I consider rules to be suggestions. If I knew the other person walking in behind me, and recognized them I’d have held the door. No buses at 1pm? Why not?!

I hate people who think they're special and that rules/signs don't apply to them. That dad would be on my shit list. It's not common sense - it's entitlement.

As a special education teacher, I can tell you that students use buses midday all the time for community outings or to get to work sites. In my experience the people like the man in the OP are the same people who park their cars so they are blocking the curb cuts making things much harder for people who use mobility devices.

Anonymous wrote:OP, this reminds me of the Shopping Cart Theory - a concept suggesting that returning a grocery cart to a designated corral evaluates moral character. Because returning the cart yields no reward and skipping it carries no punishment, this voluntary act measures a person's civic duty, empathy, and personal discipline.

Here's the AI overview:
Unsupervised Integrity: It tests whether an individual will do the right thing simply because it is correct, rather than to avoid penalties

Empathy: It shows consideration for store employees and fellow shoppers who rely on clear parking spots and orderly cart returns

Ownership vs. Entitlement: Leaving a cart in a parking space demonstrates entitlement (the expectation that someone else will handle it), while returning it demonstrates ownership of responsibilities

This drives me NUTS! Our vacation house is in one of the most expensive beach areas on the east coast and going to the grocery store here drives me insane because 9/10 people just leave their cart strewn about wherever. The entitlement of the people who do this drive me nuts. I don’t see it in less ritzy areas and I’m appalled by it. The people who do this take up extra parking spots in a crowded area by not putting their carts back and they create way more work for the poor employees who get tasked to go around and collect them from all over. I’ve started teaching my kids that this is an easy lesson in how to tell if someone is a good person or not, and now we all watch as we are leaving who puts them back. It’s absolutely antisocial behavior to think civility doesn’t apply to you.

Rant aside, OP I think you were fine to do the right thing, and I also think that dad wasn’t a jerk either given the circumstances. Unlike the grocery carts, I don’t think this one is so black and white!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this reminds me of the Shopping Cart Theory - a concept suggesting that returning a grocery cart to a designated corral evaluates moral character. Because returning the cart yields no reward and skipping it carries no punishment, this voluntary act measures a person's civic duty, empathy, and personal discipline.

Here's the AI overview:
Unsupervised Integrity: It tests whether an individual will do the right thing simply because it is correct, rather than to avoid penalties

Empathy: It shows consideration for store employees and fellow shoppers who rely on clear parking spots and orderly cart returns

Ownership vs. Entitlement: Leaving a cart in a parking space demonstrates entitlement (the expectation that someone else will handle it), while returning it demonstrates ownership of responsibilities

Declining to return the shopping cart does inconvenience someone though- the worker who has to corral all the carts at the end of the day. Parking in the fire lane in OP’s example actually caused 0 harm to anyone.

DP. Then you are claiming you are the arbiter of right and wrong, that you can judge what harms and what doesn't harm. I live by an elementary school and drive by several times/day. Buses are there at different times, different types of buses. Some for special needs kids that come and go at different times, school trips for different classes. I've seen buses arrive early and park until school is out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this reminds me of the Shopping Cart Theory - a concept suggesting that returning a grocery cart to a designated corral evaluates moral character. Because returning the cart yields no reward and skipping it carries no punishment, this voluntary act measures a person's civic duty, empathy, and personal discipline.

Here's the AI overview:
Unsupervised Integrity: It tests whether an individual will do the right thing simply because it is correct, rather than to avoid penalties

Empathy: It shows consideration for store employees and fellow shoppers who rely on clear parking spots and orderly cart returns

Ownership vs. Entitlement: Leaving a cart in a parking space demonstrates entitlement (the expectation that someone else will handle it), while returning it demonstrates ownership of responsibilities

Declining to return the shopping cart does inconvenience someone though- the worker who has to corral all the carts at the end of the day. Parking in the fire lane in OP’s example actually caused 0 harm to anyone.

It doesn’t harm an employee to literally do their job. The corrals make it *easier,* but there are a lot of things people could do to make my job easier, and I’m sure we all could say the same.

Anonymous wrote:OP, this reminds me of the Shopping Cart Theory - a concept suggesting that returning a grocery cart to a designated corral evaluates moral character. Because returning the cart yields no reward and skipping it carries no punishment, this voluntary act measures a person's civic duty, empathy, and personal discipline.

