:rolleyes:
I am fat, and the only time I have used the scooters in the store was when I had a need. I was pregnant, and either under orders not to walk more than necessary, or pregnant and also very ill. Most of the time I am in a condition that I would consider using a scooter, I am not going to be shopping, but there were times late in my pregnancies where I needed stuff to get ready for the baby, so I was out and about. If the store had a wheel chair available, I would use that rather than the scooter, because scooters are damned inconvenient. They are slow and not easy to maneuver. I found that even when I was having difficulty walking, that I could roll myself in the wheel chair.
And when I have had occasion to use a scooter, there was at least one ass staring at me and making nasty comments, sometimes directly to me, and some did more than comment. I was trying to buy baby wipes, nursing supplies, and such, and an asshole who felt it was his position to judge me put obstacles in my way in one place and another blocked my way and refused to move. I am sure he was confident in his ability to see that I was perfectly healthy and only riding the scooter because I was fat.
An interesting question. And the person who rented a scooter to jump lines was a jerk.
But I don’t think it applies here, or at least not commonly. The stores I was in when I was recovering from knee surgery provided scooters, but no other assistance. For getting things from shelves I couldn’t reach, I depended upon the kindness of strangers. For getting through the payment process, I hopped. Painfully.
It’s not like they issue a lackey with the scooter, that you can order around. And you certainly don’t get preferential treatment at the checkout.
This is an interesting question, that I would be interested in seeing answered. But as a woman who has used a scooter perhaps a dozen or so times (post-op, pretty much) at stores but never at an amusement park or anything, I can tell you this: At no time, at any store I’ve patronized, have any special allowances been made for me and my scooter. In fact, I had a friend with lupus, who had to use a scooter in the grocery store, who often complained of the fact that there were only two lanes in the grocery store that were wide enough to accommodate the scooter, and if one of them was closed (for whatever reason) she was stuck waiting extra-long for a cashier to be available. So, in her case at least, it was very much at disadvantage to be in a scooter.
Also, as MandaJO pointed out, IME, it’s much more difficult to shop with a scooter than without one, not withstanding the fact that you don’t actually have to expend energy walking through the store. I agree that the OP should try major shopping in a scooter once, to see what a PITA it is.
Because of this thread I took a closer look at the sign on the scooter in the local Safeway. It said that it was for “our customers who would like a ride”. Need was not mentioned.
My mom had Parkinson’s too. Her shuffle was fine for as long as she could go, and then she’d involuntarily freeze. Sometimes she’d pitch forward so I’d always get her a “go cart” (our joke) for her safety. We’ve gotten looks from people who couldn’t see a physical disability and it irked me.
I have no idea how common this is but I did encounter a man like this at a big box store. He had brought his own motorized scooter and needed help getting it back into the back of his van as he was leaving. He was obviously disabled, and obese (and parking in a handicapped space), but I assumed he was obese because he had to use a scooter to get everywhere.