering to herself I could ignore it, but I did think it was very rude and if I hadn't been working I would have said something to her.

That was just the start of my work suckage, but all my other stories are for Morons in Management.

[edible_hat]

by the sound of it, the old lady actually needed the chair wheras the SC's just suffering from a bad case of so lazy she sits down to walk.

[powerboy]

If the SC needed a cart, she should buy her own. What my disabled grandfather did instead of waiting for teenagers to stop playing with the carts.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

one guy came in to my store and said "get one of these fat asses off of the electric carts so my wife can use it" to the people greeter, then whined to an assistant manager, and I heard the story second hand, so i'm not sure if she told him to leave or just scolded him and made him wait for one to become available, but she was pissed from what I heard

[iviles]

It always amazes me that my little old customers that really could use one of the carts refuse to. When ever I try and get them one they say no they need the excercise. Who uses them more is people with broken legs or obese people. I'll be honest I'm by no means thin and understand that for some people it is a medical issue. But I always what to yell at the ones that get rude while on them (ie they try to run over people) to get off their lazy butts the walk would do them good.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

Devil's advocate here: it's possible that yes, that SC was a lazy so&so or she could be like a couple people I know.

One has effectively no cartilage in her knees. Yeah, try getting any exercise without bending your knees at any point. She also has cartilage problems with other joints but those are the worst.

Another has thyroid issues that keep her stuck at about 200+#. I've never asked for exact weight, and unless there's a new miracle drug, she will never lose it. The best that she can do is fluctuate about 10#.

Yet a 3rd has some leg problem that prevents her from walking more than X distance Which was the reason why she had a handicapped plate on her car with no obvious handicap. She could walk fine, if it was less than that distance. Her ability to walk rapidly deteriorated after that.

Whatever the reason, the woman in the OP was being extremely rude regardless. That other woman needed that MWC just as much and deserves just as much consideration. If the 2nd woman had arrived earlier, she would have been waiting even longer. So pbbbt to her.

[LifeCarnie]

It always amazes me that my little old customers that really could use one of the carts refuse to. When ever I try and get them one they say no they need the excercise. Who uses them more is people with broken legs or obese people. I'll be honest I'm by no means thin and understand that for some people it is a medical issue. But I always what to yell at the ones that get rude while on them (ie they try to run over people) to get off their lazy butts the walk would do them good.

My mother is 78 years old, 300+ pounds, has no cartilidge in one knee, and yet hell would freeze over long before she would ever use one of those carts.
She finds them to be demeaning.

[iviles]

My mother is 78 years old, 300+ pounds, has no cartilidge in one knee, and yet hell would freeze over long before she would ever use one of those carts.
She finds them to be demeaning.

I have a couple of customers like that and you cant help but love them! They always refuse car service unless the weather is really bad and they always have the funniest comments to SC's. I have one that comes every week to get his 1.75 lt of jack. As soon as he sees one of us he says "just here to get my medicen" and then tells us that hes off to go find trouble.

[chainedbarista]

sounds like a serious case of rude, period; i can understand the 'need' (if geniune, no problem) but with some, it's more an issue of lazy.

i understand medical issues, no problems with that, but there are times when i seriously wonder how much is actual and how much is mental.

i'll leave it at that, just because i don't want to stray into the fratching realm.

kudos to those who may need it but choose not to; i hope that i can count myself among them someday.

[Sharsarannon]

It's actually rather sad - at the themepark I used to work at, those wheelchair scooter carts mainly get used by people too obese to walk for farther than afew paces without assistance. Disabled people tend to bring their own cart or chair most of the time.
I'd hate to have such health problems that would keep me from running around, or at least shuffling, ya know?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We have two of those carts. One of them has a battery that doesn't charge. The other isn't in much better shape.

I had a guy a couple weeks ago who came in when both motorized carts were in use. He was coming pretty close to insisting I boot somebody off one of them so he could use it. I got him a regular wheelchair and he seemed okay with that though.

[mattm04]

We have three of those. Our biggest problem is people bring them to the lot when we have signs saying not to and getting pissed off when we confront them about it. Also, most old people feel they are above putting them back in their respective spaces (with the plug conveniently located next to the "parking area" so they can charge them) Usually they will leave them in the middle of the door way, blocking the exit, about three feet from the offiicial return area.

[StevieJD]

MWC = Weapon to put customers and store staff in their place.

Their Place = You know. I am better than you and don't you ever forget it.


I had a young girl, cancer or car accident victim, that had lost her legs and was in my store way back when. She was struggling to walk with her new artificial legs and arm crutches. MWC comes up behind her and honks the horn to get her out of the way.

I really wanted to do a slap down on the MWC owner. Instead I banished her from the store. The SC hired a lawyer, ADA and all the crap. He dropped her case after he watched my store video.

[marasbaras]

Instead I banished her from the store.

Good for you.

The ADA doesn't entitle one to be a total git.

[BusBus]

(A touch OT but...)Is it possible that people with non-weight-related physical disabilities are more likely to be able to get a MWC covered by medical plans than someone who is obese?

Back on topic,

Regardless whether the SC's need for the MWC was legit or laziness (not really relevant) , the fact remains that her behaviour was rude. It's just the luck of the draw: sometimes your favourite table at a restaurant will be taken, sometimes all the good aprking spots are taken and sometimes you just have to wait for a MWC to free up.