Adult only grocery stores, movie theaters ect

[girty1600]

It has come to my attention via conversation with internet and walking-talking pals that businesses catering to adults only might please at least a portion of the consumer public; I'm not talking strip clubs and bars here.

Let's face it, some people just don't care what their kids do in public or at home. When at home mommy and daddy can ignore parenting responsibilities all they want but when in public they should keep their kids out of my shopping cart.

Last week I saw a boy of about five peeing on cereal boxes in the grocery and his mom was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Oh look, he's doin' a pee-pee!".

Cute eh? Any thoughts?

[kenshinx]

still kids can use someone to buy adult stuff

[Michelle]

I say yes and yes. Business owners do have the right to say no children. Parents would make a big stink out of it, as usual, but one would think that even they would want a place that they could get away from any sign of kids whatsoever. I would go out of my way to shop there.

I hope you called the manager on the woman and the varmint in the grocery store.

[Pandora7321]

I think that, as a business owner, you should be able to make any rules you want for your establishment as long as they follow local laws. Yes, you would hear a lot of parents complaining, but who cares? Those aren't the people you are trying to lure in anyway. You just don't want kids in your store, lolol.

Having been a parent at one time, that kind of thing doesn't really bother me. You see, I do frequent certain stores that don't allow children. So, I'm used to it. My choices were to leave her outside with her father or come back later when I didn't have her with me. Simple.

Unfortunately, you would have all the parents who think they are somehow more knowledgeable and entitled BECAUSE they have children crying "discrimination!"

Edited October 30, 2007 by Pandora2173

[fylgja]

It's wrong to ban them from grocery stores. It's discrimination. Should you be allowed to ban r******ed people you have the mentality of children too? I can see not allowing them in without adult supervision, but it is wrong to say they can't come in at all. How will kids learn how to shop? I teach my son how to grocery shop. He rides in the cart or walks with me and I tell him about all the things I am buying, and why I choose what I choose. It will make him an informed consumer some day. Sure, there is some bad parents that ruin it for everyone else, but there are bad eggs in every bunch. You're throwing out the baby with the bath water if you ban kids from the stores.

[Michelle]

I have a simple answer to that....go to the other grocery store down the street that allows kids and leave the rest of us alone. There a too many of them that have adults with them , but no supervision.

[fylgja]

Any store that bans children will go out of business. Parents spend more money on groceries then people without kids. All you would accomplish with a ban like this is putting the companys out of business that don't like kids. It's just a completely stupid idea. Can you see a parent who stops at a store real quick because their baby needs tylenol just to be stopped on the way in the door with "we don't serve your kind here....leave your baby outside." What if it is the only store in miles? It is discrimination...AGE discrimination.

Edited October 30, 2007 by fylgja

[Mabon]

Pandora the sign you posted is hysterical. I think similar ones would make inattentive parents think a little if they saw it. Oh heck! who am I kidding? It won't make them think it'll just make them angry but the attentive parents or those who don't have children would get a hearty chuckle out of it.

I can/don't want to imagine a person who thinks it's funny to allow their child to urinate on consumable goods. I agree with the other poster Girty, I hope that you reported it to the store managers. I mean how would any of us like to do our shopping after such a group go to grab a box of cereal and find out that it's soggy and urine soaked. YUCK! Plus it's vandalism and cuts into the stores profits which they will pass along to other shoppers.

If there is a market (no pun intended) for it, then I'm sure someone would/will do it. It would be much easier and cause less of a riot then telling the people whose little darlings are misbehaving to please leave the building. By misbehaving I mean either causing property damage (like the boy Girty mentioned) or raising heck and havoc causing discomfort to the other shoppers.

Regards,

Mabon.

[planejane]

They've done this already with some restuarants....the patrons that still go to them absolutely love them and the business has increased since you can have a nice meal without a kid running up and down between the tables

[Michelle]

Any store that bans children will go out of business. Parents spend more money on groceries then people without kids. All you would accomplish with a ban like this is putting the companys out of business that don't like kids. It's just a completely stupid idea. Can you see a parent who stops at a store real quick because their baby needs tylenol just to be stopped on the way in the door with "we don't serve your kind here....leave your baby outside." What if it is the only store in miles? It is discrimination...AGE discrimination.

