RIP Wickes

[chris French]

In message , Andy Hall writes

If I had to leave my kids at home when I went out to get stuff, I'd often net have the chance to go

[Peter Ashby]

Not practical when your other half insists on coming too to help choose the paint/wallpaper/tile colour/style/pattern/brand etc, etc. The kids don't want to be there either remember.

Peter

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Excellent. Get someone else to go for you and save others the 'pleasure' of your kids. ;-)

[Andy Hall]

I suspect that you keep them under reasonable control, though.

Apart from the inconvenience to other customers of little kids running underfoot, there is a significant safety issue. People are wheeling carts around with long, pointed and heavy items.

It would be sensible if the stores had an area to park small kids who are otherwise going to be bored within 30mS and then start acting up.

[Andy Hall]

Exactly. Which is why it's not fair on other shoppers to have misbehaving small kids running around and getting underfoot. If somebody has a card loaded up with sheet materials, lengths of pipe and other items that can cause injury, it isn't reasonable to expect them to have to keep stopping and starting and manoeuvring around kids running about out of control. Most of the stores, with the possible exception of Homebase are much more akin to industrial premises than retail browsing outlets.

[Owain]

Take some cheap toys and a laminated notice saying "play area".

Lock the kids and the toys in one of the conservatory displays so they can't escape. Affix notice to the door.

Don't forget to collect children once you have paid for your purchases. They might get frightened when the lights turn off at night.

Owain

[Owain]

If kids don't enjoy being in a B&Q you haven't brought them up right.

I'd have played quite happily and quietly for hours on end with a box of plumbing fittings...

Owain

[Stuart Noble]

Sounds like a fairly typical British attitude to children. They're always in the way, stopping us important people from getting on with the jolly urgent task of tarting our house up. If they did heelies in my size, I'd have a scoot round Homebase and hopefully make it a more pleasurable experience

[Andy Hall]

Not really. It's more of a view about parents who don't make sure that their children behave appropriately. It isn't appropriate, from the safety perspective to have small ones belting around the aisles of DIY supermarkets which is why there are recorded announcements pointing this out. I don't have a problem with kids actually *being* there, just about how some parents don't manage the situation properly. As I said, the stores are also culpable for not providing appropriate facilities.

[Stuart Noble]

But what are appropriate facilities for kids? A bouncy castle maybe? I think treating them like some kind of alien species that has to be specially catered for is part of the problem. Dad should go to Homebase on his own until the kids are old enough to be interested in the exercise. Mine still aren't, and they're in their 30s...

[Andy Hall]

I tend to agree with you - it's the parents that need to deal with the issue. However, in the absence of that, there should be something to at least ensure their safety.

Certainly

I blame the schools. Where are the woodworking and metalworking classes? Replaced with other poncy stuff which is neither use nor ornament.

[Adrian]

Andy Hall ( [e-mail]) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Indeed they should.

Preferably a security guard to escort the irresponsible "parents", complete with their ill-behaved crotchfruit, to the door.

[Stuart Noble]

Unless it's to choose paint colours, where mum must go....alone.

Well, it was music *or* woodwork at my kids' comprehensive school. Difficult one for me as a parent because one of them now makes his living at music, and the other one still does it as an all consuming hobby. I prefer woodwork myself, but then I went to a grammar school :-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That sounds like a typical British attitude to not giving a f**k about inconveniencing others. Stop your car in the middle of the road because you're dropping off the little darlings and all their clobber - even with a parking space a few yards away. Use disabled parking in a carpark rather than walk another few yards.

Young kids are no different to dogs. If they aren't old enough and trained enough to behave in a reasonable way in a risky public place like a DIY store they should be restrained for their safety as well as others.

Bring back reigns for toddlers, I say. As well as the birch for the older ones who think only themselves matter. (insert smiley here or not as you wish)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Woodworking and metalwork for toddlers? Think H&S would have something to say...

[Stuart Noble]

Eminently sensible things, so unlikely they'll make a comeback

I say. As well as the birch for the older

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Strangely I did them being used recently - by I assume a mum (or could have been a nanny) on a busy and dangerous road (on the pavement, obviously) that skirts the common here. She was also pushing one of those twin buggies.

[dmc]

Eh? Did they ever go away? Certainly both our used them - and the youngest is only 3...

Darren

[Stuart Noble]

Ah, sounds like Bedford Hill. I remember it well

[Mark Spice]