Pensioners Miss Bus After Swansea Shopping Centre Tells Them Only Students Are Allowed In
A pensioner in Swansea is claiming he and his wife faced ‘age discrimination’ after being denied entry to the Quadrant Shopping Centre and subsequently missing their bus home. Brian Jones, 77, recounted how they were refused entry to the shopping centre on Tuesday, October 1, at 5.35pm, being informed it was only open to students for an event. Jones expressed his frustration, stating, “We’re pensioners, we couldn’t get in. We’ve been using the Quadrant every day for nearly 40 years and we just couldn’t get in.” He explained that as a result of not being allowed in, they missed their bus, having to navigate around the complex to exit on the other side. Jones criticised the decision, highlighting the inconvenience caused not only to them but also the impact on regular patrons of the shopping centre over the years.
Jones further elaborated that there was no prior notice of the closure to them as usual customers, stating, “Not only that, we walk through the Quadrant during lunchtime and get lunch. There were no notices up, no indication that they wanted to shut the Quadrant early for our age groups.” Feeling discriminated against, Jones expressed his disappointment at being excluded from their usual route through the shopping centre. In response, the Quadrant Shopping Centre defended their decision, stating, “The Quadrant Shopping Centre held its annual Student Shopping Night Event on Tuesday 1st October which took place between 6-8pm. In preparation for this, the centre was closed to the public from 5.30pm for the event, which was a ticket-only private event.”
The centre clarified that signage was displayed throughout the centre to inform shoppers of the early closing for the event, open exclusively to students who had registered. The statement noted that it was not open to the general public. Despite this explanation, Jones and his wife expressed their dismay at the situation, feeling overlooked and inconvenienced. The incident has sparked debate about inclusivity and communication between shopping centres and their patrons, highlighting the importance of considering all customers in event planning and closures.