To not want to be rushed out of a car park?

[MsMarvel]

Travel around for work, so regularly use public car parks to then work at client sites (hotels, bars etc) always arrive early so never have any issue getting spaces in busy car parks.

Because i work in a public area at a client site, when i get back to my car like to grab my lunch quickly and make some phonecalls before heading home (todays journey is a 2 hour drive home)

Im fed up of people trying to find spaces in car parks seeing me going into my car, amd sitting behind me waiting for me to leave! I normally end up feeling rushed and just leave, but today i decided to sit and eat the steak bake i bought on the way to the car. Woman sits behind me for like 5 mins, then goes past slowly peering into my car giving me proper evils. Should add, engine not on, so not sitting with idling engine.

Aibu to take some time before leaving a parking space??

Its exactly like that, its a public facility, a place to leave your car when you have to go and do something else. Again just common decency to vacate a space if there is someone waiting for a space you no longer need.

But OP does need the space. Where in any car park's terms and conditions say that you can only use it while you go and do something else?

@Thestrangestthing, your attitude seems to be coloured by the perception that, because people seeing you going back to your car may think that you're about to leave, therefore you must leave. However, if people think that, they are at best naive and probably need to learn a thing or two about real life. People may go back to their car without driving it away for all sorts of reasons - e.g. because they've forgotten something, they're putting shopping away, they've come to fetch something they need, because they have to wait for someone else - or because they just don't want to leave yet. Anyone with any sense realises that and doesn't get all worked up just because other people don't make way for them instantly.

I said people shouldn't sit in their car in the car park eating their lunch, when someone is driving around trying to find a space because the car park is full.

But you come back to the fact that that person will still be driving around whether OP is in her car or not. The only difference is that their hopes rose for a moment or two on seeing her in the car and were then dashed. For the rest of us, that really is no big deal, and in no way means the OP must let her steak bake go cold and interrupt her work in the vague hope that she might find somewhere else to park.

@JassyRadlett OK, if you think you can read fine, I can only assume its your comprehension skills that aren't great. As I said. Sitting In your car in a busy car park with people waiting for spaces, NOT OK. Parking in a car park and LEAVING the car, as in you are NOT IN the car but have left the car there to go and do what it is you came for, fine. If you come back to your car and there are people driving around waiting for spaces and you get in the drivers seat, the reasonable thing for them to think, is that you are going to drive away, hense why they will wait for your space. To then not leave the space, sit and eat your lunch is rude imo. Now please stop directing silly posts at me, you clearly have no clue what you are talking about and it's getting boring.

Once again, for your benifit, eat lunch wherever you like, but not the drivers seat of your car, because it is very likely that someone will assume you are leaving if they are waiting for a space.
Fuck me 🤯

You can literally walk from Greggs to the trampoline park. Why on Earth would you move your car from one car park side to the other? No wonder the roads round there are always such a mess. "Considerate" people circling all round the car parks

I digress slightly but near where I live is a retail park with several units and then a B&Q next door. You can easily walk from the retail park to B&Q in 30 seconds. But if you leave your car in the retail park and go to B&Q you will get a ticket. So you have to move your car. Great for the environment!

your attitude seems to be coloured by the perception that, because people seeing you going back to your car may think that you're about to leave, therefore you must leave.

Again, I just think it would be nice if someone is waiting for a space and you are only using it to sit and eat a steak bake, you could easily leave the space and let them park. Also what you have written doesn't actually make sense. My attitude isn't coloured buy any perception. I do not think I Must leave, I thinn it would be nice of me to give up the space, that's why I have done it before.

What if a driver gets to their destination early, so sits in the car for a bit, and checks their phone / eats a snack / reads a book / whatever?

And ignores the other drivers looking for a space in the busy car park for fear that they’d not be able to park again in the near future when they need to get out of the car to go to where they’re going?

Is that as equally terrible as someone returning to their car and eating a steak bake (or whatever) before leaving?

But you come back to the fact that that person will still be driving around whether OP is in her car or not. The only difference is that their hopes rose for a moment or two on seeing her in the car and were then dashed.

Yes, so I would just leave the space and let someone else have it. Its crap driving around with a screaming baby in the car looking for a space, or a toddler who is bursting for the toilet, or just needing the toilet yourself, or being late for an appointment, etc. Therefor I don't presume that my want to eat a steak bake in the car park trumps the needs of someone else still driving around looking for a space, so I would just vacate the space and let them have it 🤷‍♀️ I don't know why people are getting so tied up in knots about that, or why people seem to be so angry that I would do that, or that I think it would be better if other people did that. I'm not going to petition to have a law passed on the matter, so you can all untie your knickers 😂

What if a driver gets to their destination early, so sits in the car for a bit, and checks their phone / eats a snack / reads a book / whatever?

