Odd behavior of parking vultures

[draggar]

I normally walk down one row when my car is in one (or two, three) row away and when I get to it I walk across the rows.

You NEVER know when someone is going to jump out and carjack you when you get your car open.

Kudos to the OP for going to Starbucks afterwards. They aren't entitled to the spot if you're in it.

[blas87]

It's hard to explain....it's been a while and I'm not nearly as jumpy or paranoid as I was before, but I do get that feeling sometime when the same vehicle follows me for miles and miles or people seem to be following me around stores.

The way I see it, you should still be able to live your life and not always be afraid. The natural urge may be to just take off and run away, but then again, I also am quite an evil bitch and I'm not always willing to give people what they want. That part of me has always been there, and I think some of that hell most of it comes from my stubborness and my....inability to put up with people sometimes. I don't think I'm alone in this, but I get really really frustrated when people are lazy or seem to be acting stupid.

I wasn't the type of girl when being stalked who would run off or hide if I thought the guy was around. I wouldn't be dumb about it and be alone or walk in alleys alone, but I wouldn't let him keep me from my favorite places to go or go about living my daily life. I still went out to the bars and I still went shopping or did whatever I wanted.

[kibbles]

And you can bet your ass that I'm the type of person who gets creeped out by being followed, and will do whatever I can to annoy the living hell out of that person and hope that they just give up and leave me alone.

And if the person is just patiently waiting and not being a jerk about it, then what you are doing is just plain spiteful IMO if you are doing it just to annoy. I understand being creeped out and doing it out of fear; but, purposely annoying a person just for the fun of it not nice at all. JMO of course.

[protege]

I agree that this behavior is childish and immature unless it's done to someone waiting who is giving the person dirty looks, looking impatient, or not giving the person room to even get out.

I actually had someone start blasting their horn because I wasn't moving "fast enough" for them. Never mind that I'd *just* entered the car, and haven't even turned the key yet. Sorry, but if they can't wait an extra 30 seconds for me to put on my seat belt and start the car...they can go fuck themselves. If you're in that big of a hurry, tough shit. These are *exactly* the type of people that deserve to be messed with. I will sit in the car to piss you off. I will read the magazine/book I just bought, etc. Don't like it? Then don't act like an asshole.

Even better are the ones who claim "you're in the car, you *have* to leave." Again, sorry asshole, I don't have to do shit. There's no law stating that. How do you know that I'm not waiting for someone...or that my car hasn't died on me?

I don't mind people who patiently wait for me to leave. Those folks are not who the above mini-rant is about. Again, no problem with them.

[kibbles]

That person protege deserves you sitting in the car for 10 minutes, then leaving to go back to the store LOL!!! I don't mind someone patiently waiting; but, I am constantly amazed by the nerve of some people.

I totally agree with you that that person deserved to be messed with.

[DrFaroohk]

I would get annoyed if someone was just sitting there for hours on end waiting for me to pull out and making me feel hurried, but me sitting there like a douchebag to piss them off just makes the problem worse.

Reminds me of my friend Crazy Mike. If he sees someone parked in a handicapped space, he'll park right behind them and block them in. The parking lot traffic is then disrupted and he's wound up causing a big scene over it. Sometimes police get involved.

The only time I wait for a space if if A) space is extremely limited and B) I can see that they are actually ready to pull out and not just sitting there jerking off.

[jackfaire]

I will wait for someone to pull out if the parking lot is full and in my area it does happen. There are some parking lots that take 15 to 20 minutes just to find a spot.

[blas87]

I find something extremely wrong with people who go out of their way to find a person leaving a store, and to FOLLOW them to their parking spot, park it and wait for them to leave.

In those minutes, you could have parked a little further down and already been in the store already!

I sympathize with people about weather. I detest the cold and snow, and I don't like rain much either. But newsflash: Everyone has to deal with it. You aren't special. We all have to walk in it and deal with it and we are all going through it.

If you have a genuine health problem and need to park closer, go to your doctor and get a handicapped tag. If medical issues are your reasoning for stalking people in parking lots and waiting for them to leave, don't get upset with people for getting upset with you for following them or waiting for them because you won't get help or find a different spot. I'm just going to assume you're a lazy piece of shit that can't wait 5 minutes or find another spot.

[Greenday]

I'm just going to assume you're a lazy piece of shit that can't wait 5 minutes or find another spot.

How does the inability to find a spot in a packed parking lot mean laziness?

[blas87]

It's laziness (or moreso in my mind, having no concept of personal boundaries) to pick out a person and follow them for however long it takes to walk to their car, get in, and get the car out. Like I said before, I rarely get the good spots, so someone following me would more than likely be following me almost all the way down to the end, because they don't want to keep looking or just settle for a spot further down.

[AdminAssistant]

The only time I'll "vulture" someone is on campus. My university oversells parking permits by 50%, so damn straight I'll follow someone when the alternative is....not parking and being late for class. Luckily, I finally got my garage permit, so there's a guaranteed spot for me now!

[lupo pazzesco]

I can't stand parking lot vultures, either. and I don't mean people who are scavenging for a spot in a jam packed lot. I can understand that, but there's looking for a spot, and there's being a complete and utter asshole while looking for one. Example: My mom and I went to the mall last Tuesday. Three days before Christmas. The lot was understandably full. We circled around, and kept an eye out for shoppers loading up their car, and looking like they were going to leave, if they were in the same aisle as us. It took a good 15-20 minutes to find a spot anywhere, because even the far out yonder was full up.