There are already lots of places that don't allow kids. Some spas, B&B's, resorts, hair salons, restaurants, condos, gyms, etc,...that are running profitable businesses. It wouldn't be wise to put one where it was the only store for miles, but that is rarely the case in cities.

[planejane]

I work at an imaging center and our office manager is very specific when scheduling patients...do NOT bring any children with you for an appointment

[tcgram]

Businesses have the right to say who can and cannot come into their buildings. However, as a parent myself I would probably not frequent such a place b/c I usually have my children with me when I shop. I understand completely about the children whose parents let them run all over the place and don't pay attention to what they are getting into. I see that all the time, not only at the stores, but where I work as well.

Forgot to add: May I borrow your sign for work, Pandora?? I found it hilarious!!

Edited October 30, 2007 by tcgram

[Neognosis]

It's wrong to ban them from grocery stores. It's discrimination. Should you be allowed to ban r******ed people you have the mentality of children too?

I don't think children are a protected class, though.

So it would be completely legal to ban children from certain privately owned establishments.

I think that a business could survive banning children if they marketed properly and sold the proper goods.

[Purplos]

I think business owners should have the right to serve or sell to whomever they like, and to refuse service to whom they do not like.

That being said.... I really don't get this "I have the right not to be offended / annoyed."

Learning to deal with annoyances is a part of being a mature adult.

[BiffSplitkins]

Last week I saw a boy of about five peeing on cereal boxes in the grocery and his mom was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Oh look, he's doin' a pee-pee!".

Cute eh? Any thoughts?

Yes, I have a thought. I would have walked up to the mother and said "NOT AT ALL CUTE!!! Get your child in line and teach him manners and respect." I wouldn't care WHAT that mother thought of me at that particular moment. At least a small seed would have been planted in her head that behavior like that is NOT acceptable in society as a whole. She would remember what a 'duck' I was for blatantly stating how I felt... and that feeling might stick with her for a while to think about it and possibly sink in to her 'zero' parenting skill level. Or she just might pull out a gun and shoot me???

This is the problem people - when outsiders see this type of behavior we are normally way too afraid to speak up and say anything to the parents. Guess what, nobody probably ever said anything to that mother's parents either. This is a viscous circle that will just continue down that bloodline and probably just get worse with every generation. Why do you think there are so many disrespectful children who just don't care who they treat people? In fact many of these disrespectful children think it's downright funny and cool to disrespect people.

We don't need to segregate our children out of society - we need to teach them how to be a decent working part of it.

(and yes I do have kids of my own)

[BiffSplitkins]

Forgot to add: May I borrow your sign for work, Pandora?? I found it hilarious!!

I found it funny as well... Just like this one... LOL

[SnakeProphet]

Learning to deal with annoyances is a part of being a mature adult.

That's what I was thinking. Quite pathetic if people can't handle some stupid kids.

[Neognosis]

yes, learning to deal with annoyance is part of being an adult.

But that doesn't mean that there might not be profit to be made in offering a grocery shopping or dining experience where you don't have to exercise your ability to deal with annoying kids.

[SnakeProphet]

Of course there's profit, that's why it's gonna get made. But seriously, I'd never go to such a restaurant, and I don't even have children.

I've just realized the irony in all this. An adults only store for people who should grow up.

Edited October 30, 2007 by Volos

[Neognosis]

Of course there's profit, that's why it's gonna get made. But seriously, I'd never go to such a restaurant, and I don't even have children.

You're perfectly welcome not to. But do you care if other people avoid the regular places and sometimes patronize the "no children" estabilshments?

I've just realized the irony in all this. An adults only story for people who should grow up.

Wait, people want to go out to dinner without listening to a screaming kid throw spaghetti, and you're faulting them fo this? They want to go grocery shopping without seeing some kid throw a tantrum and scream all along the aisles, and you are faulting them?

