Wake up- it’s never about someone having a problem, it’s always about them being a total inconsiderate pig-fucker. (sarcasm there)
I’m a parking lot stalker. There. I’ve confessed. I had no idea it was so annoying- I think maybe next time I’ll add honking the horn and looking at my watch to my regular routine. By the anger I see in here over what seems like a pretty smallish issue, I’m guessing I could induce a stroke or two!
Do not misconstrue what I have said. Trust me, I had the privilege of dealing with people who are holier than you and I and demand the parking spot sight-on-seen. Possessive, to the point of obsession. “It’s my spot and no one else is entitled to it.” I have seen people fly across parking lots, against the lines, nearly running over people to get to a “perfect spot”. I’m just pointing out that some people may depend on that prime spot. That’s all. I’m not angry about it, I’m just voicing my opinion and if you’d like to know what really makes me angry I’d be happy to tell you. 
Damn right I don’t owe these “parking vultures” (finally, a term for them) jack. It’s my prerogative to be an asshole if I so choose, even though in this case I was not being all that cruel.
It has happened to me before that people wait for my parking spot, and it annoys me a little, but I leave and they get the spot. This incident, however, opened my eyes to a new aspect of the issue. Not only are these vultures being pesky, they have a lot of gall to be so presumptuous. Presumption is hasty, ignorant and often illogical. From now on, if I’m not in a hurry, I may very well follow some of your suggestions to “forget” something and go back into the store, just to teach them that lesson.
Also, I was smart enough to get there early in the morning when there was a lot of parking, and now I can stay parked there as long as I want. Survival of the fittest, and whatnot.
im2evil4u did bring up a good point about disabled people needing to park close. If I knew that was the case, I would have been more compassionate, however I can’t lead my life being constantly on the look out for people like this.I am sorry for these people but I have my own agenda when in a public place dealing with strangers whom I know nothing about.
Amen, brother. (Heh… and I thought I made that up! Ah, well…! :D)
No offense, just curious -now that this has become a full blown case of those damned “parking vultures” this may be redundant - I agree with the vulture bit but…
How would you have known this “was the case”, unless you actually spoke to the person waiting?
You had an agenda. Going for a walk for a few hours. Did you consider putting your car in a less desirable location? For goodness sakes man, you planned to walk for a “few hours” anyway, couldn’t you have walked an extra minute more to your car on the other side of the lot. 
That’s all I have to say
I wouldn’t know that was the case, and that’s why I can’t bother worrying about every stranger’s personal needs when I’m trying to take care of myself.
My car was not in a super-desirable location. This is a big, open parking lot with plenty of room if you just look. And I was not parked “right” in front of the store as in against the curb and five steps away. It was a couple of rows back. It wasn’t one of those places where there is room for like ten cars and it’s always full. Aside from the fact that these places usually have tow-away signs for people planning to stay there, I would not have been that inconsiderate. As it was, though, I didn’t even think of moving my car to a more remote location. It would have struck me as ludicrous.
Sheesh, no one is asking you for money, or to save their life. How hard is it to just wave someone on?
Sorry, im2evil4u, it seems that sundogcan’t:
I’ve seen people wait for close parking spaces when there are lots around the second row, but to be an asshole on purpose to these vultures seems an odd waste of time. I’ll even venture to say that they aren’t going to “learn” a lesson, they’ll probably do it the next day and the next and so on…you’re probably only wasting your own time.
I guess, it’s up to you, but when I get to my car I just want to either: leave, or drop off stuff…and it isn’t that hard to wave someone on.
If you profess to not care about what you do or do not “owe” them, then why would you even care enough to try and “teach” them a lesson?
Lesson learned? Do not shop where sundog shops.
At Christmas time, I am the proverbial parking lot vulture. I will sit there waiting until they’ve unloaded the cart, painted their car, re-striped the entire asphalt and waited on a celebrity to rename the mall, complete with ribbon cutting.
That space is mine.
Any other time, eh. I’ll wait a minute or less, then drive down two more spaces and park there while they make sure the receipt is correct and figure out who owes who twenty four cents. I’m lazy, but not that lazy.
Nobody owes me their parking spot, but when I’m the one haggling over the cost of an Icee, I don’t owe them my parking spot, either.