Here's the AI overview:
Unsupervised Integrity: It tests whether an individual will do the right thing simply because it is correct, rather than to avoid penalties

Empathy: It shows consideration for store employees and fellow shoppers who rely on clear parking spots and orderly cart returns

Ownership vs. Entitlement: Leaving a cart in a parking space demonstrates entitlement (the expectation that someone else will handle it), while returning it demonstrates ownership of responsibilities

Declining to return the shopping cart does inconvenience someone though- the worker who has to corral all the carts at the end of the day. Parking in the fire lane in OP’s example actually caused 0 harm to anyone.

Anonymous wrote:OP, this reminds me of the Shopping Cart Theory - a concept suggesting that returning a grocery cart to a designated corral evaluates moral character. Because returning the cart yields no reward and skipping it carries no punishment, this voluntary act measures a person's civic duty, empathy, and personal discipline.

Here's the AI overview:
Unsupervised Integrity: It tests whether an individual will do the right thing simply because it is correct, rather than to avoid penalties

Empathy: It shows consideration for store employees and fellow shoppers who rely on clear parking spots and orderly cart returns

Ownership vs. Entitlement: Leaving a cart in a parking space demonstrates entitlement (the expectation that someone else will handle it), while returning it demonstrates ownership of responsibilities

NP and I return the cart 90% of the time, and if 10% I don’t it’s because of extreme weather or something is really achy/painful with my body. I don’t care if people think I’m a jerk for not returning the cart the ver few times a year that I don’t.

Point of order: Wegman’s is horrible with cart corral placement. They have this huge stretch of fake grass at the side of most of their locations, where no one ever sits or uses the “patio.” These are the side doors mostly stocked with small carts. I will leave a small cart in that grassy area because it’s stupid that they haven’t followed customer behavior and just put one in, already.

OP, this reminds me of the Shopping Cart Theory - a concept suggesting that returning a grocery cart to a designated corral evaluates moral character. Because returning the cart yields no reward and skipping it carries no punishment, this voluntary act measures a person's civic duty, empathy, and personal discipline.

Here's the AI overview:
Unsupervised Integrity: It tests whether an individual will do the right thing simply because it is correct, rather than to avoid penalties

Empathy: It shows consideration for store employees and fellow shoppers who rely on clear parking spots and orderly cart returns

Ownership vs. Entitlement: Leaving a cart in a parking space demonstrates entitlement (the expectation that someone else will handle it), while returning it demonstrates ownership of responsibilities

Anonymous wrote:I would’ve done what you did, OP. You don’t know if a bus or another vehicle authorized to use that area could show up when you’re there. What if another grade is returning from a field trip by bus at that time? What if a school maintenance van showed up right then to fix an issue at school? I used to work at a school and these vehicles are coming and going all the time. No parent will know the whole schedule. The dad who parked there got lucky.

About holding the door…I’d hold the door if I knew the person was another parent. If I didn’t know who they were, I wouldn’t.

By the same extreme and rigid logic, PP, how do you know the parents aren’t divorced and in some custody battle, and the dad that you recognized isn’t even authorized to pick up the kids anymore.

Anonymous wrote:You should park wherever you want. Rules are for suckers. The fire lanes are *rarely* used for their intended purpose, so parking there is fine.

I realize you are just trolling because you must be bored on a Saturday morning and this is your entertainment. That said, I used to live in a complex that had a contract with a towing company. If a car was illegally parked the tow truck could tow the car. Complex paid nothing for this service, but tow company got paid for every car they towed by the car owner. Incentive to tow quickly. It did solver the problem of cars parking in red zones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s called being a man OP. and yes, women could do with a little more of it.

I’m a woman and I’ve done what that guy did. Agree with pp, it’s common sense.

Do you also park in red curb fire lanes because you're just going to be a minute?

DP. If there's a fire, I will be using my vehicle to flee the scene. Makes sense to have it close by. That's common sense.

I would’ve done what you did, OP. You don’t know if a bus or another vehicle authorized to use that area could show up when you’re there. What if another grade is returning from a field trip by bus at that time? What if a school maintenance van showed up right then to fix an issue at school? I used to work at a school and these vehicles are coming and going all the time. No parent will know the whole schedule. The dad who parked there got lucky.

About holding the door…I’d hold the door if I knew the person was another parent. If I didn’t know who they were, I wouldn’t.

You should park wherever you want. Rules are for suckers. The fire lanes are *rarely* used for their intended purpose, so parking there is fine.

You are exhausting.