Having been interested in your subject for some years I seem to have noticed the cessation of public spankings for about 5 years now.
This seems to have occurred as a result of a number of high profile court cases-we all recall the infamous Scottish Dentists Surgery-where slappers have been criminalised in a very “publicity blitz” way.However before then(1990s) there was a mood of discontent about public smacking that had been around as a result of the various anti smacking campaigns in Nurseries etc.They deluged such places nationally with posters and propaganda.The position now seems that the modern 20 something modern liberated young mum does not even think about smacking at all and I must say I have not involuntarily overseen a public smacking supermarket or otherwise for a good 5 years now at all.