Those electric scooters in stores!

[greensinestro]

I mean no disrespect against those who have disabilities, and I really think it is despicable how people who are just fine are using things meant for people with disabilities. I'm talking about people who park in handicap spots and have no issues, or, my favorite pet peeve, the ones who use those electric scooters meant for those who really need them.

In Target yesterday, I noticed a woman who got out of her car fine, was able to walk to the entrance fine, no noticable problems. Then, she got into one of those electric scooters, and off she went. Later, when I was checking out in the only line open, she was right in front of me. What got me was right after she handed the cashier her coupons, she got up out of the scooter and made absolutely sure that each coupon was scanned properly, and that she got exactly her 75 cents off each bottle of soda she was buying. I'm not talking she struggled to get up....she got up bolt upright to be sure the coupons were done right!

Again, no disrespect intended for those who have disabilities, but are these scooters really being used by those who need them, or by lazy people who don't want to walk around the store any more? Sure, maybe this lady can walk and all, but isn't supposed to be on her feet for too long at a time?

Someone enlighten me please!

[Merriweather]

I have no doubt they get abused all the time, treated like a "ride" for the first people to be able to get them, needed or not.

That said, you never really can be sure the person dosn't really need them. I myself have had a couple of times in my life where (luckily temporary) health problems affected me to the point that sure, I could walk into a store, get up and down fairly easily, etc - yet I'd never have been able to walk all around a large store (or if I'd tried, I'd have had to be helped out in tears). Sure wish they'd had them back then, though looking at me, I'm sure someone would have wondered why I was using it.

I try to give the benefit of the doubt, though it's difficult at times, and figure they just can't manage the amount of walking needed in a large superstore. Same with parking spots, if they have the tag, then I assume the ablebodied person getting out has some hidden problems (though, yeah, often I know, the tags are for a person that isn't in the car with them that day). Still, you just never know.

[Food Lady]

I agree. I have some issues that aren't obvious.

[bainsidhe]

I tend to focus more on the attitude than the person. If you're driving in circles and laughing at your friends, I definitely assume you're joyriding. Same goes for if you're drag-racing the thing or if you're ten and driving one without a parent present (we have a lot of folks that use it as a babysitting tool. ) If you're wearing 4-inch heels and come in muttering how your feet hurt and there's never an available scooter, I think how you shouldn't wear such uncomfy shoes. Otherwise I tend to assume you probably need it in some way. And even if you DO need it, if you act like a jerk, it still makes you a jerk.

[AccountingDrone]

I tend to focus more on the attitude than the person. If you're driving in circles and laughing at your friends, I definitely assume you're joyriding. Same goes for if you're drag-racing the thing or if you're ten and driving one without a parent present (we have a lot of folks that use it as a babysitting tool. ) If you're wearing 4-inch heels and come in muttering how your feet hurt and there's never an available scooter, I think how you shouldn't wear such uncomfy shoes. Otherwise I tend to assume you probably need it in some way. And even if you DO need it, if you act like a jerk, it still makes you a jerk.

I cant be happy, laughing and joke with my husband while shopping? I have been known to drive a donut around him in a large space over by the deli ...

I guess shopping will get a lot more boring now.

[Seshat]

I own my own scooter.

I can stand. I can (thanks to intensive physiotherapy and self-discipline) walk around stores for a while; on a good day.

I just slept a full 24 hours. The only reason I can think of for that is that I did a bunch of errands without using my walker, wheelchair or scooter - just the cane. I was getting tired, sure, but I didn't think I'd overdone it. Apparently I had. Now I'm in pain, and my body demanded that long sleep.

Life's not fair.

Um. Anyway... yeah. My problems are more based on pain and endurance than immediate ability. Watch me for a minute and I'll look fine. Watch me for a day, a week, a month, and you'll see it.

[greensinestro]

Like I said, no disrespect intended for those who are disabled or have special needs. Because I really do not know that person, nor do I know what they might have, I never confront anyone who uses the scooters. I just can't help but wonder.

[Aisling]

Like I said, no disrespect intended...I just can't help but wonder.

Please try to make giving people the benefit of the doubt a habit. Intended or not, doubt is frequently visible in facial expressions, and those of us with disabilities have a hard enough time with life without random strangers giving us nasty looks.

