Another grocery store question... About This Page:

[Chrissi]

Are you one of those people who makes up a parking spot in the firelane in front of the cart ramp on the grocery store sidewalk because you're waiting for someone?

If you are, you'd best look out in my neighborhood. Man does that irritate me! I'm pushing a full cart and a baby with a diaper bag and a purse and some, ehem , thinks they're special enough to park illegally in the fire lane so I have to lift my cart off of the sidewalk just to get to the car. I've had cars towed that were sitting there.

DH just told me a story about his run-in last night at the store with a lady blocking the ramp. DH tried the ramp she was blocking and bumped her car. She got out to yell at him and he put her smartly back in her place reminding her that whether she sat in the car or not, it was still parked illegally, if she wanted to make a stink about it. She got back in her car and drove away to an open space in the lot.

If you're special and need a special spot, there are usually a half dozen in the parking lot highlighted with blue paint - just for you. Otherwise, park in the lot like the rest of us.

Okay, so this isn't so much a question as a chance for others to gripe, but...well, you know. Any other pet peeves?

[Laura W.]

OOOOOOOOOh Beaner I know what you mean and I think that bugs me just as much as it does you!
Laura

[goofy4goofy]

Yes, I hate that!!! And it also reminds of how I hate it when I'm pushing the cart with a ton of stuff and my precious little boy in the front of it and we're walking across the pedestrian lane..and some idiot decides to fly through there without stopping, nearly hitting my cart and my baby boy. That happens waaaay too often around here even though there is a stop sign AND A HUGE SIGN THAT SAYS STOP FOR PEDESTRIANS. Makes me so mad just thinking about it!

Kelly

[mrsmaup]

How RUDE!! We dont really have that problem at our commissary. Its blocked off by concrete barriers(force protection stuff), so you cant park in front of it. They do however make you pull up to the front in the winter, so they have like a drive through lane. Plenty of room for carts to get past.

That would drive me NUTS! Where is people's common courtesty anymore?

[TINKN]

Irritating isn't it? And to have to breath their car exhaust to boot! Does anyone have the parent with child parking spaces at their grocery stores? We used to have them before I had kids and now that I could use one they don't have them anymore. Guess they must not have worked.

[Dumbo]

Drives me nuts too.

Also on my list:

Peole who have a handicap sticker because they sometimes take someone who needs it to the store. They park in the handicap spot when alone.

The idiot who parks almost on top of the handicap spot. If someone with a handicap van needed the space next to them there wouldn'd be enough room to open the door and take out the wheelchair.

[AKLRULZ]

No way Jose! Our grocery store has bagboys/gals to bring out your groceries for you anyway. And if I'm waiting for someone, to make a quick trip in I'll find a space or an isolated spot to park.

[rescuesk]

Chrissi,

Did you know you can call our 911 center and request either police or fire chief response? If you are in a township with local police, they can be dispatched to ticket the offenders. State police take a little longer and have a little less interest. Often, the fire chief will respond, especially if there is more than one car in the lane. The number to call is 992-9911.

Did you know that when I am on duty in the ambulance, and I need to run to the store for milk, supplies, a sandwich, whatever, I am NOT allowed to park my ambulance in the fire lane? Our crews will get ticketed, and our township (as well as several others) have made that very clear. Usually it's not a problem, because the fire lane is so congested with waiting drivers that there would be no room for the ambulance anyway. All those shoppers are OK, but if the tones drop, I have to literally sprint across the parking lot to get to the rig because it is not ever in a close spot.
You have touched a raw nerve with me on this one. It ranks up there with not yielding to responding ambulances, and blocking the "Do Not Block" ambulance entry at the hospital.

Sue

[CRCrazy]

I can relate to this one - rescuesk! My DH is a fire captain with our paid call squad, and an EMT-I, as well as a certified Fire & EMS Instructor, and a part time cop! Our Fire and ambulance services are combined in one building, and parking is an extreme problem, as a majority of the calls are either MVA's or cardiac - which is an everyone respond call! While all the people on the dept. know NOT to park in front of the bays - the tourist think that big empty parking lot in front of this building is a perfect place to stop. Just yesterday, A big 1 ton pickup towing a snowmobile trailer pulled up and completely blocked the whole access to the lot. Of course, that's just when the tone dropped. I thought John was going to put his Suburban right through that snow machine!!

Of course, that said, I was laughing today - the non-emergency transport service was leaving the nursing home today - unloaded - and rolled through the stop sign where I had the right of way. Luckily, I saw them, and figured they were going do that - so I just waved them on, in case they had a patient, but no - they were in a hurry to get to Dunkin Donuts!!

That is the best part of any call!

[Chrissi]

[ QUOTE ]

Did you know you can call our 911 center and request either police or fire chief response? If you are in a township with local police, they can be dispatched to ticket the offenders. State police take a little longer and have a little less interest. Often, the fire chief will respond, especially if there is more than one car in the lane. The number to call is 992-9911.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good to know, thanks Sue. Whenever we're at that Mr. Z's in East Stroudsburg, the fire lane is always full of idling or outright parked cars. When he's in a good mood, DH will either knock on their windows and tell them to move before the store manager calls the police or go inside and ask one of the cashiers to let the manager on duty know he needs to make the call or clear the lane. (DH used to run ambulance up in Gouldsboro. This is one of his major pet peeves, too, for that reason. ) On his not so good days, he'll accidentally run the cart into their parked car to remind them where not to park.

[Teresa]

Yes, this bothers me. Grandpa used to take Grandma to the store every week, and he would park at a far away space (even though he had handicapped tags) since he was not going in, watch for her, and go to the front to get her- off to the side of the door.

And the handicapped spots, the thing that makes me more mad than the people that park REALLY close - those that think the hatch marks in the spot next to them mean "for people with too much opinion of themselves who are too good to walk an extra 15 to 20 feet" It is for a wheelchair lift in a van!

[kimdisneynut]

Another great post. I am with you on this also, all the way.

Kim