Even though she's only four months along in her sixth pregnancy, Ruth Wright appreciates the "expectant mother parking" spots when she shops at Harmon's grocery stores.
Wright was shopping with daughter Brianna, 5, on Tuesday at the newer Harmon's in Sandy. Previously, she shopped at another Harmon's."I appreciated it at the other location because I get really huge, and it's hard to walk a long way," she said. "I'm the kind who likes to park close."
The Sandy Harmon's has a stork painted on the pavement at two parking stalls located not far from the handicapped parking spots. The signs read, "Expectant Mother Parking."
The specialty parking spots have been a hit in other parts of the country for some time and are starting to catch on with some stores here. Harmon's has been providing these for about five years.
"We thought it was a nice added service," said Bob Harmon, one of the owners and vice president of marketing. "Oftentimes, you've got a stroller with another child, plus you're carrying a child and trying to motor a basket."
Harmon got the idea from an article he read years ago and wanted to incorporate into his nine-store grocery chain. Since folks in Utah produce so many babies, "it lent itself very easily to the area -- it really was well-received," he said.
The parking spots vary in number and location depending on how the parking lot is configured and its size.
Does anybody gripe about "special treatment" for pregnant women?
He's heard good comments but expects that there may have been some grumbles here or there. "That will happen. You could literally have a stall for everybody. This just makes more sense if you think about it," he said.
The fact is that shopping when pregnant often is awkward in itself, and it's double trouble if you've got other children to maneuver safely across a parking lot. "I don't want to say it's a handicap, but it is a special circumstance, and we do have spaces for other special needs," Harmon said.
Those include parking spots designated for senior citizens, which also have been popular. On a quiet Tuesday morning, they were getting plenty of use.
At its stores, ShopKo also has spots marked "Senior Parking Only" that are close to the handicapped stalls and close to the entrance. "All our stores have senior parking -- that's something we've been doing for years," said Sheree Olson, ShopKo's director of media relations.
In some areas -- but not yet in Utah -- ShopKo also offers spaces for "Expectant Mothers and Parents with Toddlers."
"We have 'expectant parent' signs at 29 stores since we started testing them in June 1998," Olson said. The chain has 158 stores in 19 states and plans to introduce these parking spaces in its other stores. Just how that will work depends on many factors, including the lot's size, shape and any unique design needs.
Olson said ShopKo decided to create these spaces to help customers and retain their loyalty.
"We wanted to add value to the shopping experience and set ourselves apart from the rest of the retail world," she said. "Retailers, and ShopKo specifically, must find ways to serve their customers better and differently than anyone else."
Anything that makes shopping easier, more pleasant and better means customers are happy, she said.
"Being able to negotiate a walk in from the outer edges of a parking lot can be difficult for everyone, but particularly for senior citizens and people trying to keep track of small children, or expectant mothers who might not be quite as mobile as the rest of us," Olson said. "The vast majority of our customers think it's a nice thing to do."