A woman sparked a debate on social media after asking drivers not to park in spaces near store entrances if they do not “need” them.
It all started when Liv Mesty posted a video on her TikTok profile making a request to viewers: that they avoid parking in spots close to store entrances. In the clip, she explained that she believed parents of young children deserved those spaces more.
In response, content creator Calico Calcifer posted a video pushing back against the argument, saying that those parking spaces are for anyone, regardless of whether they have children or not.
“All of these parking spaces are completely open, and there’s no way to know whether someone might have a child with them at the same time and need that spot when I’m at the grocery store. To put it as simply as possible, no,” Calico said in her clip.
In the comments, the topic sparked a heated debate. Overall, many users took the position that unless a space is designated as “exclusive” for a priority group, anyone can park in open spaces.
Some U.S. grocery stores, such as Walmart or Target, also offer “preferred” parking spaces for pregnant women or parents with infants, but in these cases authorities cannot fine drivers who do not fall into those categories if they park in those spots.
“Other than disabled parking, I’ll park wherever I want,” one TikTok user remarked. “I don’t necessarily ‘look like’ someone with a health condition… but I try to park closer. I’m not at the point of needing a disabled placard yet,” said another.
“I’m going to park as close to the entrance as possible. Because I need to,” argued a third user, who identified as living with chronic pain. “Having kids doesn’t give you special treatment,” added another.
Photo and video: TikTok @cal_cifer_2.0. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
@cal_cifer_2.0 It’s open parking….. #childfree #childfreebychoice #childfreetiktok #childfreemillennial ♬ original sound – Cal 2
