What's the consensus on dependents using rank based reserved parking at exchanges/commissaries?

SOY/SOQ spots provide a perspective to apply to the PX. When we establish those spots to reward a sailor for this special recognition did we intend for his whole family to use it. And do you extend that privileged to the spouse, kids, grandmother. Where does this all end. Rules are rules unless AAFES has some specific policy that details the parking is reserved for the member and his spouse I would say only the member can use the space.

During active duty I had a run in with the wife of our XO. She tried to cut in line at the commissary with her basket of groceries. She got really upset when we stopped her from doing that. She yelled “my husband is your boss!” I said directly to her “yes he is, and he would never do such a thing to his service members. He cares about us.” That shut her up. She left her cart and walked out of the store.

The dependant is not entitled to a salute, so I see no reason for the dependence to park in a rank based reserve parking.

Nope! Totally not acceptable. Unless it's mil to mil and the rank has been earned by your own actions, we as spouses don't carry a rank. We are gifted the privileges and benefits that we get. The only exception are the expectant mother parking.

It was intended for the person who wears the rank, on the assumption that that particular rank/person was sooooo busy, they needed special parking.
THeir spouse is not as busy, or, is not busy supporting the force as the service member is.

someone once pointed out, you rarely see a GO at the PX...so why do they get special parking???

Ok in reading all of these how do you feel about gold star spaces? My husband paid the ultimate sacrifice. I park in a gold star space when available. If it wasn’t there I would park in a regular space but it is there and part of me says after 20 years of spousal support of the Army and loosing my loved one I earned that space.

when I was stationed at marine barracks yorktown va. general Chesty Puller's wife went to the head of the line in our small px. A sgt instructed her that the line for her started at the end of the line. The next day General Puller came in to the barracks and spoke to the co, who called the young sgt into his office. We all believed that was the end of his rank. He came out of the office grinning and stated, the General agreed with him 100 percent. He said if it had been me (the General) he should not have been upset if he had said the same thing to him, but I have to live with this woman who seldom gives me any heartbreak. So if sometime in the future she does this terrible thing in the future would you please do me the favor of excusing her. (General Puller is a legend in the Marine Corps) It is once said a lt made an enlisted man salute him a hundred times for his failure to properly salute him. When the General asked about it and was told the circumstances he told the Lt that the custom is to return the salute. Requiring the lt to return 100 salutes) He was definitely an enlisted mans Marine Officer)

If we are being honest, I think the only reserved parking should be for handicap, expected mothers, and MOH recipients. To answer the question though, YOU hold the rank, not the spouse, so why should the spouse utilize the parking?
It drives me absolutely insane when a spouse pulls the ole' "Do you know who I am!?" I have even seen a woman wearing her husband's CSM rank on her collar and demanded that the cashier refer to her as Sergeant Major at the PX...

I am a military spouse. I do not park in reserved parking spaces that are clearly marked. I am not the service member. I am the support team. I will admit that when picking up my husband, if he is on his way out or I am dropping him off I will park in a marked parking spot for no more than five minutes. I have been caught, as it were, by people in their spot a total of two times in 15 years and I apologized whole heartedly that I was wrong and that I was waiting for my husband and had literally just parked and moved immediately. My job as a spouse is to hold down the home front and support my husband so he can excel at his career. Not make my life better, or get better parking.

Agreed! The spouse is not due parking privileges!