Sainsbury’s in Camden Town

• IT’S worth looking at the Camden Town Sainsbury’s new car parking arrangements.

A “new company” (so Sainsbury’s says although ANPR, automatic number plate recognition, can be hired by companies) now owns the space and is allowing shoppers one hour of free parking only.

If they stay over an hour the charge is £100. There is no option to extend your hour and pay a lesser fee. This is a problem because with no longer any till workers in the shop the queues for self-service are very long.

When you do get to the tills shoppers constantly need support from the only one or two shop staff available. This lengthens the time checking out takes.

By the time you are done with all of this a simple shopping trip can easily take over an hour. This seems really short sighted on Sainsbury’’s part.

They are bound to lose revenue and shoppers, unless that is their intent and the shop is looking to close down; which their recent reorganisation of the emptying shelves suggests.

For people struggling with the cost of living increases £100 is extortionate. If you are elderly or disabled this is extremely limiting. It seems for such a big brand in the middle of our borough they have absolutely no regard for their local shoppers.

Sainsbury’s weak response is that there has been anti-social behaviour taking place in the old car park, which is no doubt true, but the “new company” they have given it to is clearly simply trying to make money to fund their reconstruction of the space.

It’s absolutely terrible. How does limiting parking time during the day and charging customers £100 for a long shop, eliminate anti-social behaviour which likely occurs at night-time and do those people drive in?

This new one-hour rule is also actually extremely poorly signed – especially on entering the car park itself – which would give you the option to drive away.

Apparently a lot of people have complained, but Sainsbury’s policy, I understand, is not to answer these complaints directly.

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