How Worked Up Do You Get Over People Parking Poorly?

Unlike regular people, I rarely buy groceries for a week, much to the dismay of my wife. No, I’m more of a “go to Kroger every day to get two things” kind of guy, and not just because I enjoy the car spotting or that I’m hoping to catch a fresh Hot Wheels restock. Most recently, I was popping in daily to see if Good & Plenty was back in the candy aisle. It was out for like a week.

The thing about Good & Plenty is … no, wait, I’m getting off track. As a frequent flyer at Kroger (and Walmart and Home Depot, typically), I get to enjoy a wide variety of parking spaces and observe the parking skills of others.

Like you, I try to be a respectful parker. I take care not to overlap into the spot across from me, I make sure there’s sufficient door-opening space for whoever will climb into the car to my right, and if only because not doing so would bug me, I do my very best to make sure my car is perfectly parallel with the lines. Surely something bad will happen if I’m not parallel. And of course, I don’t park in handicapped spaces or pregnant-lady spaces and the like, as long as they seem reasonable. If I’m in a super hurry, I may take the Employee Of The Month’s space, because I think someone of EOTM temperament would surely be looking out for me, the customer.

Some people, however, just can’t seem to park well. Maybe they lack the skill, or they don’t care that much, or maybe they were just trying to get out of their car, into the store, and safely to the restroom as quickly as possible – in which case, Godspeed. No matter the reason, crummy parking doesn’t bother me much. My maximum response is an eye-roll, perhaps? A bemused head-shake?

Some people, on the other hand, go crazy. Over the line a little? Rear end sticking out a bit too much? Up goes a photo and accompanying screed on Facebook. Maybe an outraged TikTok or Reel is uploaded right there from the cart corral. There’s one guy Instagram’s algorithm keeps foisting on me who keeps an array of dickish stickers in his car so he can shame poor parkers, roasting them contemptuously as the deleterious decal is applied. Gee whiz, lighten up.

… Or don’t? Should I be getting angrier? I certainly don’t love it when someone else’s bad parking makes it all but impossible for me to get into my car. And when some knob parks his car diagonally across two spots to “protect” it (and in an active part of the lot, not the outskirts, mind you), for sure: screw that guy. But the rest? Life is short, and I don’t know their story.

You tell us: How Worked Up Do You Get Over People Parking Poorly?

Top graphic: depositphotos.com