Biker that went grocery shopping with his bike found that the bike rack had been removed to discourage bikers from shopping there: ‘So I shopped using my trailer as a shopping cart, took it through the checkout, and then rolled out’

María Cetra • Writer

Sep 20, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

Bikers also deserve road rights.

What is it with business owners and hating bikers? If you have a business, like in this case, and you have customers wanting to spend money in your business, why would you turn them away? Because removing the bike racks so that they cannot park their bike safely and securely before entering the shop is turning them away. And the fact that it is on purpose makes no sense. Why would you even do that? It actually makes no sense to be refusing money from customers just because you don't like bikes for some reason. Also, why wouldn't you like bikes? They produce less wear and tear than any other type of vehicle. They cause less dirt, and they drive more safely and at a lower pace. Why then? Why would you refuse to let bike riders park at the entrance to your shop? I cannot understand it at all.

What this person did, entering the shop with their bike, with the trailer included, to shop without risking their things seems perfect. It is a bit of malicious compliance, but nobody stopped them, not even at other shops. And employees do not care enough about what they enter with. So they got what they wanted: shopping with the bike, but it wasn't easier, as an owner, to just keep the bike rack where it was? I do not understand why they couldn't just leave things as they were. And what truly interests me the most. Why do they hate bikes? They are the most normal thing. All the cities are trying to make their cities more bike-friendly, but no, businesses need to think otherwise. What for? No idea. As a bike user, I hate this attitude towards people who are being friendly to the earth while exercising. We follow road rules. We ride where we have to. Why do they just hate our existence and make it worse for us to do what we want? It's not like we are causing any disturbance or creating any trouble for the city or the spaces we ride or stop by. We cause less damage than any other vehicle. So stop hating us, bike riders, for no reason.

Small malicious compliance here. I live in a city, and rather than own a car, I bike everywhere. It has its ups and downs, but for the most part works pretty well. I also have a small trailer for my bike, and sometimes I'll make grocery runs with it. Usually when that would happen, I would lock my bike and trailer up at a bike rack, then do my shopping like normal and after paying would load my bike trailer up with my goods.

A biker riding through the neighborhood. Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes. — *A biker riding through the neighborhood.*
*_{Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes.}*

Well, one day I arrived at the store, which is in one of those classic business plazas ... and the bike racks were gone. All of them. Each had been removed. There was nowhere to lock up my bike and trailer. Well, that didn't sit right with me. So I rolled my bike through the doors and into the store itself, trailer behind me, and waited at customer service, and then asked "Since bike racks are no longer

provided at this plaza, can I just use my trailer as a shopping cart?" The manager looked down at my bike and then without hesitation said "Yes." Apparently the plaza owner had decided they no longer wanted bikers using the plaza or shopping there and had removed the bike racks to discourage bikers from coming, which the store manager disagreed with. So I shopped

using my trailer as a shopping cart, took it through the checkout, and then rolled out. I've since had to do this once or twice more as other places nearby have also removed their bike racks as property managers wage a silent war against bikers while the city is trying to make biking more attractive. It's a minor malicious compliance, but I'm not about to leave my bike outside or stop buying food. Instead I'll just

take my bike into the business, trailer included, until they ask me to leave. No one has asked me to leave yet.

A biker with his bike in the street. Models pictured are not representative. — *A biker with his bike in the street.*
*_{Models pictured are not representative.}*

dimriver1 When I was in the military I rode a bike. One day a captain decide parking my bike out front looked unprofessional. I was already told I couldn't bring it inside the building, or park in the back yard before that. So I put my bike in a car parking space and walked in. Next day I was allowed to park inside.

thefoxandmoon Excellent. Take a picture of your bike in the frozen aisle and interview with your local paper.

Jorost I don't understand why property managers would be opposed to bikes. They cause less wear and tear on the property than cars.

yourbaconess "We've decided we no longer want a subset of paying customers because we have to dedicate -checks notes- about 3 square feet to their vehicles." And yet i bet the parking lot is bigger than the footprint of the shops themselves. The only thing i could think of is are there often kids on bikes around getting unruly?

jb0nez95 If people can wheel carts, strollers, wagons, walkers, wheelchairs, etc, around the store then you better believe I'll happily wheel my bike around the place.

Aggravating Bid8255 If the city is trying to promote biking, I wonder if the rack removal is going against any city code or ordinance. Might be worth looking to see which city officials are most passionate about the pursuit and sending their office an email. Mentioning the store manager confirming the reason and intent of the removal might also be a helpful tidbit. Sure, it might go nowhere. But you

also might make a difference. Local government works best when locals get involved

trackingShedder Wow, we are living parallel lives. My wife and I used to go to the nearest Safeway for grocery shopping and pharmacy. Then I decided I was going to make that run on an e-bike going forward. When I realized they had no bike rack I started going to the Giant across the street instead. The fly in the ointment is we still both really like using the Safeway

pharmacy. My wife asked me to pick something up, so I went to the Safeway and took my bike in to the pharmacy. I figured, you've got no bike rack so this is my solution. If they tell me I can't do that at which point I'll point out that there is a whole parking lot for cars, and no bike rack so why shouldn't what I'm doing be acceptable? I was not approached by any employees regarding the bike. The only comment I heard was "nice bike."

Bonus: no need to lock up my bike or load and unload a cart or bags in to my panniers. This probably shaved at least 10 minutes off the total trip time.

stonedandredditing Removing bike racks is some selfish, dystopian era bulls I can't stand people who demonize bikes; they come off as ignorant and elitist to me.

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Biker that went grocery shopping with his bike found that the bike rack had been removed to discourage bikers from shopping there: ‘So I shopped using my trailer as a shopping cart, took it through the checkout, and then rolled out’

Bikers also deserve road rights.

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