Why is it that when I shop in most stores, there is no place to sit down? I cannot walk far due to arthritis.

Question

Can I argue for provision of seats under the Dissability Discrimination Act?

Answer 1

Because there's very little profit to be made from chairs. Most big stores work out their profit to area ratio and try to pack as much saleable goods into the psace as possible. If you want to sit down you are usually expected to buy a coffee or a cake. No rightminded captialist business would want thier stores choked with people sitting around and resting or chatting unless they were paying for something.

You could try the DDCA but you'll have a long hard struggle. It might be better to approach the marketing managers of the big chains and sell the idea as a customer inducement.

Answer 2

I'm sure the reason for the lack of seats is floor space. If there is room for a chair, that room can be better used by putting more products there for customers to buy. Sales make money (obviously), chair for tired customers don't make money.

Floor space is money - all the more so in small shops.

Not sure about your argument, but it's certainly worth pursuing.

Answer 3

I have wondered the same thing, there are many of us that like to get out and shop occasionally. Some of us can't walk far due to certain medical conditions. Yet, the same stores who want our business is not considerate enough to provide seating. Kinda stinks, doesn't it?

Answer 4

Go for it - Sure !! We need more people like you addressing real concerns in an effective yet perfectly legal way. Not jerks who go around shooting innocent people and even kids becoz somewhere, sometime, life wasn't fair to them.

In your case, you'll even make life better for many others who didn't bother to report this concern to the authorities. I'll do my bit - I'll mention this to the store manager when I go shopping next and shall write it down in the next feedback form I fill in.

Until something happens, try hanging around the footwear section - they definitely have seating there :)

Answer 5

Bring a fold-up stool with you.

Shops are in the business of selling merchandise ... not providing seating for patrons, disabled or not.

I'm sorry about your disablity, but start taking responsibility for your own self and stop looking to others to take care of your every twitch and itch.

The way things are going now, I half expect to walk into a business one day and have a guide dog handed to me in case I can't see, a translator in case I can't speak english, a credit counselor in case I spend too much, a therapist in case I don't feel like everyone and everything in the universe is meeting my needs, a consumer advocate to advise me in case I feel like eating some fast food, a lawyer in case the entire place isn't made of soft foam because I might hurt myself, and on and on.

Whats next? A toilet attendant to wipe your **** in case you miss a spot???

Answer 6

most stores bend over backwards to help the dissabled so im sure if you had a word with a member of staff they would sort it out for you

Answer 7

That's the same question millions of men ask themselves every single day!

Stores don't have to provide seating. If you are need, look into one of the scooters, or use the ones many stores provide.

Answer 8

I don't know if this is true but a customer once told me by law shops have to have a chair on the shop floor for the use of customers

Answer 9

The reason for this is people abuse this privilege and so is removed. DDA will not entertain this they will however be interested to know about your doctors negligence in providing suitable assistance whether in the form of a chair or pain relief ,home helps

Answer 10

"debenhams sometimes has seats by the changing rooms, usually for the poor men that get dragged around with all the shopping."

If only - I usually get stuck making friends with the uncomfortable woman in the dorrway.