Store sorry for sign banning pushchairs
A supermarket has apologised after a sign was posted at the entrance saying no prams or pushchairs were allowed.
The sign was removed from the FreshChoice store in Ruakākā on Friday afternoon following Stuff’s inquiries.
Esther Syred (they/them), a parent visiting from Australia, did a double take when they saw the policy stuck to the wall.
‘‘I thought: ‘are you kidding me?’,’’ they said.
Syred packed up their pushchair, picked up their child, and tried to go about their shopping.
‘‘I had to carry him through the supermarket. Because he yelled and didn’t want to go in the trolley, and I didn’t want him to scream the supermarket down.
‘‘It was really frustrating. He’s always been a really heavy kid. He wanted to hop down, but if he runs through the supermarket he might topple things over ... I had to cut my shopping short, only get two or three items. It’s just stressful,’’ they said.
Syred was concerned families in Ruakākā would struggle to do their basic grocery shop.
‘‘It’s important for the wellbeing of children and parents that they can participate in critical aspects of society – like supermarkets – without being excluded for ridiculous reasons.
‘‘What if the baby is sleeping for the first time? Or what if your child with additional needs has significant behavioural challenges trying to go in a trolley . . . there’s such a huge range of reasons why this just doesn’t work,’’ Syred said.
Syred is a behavioural specialist, so they are acutely aware of how a small rule like this can impact on parents.
‘‘It doesn’t affect most people.
But the people it does affect, it has such a big effect on them. I just know that these things cause so much stress,’’ they said.
‘‘It means you can’t just go to the shops and buy some milk. It all has to be really complicated.’’
Woolworths customer manager, Kristy Abbott, said the sign was not a reflection of FreshChoice Group’s supermarket policies.
‘‘We therefore send sincere apologies to anyone who has felt discriminated against by the use of this sign,’’ she said.
Abbott said FreshChoice welcomed ‘‘all shoppers, including caregivers and parents, and their associated prams and pushchairs’’.
Fresh Choice Ruakākā supermarket has been approached directly for comment.