Tesco shopper slams new rules that are 'absolutely not okay'

A Tesco shopper has slammed the supermarket for introducing a new parking policy at their local store.

The furious customer took to social media to call out the retail giant for introducing a rule change that means people who shop late at night only get an hour of parking.

The customer shared an image of a notice from her nearby Tesco indicating that customers could now only use the supermarket car park for an hour between 8pm and midnight. Customers parking between midnight and 6am can only stay for half an hour, while those shopping during the day - between 6am and 8pm - are allowed the full three hours of car parking time.

READ MORE: 'Do not eat' warning issued over Tesco mince pies that may contain GLUE

The upset shopper hit out at the change, which means they can no longer visit the store in the evenings for a couple of hours when it's less crowded, reports the Mirror.

Tesco stores each have their own time restraints in place, meaning the rules for how long you can park will vary across the UK. Tesco told the Mirror it always reviews changes based on customer feedback.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the disgruntled shopper wrote: "Hey @Tesco I do my shopping at night so I can wander round without my kids and buy nice things that I can hide and eat by myself. It's a couple of hours to myself once a week. This new policy sucks."

In an additional post, they clarified: "I'm aware the store is shut 12 until 6am, I'm talking about when I like to go at 9pm for a couple of hours when it's nice and quiet and I can shop in peace."

They added: "I know to a lot of people this probably seems petty and not a big deal, but to anyone who either has kids or works weird hours and has to shop in the evening, or for anyone neurodivergent it's absolutely not okay."

The complaint resonated with many shoppers chiming in to support her point of view. One said: "I agree @Tesco I'd need more than an hour in the evening. Have enough stress in work that I don't need to be rushed going shopping too!"

Another wrote: "Totally agree, if you're going to have a 24hr store, make the car park 24hrs too! Plenty of people like to do full shops outside their busy hours."

An additional customer shared their personal situation: "I don't go to this particular @Tesco but as a sole full time carer for my dad who has mobility issues and mixed dementia, I also can only do the shopping on an evening. Similarly, it's two hours to myself once a week. This is a really inconsiderate thing to do. Shame on Tesco."

A spokesperson for Tesco said: "It is important to us that all our customers can find a space when they visit our stores and, where we have parking limits in place, this is to allow us to better manage spaces, and to deter anti-social behaviour in the car park at night, especially outside of opening hours."