Why? What's wrong with wanting to go someplace where you don't have to deal with someone else's monster?

[SnakeProphet]

You're perfectly welcome not to. But do you care if other people avoid the regular places and sometimes patronize the "no children" estabilshments?

I don't, I never said I'm actually against such stores.

Wait, people want to go out to dinner without listening to a screaming kid throw spaghetti, and you're faulting them fo this? They want to go grocery shopping without seeing some kid throw a tantrum and scream all along the aisles, and you are faulting them?

Why? What's wrong with wanting to go someplace where you don't have to deal with someone else's monster?

Am I faulting them? I didn't think of it as a fault at first actually, but now yes, I am faulting them. It's unsensible to go out your way because of some easily disregarded kid, instead of growing a thicker hide. I said those people should grow up, and that's what I mean. If you do not want to grow up, you're free to do so, but don't blame me for calling you out on it.

[Pandora7321]

Why? What's wrong with wanting to go someplace where you don't have to deal with someone else's monster?

That's what I was thinking! People who don't want to deal with someone else's children are immature? This has nothing to do with the "right to not be offended" deal. I don't buy that crap either. But, this is just individual adults deciding that they really want to do WHATEVER without children. Why does that upset people so badly?

[glorybebe]

That's what I was thinking! People who don't want to deal with someone else's children are immature? This has nothing to do with the "right to not be offended" deal. I don't buy that crap either. But, this is just individual adults deciding that they really want to do WHATEVER without children. Why does that upset people so badly?

As a single mother, I wouldn't go to these places. But, like unlike many other children, my daughter does not misbehave in restaurants or stores. she knows she will get it when she gets home if she is a brat. Maybe parents need to be parents and not allow their children to misbehave. There is no way my daughter would EVER run around a restaurant. Not only is it a nuisance for other diners, but dangerous for her as well. Anyone who lets their child do this is an idiot. and when their child is screaming in the emergency room from a pot of hot coffee split on them, then they should not blame anyone but themselves.

[MissMelsWell]

Private businesses have the right to choose their clientel. I might even consider visiting some adult only stores, or fly on an adults only flight. However, the reality is that most businesses would never institute these policies... they'd be cutting out an ENORMOUS section of their customer base.

Ya know, for all the crappy kids and parents out there, there are some great ones too.

My mother and I went to dinner the other night and we had a half hour wait before we could get a table. We were sitting in the lobby and my mother felt this tiny little tug on her long coat. She turned around and there was a little girl, about 2, sitting on the floor next to her with a corner of mom's coat draped over the top of her nose, sucking her thumb with her eyes half closed. Mom and I just melted with the collective "awwwwww" That little one looked up and said to my mom "You the softest lady ever" Mom's coat was made of some kind of really soft chenneile.

Her parents were really embarassed, jumped up and tried to pull her back, but my mother insisted on taking her coat off and letting the little munchkin suggle up and drift off to sleep.

If that was an all adult restaurant, we'd have never seen that. And it made our night.

[Stixxman]

Volos, try not to offer any more opinions till recess kay. Kids today do not behave well in public, treat businesses like an excuse to destroy and treat service workers like slaves. Because most of these little punks don't earn their way till their far into their teens or early twenties. My first job was pushing grocery carts up a ramp at my local grocery store.......I was twelve. Not only that i was an under sized twelve year old, literally half as tall as everyone. That summer I started working in the s w a n ky(i so rarely get to use that word) hotel doing room service calls. I wroked for my money and it felt good. What I see every day is kids acting like they deserve everything. Nobody deserves what they don't work for. My parents never had a lot of money for extras so I worked for my own plus a little more for my two brothers so it would take the worry off my mom. (it never worried my dad because he's as hard as a coffin nail, ex-military, and grouchy to boot) I don't see that MUCH in kids today. They walk around like they own the place but besides looking like that they have no skill or use.

Edited October 30, 2007 by Stixxman