Yup just as bad, just get out the car and head wherever you were going. It's the same thing so I'm not sure why you feel the need to ask.

The OP should be able to be in the car for as long as she wants.

But, if anyone saw you approaching, then you should signal you're not leaving soon. And if they look when they see you in you can simply sign a no.
When I'm in their shoes I just want to know if it's worth waiting or if I should keep looking.

Evil eyes or whatever may just be your sense of guilt kicking in. In this case, ignore it.

Its crap driving around with a screaming baby in the car looking for a space, or a toddler who is bursting for the toilet, or just needing the toilet yourself, or being late for an appointment, etc. Therefor I don't presume that my want to eat a steak bake in the car park trumps the needs of someone else still driving around looking for a space, so I would just vacate the space and let them have it

This is staggeringly illogical. By that token, your want to have lunch before you go back to your car doesn't trump the needs of the person with a screaming baby driving around looking for a space, you should just starve and leave as soon as possible. Indeed, arguably your wish to do your shopping doesn't trump those needs, you should stay at home and make sure you do your shopping online so you don't use any spaces at all.

I did wonder why there were 70% votes YANBU and most posts were YABU.

Upon closer inspection it was all due to one entitled pp.

Morning all!

Just thought I'd let strangest things know that the dog and I are off out. Today I shall see the inside of 4 lovely houses, park in 2 car parks to eat lunch and send reports, park in 3 roads specifically to get out and walk the dog and then come home again. To park in one of the very few free parking spaces in the town where I live. To do nothing other than spend the night at home, ignoring people who might want that space to do something else

Upon closer inspection it was all due to one entitled pp.

Doesn't work like that you can only vote once

@Thestrangestthing But if someone chose to eat their steak bake in Greggs rather than taking it out to eat in their car you still wouldn't get the space.It makes no difference.

I used to work as a sales rep and spent hours in random carparks making calls, updating notes, eating lunch and sometimes even having a little snooze. I never had any qualms about doing this. I always felt it was safer than parking in side streets or random lay-bys.

Also I would love to know why me moving out a space to give it to someone else makes me entitles. Fucking hell the world has gone mad 😂

Oh god, this thread is deliciously bonkers!
@Thestrangestthing, you are indeed comedy gold . Posting about entitlement, selfishness and rudeness whilst displaying all the self awareness of a sponge.
You come across like David Brent.

This thread is hilarious.

Anything parking related on MN makes people so cross. 😂

😂😂😂 OK then. Moving for people when I don't need a space is entitled.

According to google there are only 3 trampoline parks in the West of Scotland. Only one of them is located next to a car park and a proximate Greggs which also has a car park.

I am similarly lacking in more useful diversions for the day while the rain drips incessantly but have teens who frequent trampoline parks so felt the need to check. I am however boycotting Greggs because they refuse to continue to sell macaroni pies.

The person in the space has paid for it. They have the right to stay there and do whatever they want. I’m really surprised that some people (cough @Thestrangestthing) seem to think that a more reasonable thing to do is to is move immediately when you return to your car, no matter what your emotional state or plans are.

It would often be safer to stay in a car park space than randomly on the side of a road to do calls / eat steak bakes whatever so staying in the car park is the better option.

If you’re crying (and I really can’t believe you suggested moving on in this situation) the safest thing to do is to gather yourself until you are safe to drive.

Some people have had more jail time added to sentences after car accidents because their emotional state was an aggravating factor. You really think that risking people’s lives by driving away crying is better than being ‘selfish’ because someone thinks your space is about to become available?

howabout

I said I stopped at a greggs on the way to the trampoline park. It is approximately 4 miles away from the trampoline park on the motorway. If you are actually sitting googling greggs next to trampoline parks, I think you may have become even more invested in this than me. The greggs was not right next to the trampoline park. I wouldn't like to give out exact locations.

I definitely wouldn't drive 4 miles between buying my Greggs and sitting in my car to eat it no matter how much someone else wanted my parking space.

This thread is fascinating.
My comment was when I went to the local town and managed to get a parking space in the centre of town. Paid for 4 hours as had a fair bit to do.

Went to butcher as had half a lamb on order. Went back to car to dump lamb in cold boxes. Closed door and went to walk away and a car honked at me. I ignored it but then was accosted by a lady who proceeds to telle it is illegal to drop shopping and not drive away. WTAF!

She was very upset

Glad we have established that you don't have a clue where I'm talking about though.

Anyway this has been fun, but I can't keep explaining what I mean it's getting tedious and I have other things to do today.

@Penners99, was it in the west of Scotland by any chance?