Car boots

[Secre]

Right, I am at the moment thoroughly peeved because my local carboot sale doesn't allow people in on foot and I don't drive. Supposedly this is for health and safety reasons but I can't see why considering they let people out on foot and you can re-enter if you have a 'permit'. I think it's more to do with the fact that they charge £1.50 per car and it's more difficult to charge people walking in on foot.

 

So first question, what do you think of carboots?

Second question, what do you think of ridiculously stupid rules that they make up in the supposed interests of 'health and safety'?

And thirdly, I'd be interested to know whether anybody else has come across stupid health and safety rules and where...

[Awesome Oppossum]

I have no idea what a carboot actually is ... it sounds English though. I thought it was the trunk of a car. There are tonnes of silly rules and cautions, like the one on the iron that says, "do not use while sleeping". Lawyerbot loves those types of things:P

[Noog]

I also have no idea what a car boot is.

 

I would rather have "stupid" health precautions than die. :/

[Secre]

Ah, yes. Sorry - it is an English custom, although you must have something similar.

 

It is basically where a load of people set up stalls out of the back of there car or on tables just outside the car selling stuff which they have in the house. Basically whatever the car can carry, you can sell! Then those of us who are nosy have a wander around looking for bargains. Do you have garage sales? It would be very similar but on a large field and often in atrocious weather!

 

Sorry, it's something that has instant understanding in Britain as it is a long running thing and heaps of fun. I hadn't thought that it wouldn't be understandable in different cultures!

[Noog]

Were you walking in to buy or sell?

 

This seems silly... /american

[Secre]

I was walking in to buy. There's no point in selling without a car (it costs £8 to get in to sell) so you probably wouldn't make much of a profit. But yeah, I was planning to have a wander around and grab a few CD's as my Ipod died and so I'm reliant on my portable CD player at work!

 

Don't worry, as I said I hadn't counted on culture differences making my post so difficult to understand! It was one of those things that is so ingrained in your own culture that you assume everyone else will understand!

[Noog]

I don't see why you can't buy on foot then, however inconvenient. :P

 

I understand :)

[Secre]

Yep, that was why I was quite so peeved! Although to give credit I'm now more peeved at idiotic drivers on the road but that's in a different post! It just seemed so stupid to refuse to let me in for 'health and safety' when I know darn well that it is purely for profiteering.

[Masaryk]

I don't understand why you need a car to browse other peoples' sales. I mean, you're going from car to car on foot, right? So why would you need to drive to the field or carpark where the carboot is held if you will be shopping there on foot. It doesn't make sense to me.

 

I can't really think of too many other example of "health and safety" concerns that are totally out of line like this. The only thing I can think of is, in my city, at our major public park, we have a very, very old train engine. It's small, and all of the moving parts on it have been welded so they don't move. People my age, and much younger, grew up with it as a feature of the park that was meant to be climbed on and played with. It actually helped many of us to learn something about the history of our town. Now, it's been fenced off, so that no one can interact with it, because the city couldn't get liability insurance for the park if it was accessible, just because it isn't approved playground equipment. They were going to remove it from the park entirely, but a massive Facebook campaign forced them to just fence it off.

[Secre]

I'm sure it is just profiteering under the guise of health and safety, but proving that would be impossible.

 

I have to admit I've come across and been bound by several stupid health and safety laws. For example, when I working part time as a teaching assistant I wasn't allowed to touch the kids. Even though they were 6 years old and would cling to you if they hit their leg, you aren't allowed to touch them. You had to shake them off and talk to them across a table. That one is probably the worst of political correct health and safety gone mad.

[Alberto of Meridell]

Well, if you have a car while you're buying, you have more room to buy more merchandise! :P

[MaraquanEyrie]

To me that sounds like a scam so they can make more money.

I don’t know about the UK, but over here in America they have these "no shoes, no shirt, no service, by order of the health department” signs but they can only require this criteria from their employees not there customers, so in reality if you wanted to buy food or something else from a store barefoot our health department says you can.

[Girl at the Rock Show]

Grr. Cotton Wool Society - I hate it!

Some rules are in place for reasons. But seriously, some rules you just need a bit of common sense and be safe. These silly rules happen when the minority of people who get hurt ruin it for the majority who are safe. We need a bit more Darwin-ism if you ask me! =P

 

But it does sound like they're just trying to make money, or make it easier for them to charge money. Which is unfair and very annoying.

[siemis]

Ehm isn't going by foot much more healthy then by car oO" I mean... Nja anyway^^"

Some rules are made to be broken!

 

I cant think about such a rule here... *hmm*

 

We have just some stupid warning signs...

 

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