I think we are both safe…although I usually park where ever.
The closer, I am, I think: Great! It’s close!
The farther I am, I think: Great! Some more exercise!
Isn’t the phrase “…unseen” not “…on seen” ?
I’m surprised that everybody’s been using the same “vulture” term I thought I’d come up with all by myself years ago. And here I thought I was witty and original.
At my university you can’t park at all between 10 AM and 3 PM without vulturing, but there always seems to be an informal rule about it - queues of cars form up at the pedestrian access points and wait their turns. Hardly anyone honks. Common exchange:
Driver: Excuse me, are you leaving?
Walker: Yeah. ::points off towards car::
Vulturing proceeds.
If the driver’s in a hurry, s/he may ask if they can give the walker a lift to the car. Personally, I feel that If they don’t at least ask before following me, I’m at carte blanche to walk across the rows, over medians, and periodically stop, look around as if lost then head off in the previous direction for a while.
Also common:
Driver: Excuse me, are you leaving?
Walker: Nope. (or simply waves hands to indicate “no”)
Driver: Dang.
I suppose it’s different at other places where these kind of informal rules don’t exist. But you’re under no obligation to leave at all just because you’re heading out to the car, but at least indicate that you’re not leaving (though in your defense watching somebody change their shorts in their car ought to be more than enough of a clue).
Hmm, I think I’ll wake up really early tomorrow morning and set up a whole bunch of cones in most of the parking spaces in some random parking lot. Of course, I’ll save myself a really nice one right in front.
Another fun thing I’ll have to do to these “parking vultures:” I’ll come out of the store during peak hours and wander around until one of these stationary vermin begin to follow me. Suddenly, I’ll get very excited, take out my keys and try to open the door, only to realize that it’s not my car. I’ll then try some other cars in the immediate vicinity. By that time, they’ll get the message.
I deal with the parking vultures at my university during the first couple of weeks of both semesters. This past January, it took me 45 minutes to find a space on the first day of classes.
Usually what happens is what Brahesaid; drivers either yell to pedestrians to ask whether they’re leaving, sometimes saying something to the effect of, “If I give you a ride, can I get your space?”. Yes, it’s that bad; people will let total strangers into their cars in order to gain anyspot.
(It’s better than getting into a brawl over a space, as I heard two women did last semester. I have no proof as to the veracity of the story I was told, but let’s just say I wouldn’t be shocked if I were to find out it was true.)
Delete the “either” from my post. It’s bedtime.
After thirty years on Earth, and 13 years of driving, it finally occurred to me one day:
Damn!
What occurred to me was this:
PARK BY THE CART CORRAL. That way when you come out, you don’t have to go halfway across the lot to put your cart back.
Of course, this only applies if (a) you’re going to use a cart, and (b) you drive a 1989 Isuzu pickup and don’t give a rat’s ass if someone nails it with a cart.
Oh yeah, on that last point, park uphill of it if you can.
My problem with the vultures is I’ve been blocked in and unable to leave my spot because someone was waiting for a spot a few spaces closer. As a result, for a few years, I also had a bit of an attitude toward such people. There was one evening at the local shopping mall after a hard day when a woman actually backed up to wait for my space. I shook my head, then got out a good thick book and started reading it. She got the hint. My was medium-good in absolute terms – 2 or three spaces down, midway between entrances.
I have mellowed since then.
CJ
Since I have a big truck, I tend to park farther away and I don’t have the problem too often. But when it does happen, if the person is holding up traffic behind them, I wait and force them to go on. I don’t give rude people courtesy. It only encourages them.
In a full parking lot (around here, at Christmastime, they have to use people to direct traffic in the parking lots, they’re so full), I’m more easygoing about it.
I call them “stalkers,” not “vultures.” But either way, I hate them. I hate being followed by a vehicle when I’m on foot…it IS really ominous.
Even at Christmas time, when our mall parking lot is totally ridiculously full, I try not to stalk. Instead, I’ll do a sort of long-range stalking–idle in one row (but move along if a car comes up behind) and keep an eye open for people walking toward their car, then zip over as soon as they’re pulling out. It’s not always successful, due to actual short-range stalkers but I feel much better about it.