I timed my walk from the far end of the lot vs the front spot near the doors over 5 days last week. Turns out that extra 30 seconds per trip to park further away adds up to over 10 hours a year. Anyone else ever clocked their parking lot commute time?
Six months ago people parked all over the place and now that the stripes are fresh and bright everyone actually stays inside them without even trying... has anyone else noticed a huge difference after a simple repaint?
I was at the Costco in Santa Clara last Saturday and saw a silver minivan parked diagonally across four empty spaces near the cart return. The guy was just sitting in the driver seat scrolling on his phone while people circled for 10 minutes looking for a spot. I snapped a photo and put it on our neighborhood Facebook group and got 40 comments in an hour. Has anyone else had a run-in with a parking lot villain who seemed to do it on purpose?
I've kept a folder on my phone of bad parking since 2022, just for fun. Yesterday I hit exactly 100 photos, and I didn't even realize it until I scrolled past a guy who parked his SUV across 4 spaces at a grocery store. My personal fave is still the minivan half-in a fire lane with a shopping cart blocking their door. The count includes 23 cars parked on the white lines like it's a buffer zone. Do you all save pics of bad parking too or am I just weird with too much storage?
I used to swear by backing into spots because pulling in forward always left me crooked. Then last week at the Target on Elm Street, I watched a mom in a Honda Odyssey nail a tight parallel spot in one smooth sweep. She didn't even use her backup camera, just turned the wheel at the right moment. Has anyone else found a technique that clicked after years of struggling?
I paid $15 for a supposed reserved spot near the baseball stadium last Saturday, thinking I'd beat the crowd. Got there and it was just a muddy patch behind a dumpster with no actual painted lines. A guy in a truck took the spot next to me and left 2 feet of room so I had to climb through my passenger door. Anyone else get burned by those cash-only lots that pop up during game days?
Honestly, I overheard two guys at the gas station last week talking about how they park like jerks to 'protect their paint' from door dings. One said he always takes up two spots near the back of the lot so nobody parks next to him. Ngl, I get wanting to keep your truck nice, but that just pushes everyone else into tighter spaces. Has anyone else had to squeeze into a spot because of someone like that?
I was at the Kroger off Main Street last Tuesday and watched some lady in a giant SUV park in a handicap spot, then jog inside to grab milk. No placard, no plates, nothing. I called her out and she said she was only in there for a minute. The lot was full so someone who actually needed it had to park way out. Has anyone else dealt with people just ignoring these spots like they're premium parking?
I used to think I hated people who back into spots in crowded lots. But after watching this guy at my local grocery lot in Maplewood take 3 tries to back his truck into a normal space I noticed something else. He left the back end sticking out almost 2 feet past the line. That means the person next to him has to squeeze in or risk a door ding. Now I focus on how lopsided the car ends up not which direction they came from. Anyone else notice the same thing in your own lot?
So last week my neighbor Tom cornered me by the mailboxes and went off about how people who park too close to the line are basically saying 'my convenience matters more than yours.' I laughed it off at first but then I went to my own parking spot and realized I've been doing the exact same thing for years. I always pull up a little crooked because I'm rushing to get inside after work. It hit me that my spot being 6 inches off center probably makes the person next to me squeeze in every single day. Has anyone else had a random conversation that made you look at your own parking habits differently?
I was getting my tires rotated and this old mechanic pointed at my front end. Said people who jam their wheels into curbs every day mess up their tie rods. He showed me a car on the lift with bent steering parts, clean from curb hits. Now I park leaving a good six inches from the curb every time. Took me 15 years to learn that simple thing. Anyone else hear shop advice that changed how you park?
Last Tuesday at the Albertsons on 5th, some guy in a Ford F-350 parked diagonally across three spots near the cart return. I had to park way out by the garden center. Has anyone else dealt with oversized vehicle drivers just not caring?
I watched two drivers at my local Target in Austin yesterday, one pulled through a double spot and the other backed into a single spot, and the backed-in guy was out in 10 seconds while the pull-through guy spent 3 minutes blocking traffic trying to leave. Both ended up in the same aisle, so why risk the extra hassle when backing in gives you better control leaving? Which do you think is safer for everyone in a crowded lot, pulling through or backing in?
Last summer I drove 8 hours to Disney World with my family and nearly lost my mind in the Magic Kingdom parking lot. The rows aren't straight, they curve around like a snake, and I circled for 20 minutes just to find a spot. Some guy in a minivan cut me off and then took 5 minutes to back into his space. I ended up parking way out in the boonies near the trams because I couldn't handle the chaos anymore. Since that trip, I refuse to park anywhere that doesn't have perfectly straight lines. Has anyone else given up on tricky lots and just walked extra?
I used to just pull forward into any parking spot I could find, even if it meant squeezing between two big trucks. But after I got boxed in at a Kroger last month and had to wait 10 minutes for someone to leave, I started backing in every time. Now I reverse into the spot so I can drive out forward when I leave, especially in crowded lots. Does anyone else do the back-in thing or am I just overthinking this?
I was walking back to my car last week and caught a mom telling her kid she parks in the back of the lot on purpose because people in the front rows slam doors into your paint. It made me think about all the times I've squeezed into a tight spot near the entrance just to save 30 seconds of walking. Has anyone else switched to the far away strategy and noticed your car stays cleaner?
My coworker Janice warned me against that space because three people got their bumpers keyed there last month, but I got lucky somehow and now I'm wondering if the legend is just overblown drama from bad parallel parking, has anyone else had a weirdly good experience in a spot everyone avoids?
Last week at the Kroger on Main Street in my town, I watched a guy pull in head-first like everyone else. When he came out with his cart, he had to reverse blind into a lane full of cars honking at each other. I always back into my spot so I can drive straight out. It is a habit I picked up from my dad 3 years ago. He said it is safer and faster, and I finally saw proof in that chaos last Tuesday. Now I just wish more people would try it so I do not have to dodge backup cameras every time I leave. Has anyone else noticed how much quicker you get out of a busy lot with this trick?
I always thought paying $80 a month for a reserved parking spot was a waste since I could hunt for street parking for free. After 3 weeks of circling for 20 minutes every morning near 5th and Main, I signed up for one and now I walk straight to my car. Anybody else find that paying for parking actually saves your sanity or is it just me?