What are people doing when they get in their cars and take ages to drive off when I am waiting for the parking space?

[Anonymous]

Waiting for my kids to buckle themselves, inputting directions in GPS, taking a moment to respond to text messages, opening Spotify to select a playlist, doing a mental check to make sure we haven’t left anything (e.g sports bottles, picnic blankets, hoodies, etc. that seem to get lost). There are a bunch of reasons people may not be able to immediately exit their parking space. I try to hustle as much as possible when I know parking is limited.

But I’m not texting and driving, leaving without direction queued, leaving something behind, driving with unbuckled kids, etc. just because people like OP have no patience.

[Anonymous]

This Mother’s Day weekend a guy went inside his car and proceeded to recline. Geez at least let us know!

[Anonymous]

Always: setting up the podcast to play during my drive

Sometimes: setting up the GPS

Occasionally: responding to a time-sensitive text

I am not on a lookout for people waiting for my spot because I rarely park in crowded areas, mostly in suburban strip malls. But if I noticed one then I would definitely quicken my movements rather than slow them down!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there was a study that showed people take longer to pull out when they know someone is waiting for their spot.

You are correct.

For all of the maybe this, maybe that, it's interesting that it all seems to happen more when it looks like someone is waiting for your spot.

+100 it’s a power/control thing even if nobody admits it.

+1

I will wait as long as it takes just to p*ss them off, if the parkers are obviously taking extra time intentionally.

Hint: they are.

[Anonymous]

Elderly forget where they are

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Setting up my GPS, responding to a phone call or text, playing Pokémon Go (some of these shopping center parking lots are crawling with Pokémon!), finding a good playlist to play … it can take awhile. That’s why I don’t spot-stalk people. I’ll just park further away and let people be slow about pulling out of their spot.

Haha, I thought I was the only one playing Pokemon Go in parking lots! 😄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg, walk the extra 20 feet and park a few spots down.

+1
I try to hurry when I see someone waiting for my spot but I read something somewhere that said most people will take longer to leave the spot if they see someone is waiting for it.

[Anonymous]

What kills me is when someone is waiting for your spot and blocks the flow of traffic through the parking lot to do so. I see this at Costco all the time.

[Anonymous]

This is a major safety issue and, unfortunately, it will catch up to many of you. Be safe. Get in your car, get secure, and drive away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a major safety issue and, unfortunately, it will catch up to many of you. Be safe. Get in your car, get secure, and drive away.

Thanks. I'll continue walk across the grass despite the fact that there could be tick there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a major safety issue and, unfortunately, it will catch up to many of you. Be safe. Get in your car, get secure, and drive away.

Thanks. I'll continue walk across the grass despite the fact that there could be tick there.

Dismiss all you want. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

[Anonymous]

People not from DC be like. . .

- Standing on the left side of the escalator

- Driving 5 mph under the speed limit during morning rush hour on a one-lane road

- Speeding by cars clearly backing out in parking lots. You all need to STOP and wait.

- Sitting in their parked cars For-e-ver when the lot is obviously full, cars are waiting to park, and they just don't give a F. Rude!

- Rude in grocery stores and don't know how to drive their cart properly. You need to be more cart conscious. Let others pass, watch for carts coming, don't hog up the aisle. Yes, many of us are miserable, but don't take it out on the grocery store customers

- Grocery store mutes. It's 2 or more people who can go through the entire store without speaking to each other or making any facial expression. They are spooky. Possibly Borg.

[Anonymous]

Lack self awareness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kills me is when someone is waiting for your spot and blocks the flow of traffic through the parking lot to do so. I see this at Costco all the time.

It’s power/control in reverse. If the person in the spot won’t yield and the waiting car won’t either, the increasing blocked traffic is the tiebreaker. It’s the waiting car putting crowd/social pressure on the parking space idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there was a study that showed people take longer to pull out when they know someone is waiting for their spot.

You are correct.

For all of the maybe this, maybe that, it's interesting that it all seems to happen more when it looks like someone is waiting for your spot.

+100 it’s a power/control thing even if nobody admits it.

+1

I will wait as long as it takes just to p*ss them off, if the parkers are obviously taking extra time intentionally.

Hint: they are.

Totally agree. I’m surprised the length to which posters here have tried to justify their wait. The overwhelming reality is that people get in their cars and go, and they don’t routinely do the things mentioned here. Outwaiting someone for your spot is simply a power/control issue.