Does anyone here use a wheelchair that shops at ? The reason i ask is this.... I take my mom shopping on a regular basis at . My mom has been in a wheelchair for quite a while now, and its extreamly hard on her to even go out, but seams to make it a priority to make things harder. Let me highlight our last shopping trip so you can see what i mean. To take mom shopping involves taking her electric chair outside, loading her into the van, taking the electric chair back in the house as it is wayyyyy to heavy to lift. Then you load her regular wheelchair in the back of the van. Ok, now we get to . I stop in front of the store to unload her, NO WHEELCHAIRS AVAILABLE because they only have like 4 per store and only like 3 regular ones. Now if you are lucky enough to have one available you have to unload her into her own chair, while a cart pusher or other store employee yells about you cant be parking there, its a fire lane, then you have to push her inside and move her from her own chair to one of theirs. You are not allowed to take their chair outside to move her directly from the van into it. If one is not available you have to unload her own chair in the parking lot, and push her up that unforgiving hill to the store. Once inside they have no hand carts so you have to push her while pulling a regular buggy behind you. NOT A EASY TASK! My ankles are always blue from hitting them with the backwards cart. The isles are way to close together esp in the clothing so its hard to shop. Plus the stuff way up on the shelf, if i wasnt there she would be stuck, because there are never any employees around to help. Ok, end of shopping trip, push her out to the van, while pulling the other cart, or leave her sitting, go get van, load her and groceries, while still being screamed at by an employee for your choice of parking. Heaven forbid that you actually got to use one of those nasty store wheelchairs because you CAN NOT EVER take them past the doors, (see loading process above only reverse). By this time she is hurting and angry so it hardly makes it possible.
I tell you that to tell you this, btw thank you if you are still with me here. I went to yesterday, as i walk in someone walks out and the alarm goes off, mr greeterman says nothing and makes no motion towards the door. I stop to tie my shoe and towards the door walks two guys and about 8 mentally disabled teenagers, possibly a home outting or something. All 8 had a shopping bag of whatever, The guy in front is pusing a rolly cart with a bookcase on it. ALARM NEVER GOES OFF. Mr. Greeterman yells and runs to the guy and stops him, makes him pull out this receipt which was a mile long and checks every one of the items in all 8 bags plus the bookcase against the reciept. OH HE**! Surely not i think as i watch. After a 15 minute ordeal he lets them leave.(this was done to me and mom one time, so i emptied every bag, about 600 dollars worth of stuff onto the floor in front of the exit door and made the greeterwoman who hassled us check off every item on the list then pick up and rebag every item while I was throwing a huge fit) Everything checked out. Next a young man with a tv on the same type rolly cart walks right past mr greeterman, and he never moves to check it. I WAS FURIOUS! I called for a manager and for 45 minutes i told him exactly what i had witnessed and how angry i was, then i went into the whole wheelchair thing with him, telling him exactly what i told you above. In the end i was so angry i gave him one week, so next thursday. If something is not changed or done about their practices with disabled, i promised i would go to every newspaper and tv station in oklahoma and tell my story. He must have taken me seriously because he took down my number. If i dont get a call by thursday at 6pm I sware i will do it, i will bring in every newspaper and tv station i can get ahold of and let them have the story of how discriminates against disabled people and how they refuse to change their practices.
I tell you that to tell you this, btw thank you if you are still with me here. I went to yesterday, as i walk in someone walks out and the alarm goes off, mr greeterman says nothing and makes no motion towards the door. I stop to tie my shoe and towards the door walks two guys and about 8 mentally disabled teenagers, possibly a home outting or something. All 8 had a shopping bag of whatever, The guy in front is pusing a rolly cart with a bookcase on it. ALARM NEVER GOES OFF. Mr. Greeterman yells and runs to the guy and stops him, makes him pull out this receipt which was a mile long and checks every one of the items in all 8 bags plus the bookcase against the reciept. OH HE**! Surely not i think as i watch. After a 15 minute ordeal he lets them leave.(this was done to me and mom one time, so i emptied every bag, about 600 dollars worth of stuff onto the floor in front of the exit door and made the greeterwoman who hassled us check off every item on the list then pick up and rebag every item while I was throwing a huge fit) Everything checked out. Next a young man with a tv on the same type rolly cart walks right past mr greeterman, and he never moves to check it. I WAS FURIOUS! I called for a manager and for 45 minutes i told him exactly what i had witnessed and how angry i was, then i went into the whole wheelchair thing with him, telling him exactly what i told you above. In the end i was so angry i gave him one week, so next thursday. If something is not changed or done about their practices with disabled, i promised i would go to every newspaper and tv station in oklahoma and tell my story. He must have taken me seriously because he took down my number. If i dont get a call by thursday at 6pm I sware i will do it, i will bring in every newspaper and tv station i can get ahold of and let them have the story of how discriminates against disabled people and how they refuse to change their practices.