In the course of searching for a spot, we were driving down an aisle, and saw a family with a stroller start to load their car, and take the baby out to put in a car seat. Another car was coming down the opposite diretion of the aisle, happened to glance in his rearview and proceeded to throw his car into reverse, cut us off and nearly hit the stroller, just to hover and wait for that spot. He also blocked off the entire aisle, to the point that we barely made it around him, and this was no easy feat (we were driving a Hyundai Pilot - a fair sized SUV)

We also witnessed people put their blinkers on, and park in the middle of a 2 way aisle, to ensure no one could sneak in and steal "their" spot.

That said, I don't mind people following us, if they make it known. When mom and I left the mall, a woman in an SUV about the same as ours actually stopped and let us cross, which was surprising, since we'd seen many people nearly run over in the quest for a parking spot. She stopped and asked if we were parked nearby, and we said we were just in the next row, and our vehicle was the same size, so she could follow us and have our spot. We load up, and this zippy little piece of shit sedan pulled up, squeezing between the nice lady and row of cars, with two women, who rolled down their window, and point blank told us "Hey, we're taking your spot, ok?" I pointed to the woman in the SUV behind her, and said she had followed us to take it. And the following conversation ensued

Her: Well, you can't just GIVE the spot away!
Me: Well, ma'am, she's in position to take it and was here first, you cut her off.
Her: <smugly> Nothing you can do if we just sit here and take it when you're gone.
Mom: You'll be waiting a while, you haven't given us any room to pull out!
Her: You can make it! Move already!!
Me: Mom? Permission to be a bitch?
Mom: I'm tired and want to go home. Go for it.
Me: Move your ass, lady, or your car's going to be totaled! You have a shitty little sedan. We have an SUV. Who do you think is going to WIN this contest?
Her: Fuck you, whore! You hit me, it's YOUR fault for backing out and not watching where you're going and rabblerabblerabblerabblerabble (I kind of stopped listening at that point, and was humming while I took out my cell phone and started snapping pictures)
Her: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?!?!
Me: Documenting the unsafe distance you've maintained between the cars, and that woman's vehicle, the unnaturally close distance you are to OUR bumper, and your shitty driving in general. If we do hit you, I'm sure the police and insurance companies would love evidence that it is, in fact, your fault, and not my mom's.
Her: Look, just get in your car and MOVE!
Me: We CAN'T! You gave us NO ROOM! Our car is BIGGER than yours. We have no SPACE to move, and in the time you've been sitting her pissing and moaning, you could've found another fucking spot. Now move your ASS, or no one is going anywhere!
Her: You can't sit here all night!
Me: Wanna bet...? <Smiles sweetly>

I climb into the car at this point because it's cold and windy, and I wanted to get warm. We don't even start the engine, we just sit. She lasted all of 30 seconds before she laid on her horn and held it on while driving away. Oh yeah. She told us.

I tried to be nice, and point out she had blocked us in, but she wanted her precious precious parking spot, and hovered, giving us no room to manuever. In this instance, I think she deserved what I gave her, plus mom gave me permission.

Sorry for the long ramblnig...I'm going to shut up now.

[DesignFox]

The only time I will excuse parking vulture behavior is when the lot is crammed full. Sometimes, you have no choice in the matter. So, circling, following or waiting is your only option if you want to get a space.

I do NOT excuse vulture behavior when the lot is half empty. I take extreme joy in parking my car 2 spaces away from the damn vulture and being in and out of the store before they've even parked. (have seriously had that happen) Or, the numerous times I've been parked one row over and CLOSER to the store than the asshole waiting and tying up traffic. Seriously, I don't care what the weather is like, if the lot is mostly empty and you are vulturing a spot near the door, you are fucking lazy. If you have a disorder, get the appropriate tags.

And I LOVE twiddling my thumbs and fucking with all my mirrors or sending off a text or two when someone is sitting behind me. (again, if the lot is FULL I won't mess with someone, afterall, the only way they are parking is when someone vacates!)

Regardless, if you're going to wait for a spot, don't be a jackass about it. If you're blocking traffic, "stealing" a spot someone else was waiting for first or running people over...well, you deserve whatever anyone else throws at you.

[MergedLoki]

at least the parking vultures are trying to get a spot! How many of you guys have pulled into a mall or plaza or something and there's a car or whatever parked RIGHT against the curb about 5 ft from teh door of the store.

Not in a spot or anything just 'well i couldn't be bothered to even FIND a spot in this parking space filled lot so i'll just pull up to the door and leave my car here because i'm just THAT DAMN IMPORTANT'

quick edit: read ur long ass post Lupo. you rock

[Shangri-laschild]

If you have a genuine health problem and need to park closer, go to your doctor and get a handicapped tag. If medical issues are your reasoning for stalking people in parking lots and waiting for them to leave, don't get upset with people for getting upset with you for following them or waiting for them because you won't get help or find a different spot. I'm just going to assume you're a lazy piece of shit that can't wait 5 minutes or find another spot.

My knees sometimes act up. There's nothing wrong with them enough for me to need a handicap tag, but sometimes the extra walking does suck. Not everyone who has problems walking has a big enough problem to get a tag, but parking up close can make just a little bit of difference.