[MickiGa1]

I have Neuropathy and I look VERY healthy. I own a wheelchair that my kids love to push me really fast and then lets go. (2 teen sons) But my husband had cancer and he went from 215 pounds to 125 pounds and could not walk far. My problem was very heavy set women would use the scooters when they can obviously walk fine. One woman got shamed really bad by her family. (I don't condone this since my mom was very over weight) I won't get into what they said to her but she cried. But that happened all the time as soon as they saw my Husband waiting for one. We were saving up to buy one but he died before we could...we used it for his funeral instead. I was his wife for 19 years and I became a Widow at the age of 39 when he died in August of last year. We met at a bar...so don't believe when they say it won't last if you met at a bar.

[bainsidhe]

I cant be happy, laughing and joke with my husband while shopping?

I apologize, that isn't how I meant it and I do understand what you're saying. It's hard to describe in words, but there is a difference in the....attitude? It's not just the actions, it's the body language. Some of the joyriders are just so....obvious. Though it may not sound like it, I try to be careful in my assumptions. My mom was someone with an unseen disability and she got a lot of flack for being so "lazy" because she needed to rest often. So when I see something obvious like a herd of frat boys having a contest to see how many can hang off of one scooter while driving around...that gets me upset.

[DeltaSierra]

Don't judge just because somebody can walk short distances - I know several people who have muscular/nerve degeneration and they can walk short distances, but cannot walk around a supermarket/store for more than a couple minutes without the pain starting.

[greek_jester]

Personally, I'm hoping no-one's ever thought bad things about me. I used to have to fetch the scooter for mum.

My mum's diabetic, her kidneys are failing, her right hip is crumbling (& can't be replaced because a thrombosis-related condition means she's on the "only operate if she's dying 'cos it could kill her" list) & only half her diaphragm functions, meaning she's effectively having a permanent low-grade asthma attack.

She is also the most stubborn, pig-headed woman I've ever met (although I love her dearly). Her older sister is a hypochondriac, so she refuses to "pander" to her illnesses, in case she gets compared to my aunt. As such, for the first 3 years that she had membership of the scooter club at our local supermarket, she would refuse to use it until she was feeling really bad. Cue multiple trips for me to the front of the supermarket to collect the damn scooter, drive it back to my mum, & pour her into the seat so that she could recover. It got to the point where the help-desk employees knew me by name, & would have the key to her favourite scooter out before I got to the desk.

She finally gave in & started using the scooter from the moment she walked through the door when I started refusing to drive her to the supermarket unless she swore on our lives to use the scooter all the way around (this only worked because she knew she would be physically incapable of driving home after shopping, so I would have to drive her). After a while, she (grudgingly) admitted that the trip was easier after using the scooter all the time.

Heck, I count 3 years a victory. It took us 10 years to persuade her that using her walking stick from the moment she walked out of the front door was better than the alternative; only using it when her hip was hurting to the point that it made her pant in pain. Like I said. Pig-headed.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I agree with everything that's been said about invisible disabilities, but I'm not going to hold it against the OP too much.

I mean, I used to rant and rave about "lardasses" riding around on the "fat cart" until people here and elsewhere set me straight.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that when one of these people is in front of you, being mildly sucky or entitled, or you're having to fetch the scooter back in from outside where it doesn't belong or push it to the charger when it dies, and you need a little reminder.

[Jay 2K Winger]

We used to have the occasional problem with "lazy" shoppers when I worked at the wholesale club. There was one regular we had who had some kind of nerve condition that meant he couldn't stand for very long. He would always use the scooter if one was available. If one wasn't available, he would wait for one.

CR hated the man, because he was convinced the man was just lazy. I gave the customer the benefit of the doubt in that case.

Mom never uses them. She'll take her cane on her good days, and her walker on her bad days.

Talking of people who don't use the options available to them, though, in some cases they may not realize the options are even there. When me, Mom, and Dad went out to shop for our new HDTV (and surround-sound system and Blu-Ray player and DVR service), Mom ended up sitting down in front of the 3D TV set-up so she could rest. Another couple (who were foreign, I think, but spoke English well enough) was walking by with the mother of one of the two, who was sitting in a wheelchair and seemed kind of grumpy. They stopped and talked to Mom about her walker, not being familiar with it, and my Mom demonstrated how it folded out so she could use it, and they asked if they could try it out for their mother. So Mom did, and the other woman was amazed at the freedom this gave her, and she started puttering around happily all over the store.

I'm sure that couple went and bought her a walker after that.

[Peppergirl]

I agree with everything that's been said about invisible disabilities, but I'm not going to hold it against the OP too much.

Thank you.

I don't think the OP meant any harm and several people have answered the questions put forth about disabilities and judging them and so forth.

Lets all move along, please.

Thanks.