Shopping cart rant

[hollohas]

Way too damn many people believe their vehicle is only a tool to be used and abused. A lot of people believe they are traded off every couple years so why worry about it. Back in about 1962, I had a brand new shiny VW bug. Parked in a lot that can accommodate about 3 or 4,000 vehicles. I was one of the first to park in that lot one fine Monday morning. Some shit head parked right next to me and opened his door right into mine knocking a nice dent into my passenger door. Waited until he was out of sight and I then smacked his drivers side door with my heel. No black mark but did leave a huge dent in his door. Of course I promptly moved to another location in that lot. I always park in the far end of the parking lots just to avoid having carts banging into my vehicles and those fat assess neglecting to watch where their doors are swinging. Last week, I watched a nice NEW shiny red Hummer pull into the WalMart parking lot. The passenger opened her door quickly and really smacked the door into the cart corral. Neither driver or passenger paid any attention to the dent in their door. Another thing that really pisses me off is the folks that buy their Walmart goods only to remove them from the plastic bag and place their groceries loose in their vehicle trunk. Then they let their empty plastic bag go floating in the wind only to get into someone elses property. Too many people have no regard for the shitty things they are doing. There, now I feel better!!

I have a '65 bug in my garage. It is my everlasting project.

You're right though, people don't even care about their own things so why should I expect them to care about mine...

[Irving]

I've kicked cars that I believed had dented my car before, and I've always had shitty cars. I've also picked trash up off the ground that clearly came from the car parked there (they opened the door and just dumped trash in the lot), on their wind shield.

The other day at a King Soopers I heard a CRUNCH as a car drove into a cart. I looked up to see the car rolling very far across the lot. I ran out to catch the cart before it hit another car. The person in the car stopped their car long enough to see the cart stop by itself (almost a block away), then drove away.

I once had a claim where a lady was sitting inside her parked Honda S2000 in a parking lot. She watched a lady let her cart go and not even make an effort to stop the cart. The lady in the S2000 panicked, started her car and tried to quickly move out of the way. Instead of trying to responsibly back out of her space, she dropped her clutch in first and smashed into the parking block.....then the car hit the car anyway. The lady got out of her car, called the police on the lady that let the cart go. The police officer showed up and (WRONGLY) told the owner of the S2000 that she had no recourse against the lady who negligently pushed the cart into the car, because the cart pusher wasn't in a vehicle herself. Not only did the officer give wrong information, but he stood between the two ladies, and waited until the first lady left, completely preventing the Honda owner from obtaining information to pursue the claim.

I'm sure I sounded like a dumb asshole, but I was so fired up that I called the police station trying to get a hold of the officer to ask him what the hell he was thinking.



EDIT: I get super pissed when I see someone parked at the back of the lot, ONLY when they are still parked across more than one spot. I'd park right next to a car like that.

[gnihcraes]

At the WalMart I go to, there are at least 2 in every 150ft of parking row, on ever aisle...

I'll remember to check the super walmart over here, but don't recall that many. I'd also rather just dump the cart than get ran over walking through the lot to return a stupid cart. or mugged by some nut job wandering the lot looking for easy targets.

[hollohas]

I've kicked cars that I believed had dented my car before, and I've always had shitty cars. I've also picked trash up off the ground that clearly came from the car parked there (they opened the door and just dumped trash in the lot), on their wind shield.

The other day at a King Soopers I heard a CRUNCH as a car drove into a cart. I looked up to see the car rolling very far across the lot. I ran out to catch the cart before it hit another car. The person in the car stopped their car long enough to see the cart stop by itself (almost a block away), then drove away.

I once had a claim where a lady was sitting inside her parked Honda S2000 in a parking lot. She watched a lady let her cart go and not even make an effort to stop the cart. The lady in the S2000 panicked, started her car and tried to quickly move out of the way. Instead of trying to responsibly back out of her space, she dropped her clutch in first and smashed into the parking block.....then the car hit the car anyway. The lady got out of her car, called the police on the lady that let the cart go. The police officer showed up and (WRONGLY) told the owner of the S2000 that she had no recourse against the lady who negligently pushed the cart into the car, because the cart pusher wasn't in a vehicle herself. Not only did the officer give wrong information, but he stood between the two ladies, and waited until the first lady left, completely preventing the Honda owner from obtaining information to pursue the claim.

I'm sure I sounded like a dumb asshole, but I was so fired up that I called the police station trying to get a hold of the officer to ask him what the hell he was thinking.



EDIT: I get super pissed when I see someone parked at the back of the lot, ONLY when they are still parked across more than one spot. I'd park right next to a car like that.

Ah, Mr. Police officer, so you're saying that if she were to throw a rock at my car and break my windshield then I would have no recourse because she wasn't in her car when she did it???? What a dumb ass. Hope that lady filed a complaint.

I never park in two spots. I get pissed when people do that too. In fact, I have a little OCD when I park. Must be straight and perfectly centered...

[hollohas]

...mugged by some nut job wandering the lot looking for easy targets.

Are you saying you're an easy target? One of our members get mugged!?!?!? Never!

[theGinsue]

I've kicked cars that I believed had dented my car before, and I've always had shitty cars.

EDIT: I get super pissed when I see someone parked at the back of the lot, ONLY when they are still parked across more than one spot. I'd park right next to a car like that.

Really gotta watch the kicking of other peoples cars these days with cameras everywhere (MANY places have cameras covering parking lots). If your luck is like mine, those same cameras would never be allowed to help *you*, BUT they'd sure at heck be used *against* you.

I'll often park my truck in 2 spots at the back of the lot - one spot in front of the other. The spots seem to be getting smaller and my truck is too long to park in just one spot without sticking WAY out into the driving aisle - making it a perfect target for the outstanding drivers CO seems to have these days.

As often as I can, when I shop @ Wally World I'll park over on the end of the store by the entrance into the auto service/products. Very few people park over there and few folks know that you can check out most of your stuff at the auto register (they don't have a scale for weighable food products). I can usually get in, get my stuff, and get out without all of the effort of circling the parking lot like a vulture to find a spot to park in and without waiting in the long lines at the other registers (I refuse to use the self check-out registers - they suck).

[Byte Stryke]

So I have a question for the LEOs:

Should I Witness someone intentionally or through negligence damage my motor vehicle on private property/Parking lot, Is it worth it to request an Officer if the person refuses to give Insurance information? Is it good just to get a report?


Last time I responded with the "Byte Stryke" © Method, I got a suspended sentence with time served and had to pay for the repairs to the truck myself.

not a good alternative.
I am just gettin' too old for that shit anymore.

[Irving]

It was a long time ago that I kicked that car. I wouldn't do that now unless I saw the person because there is no way for me to know for sure if the car parked there when *I* got back, was the same car that dented my car.

Byte Stryke, the police may or may not come. In some states, like California, the police won't come to any traffic accident unless there are injuries. You stand a better chance of getting police response here in Colorado. Plus, if you call your insurance company and file a claim (with the intent that they fix your car, then pursue the guilty/negligent party for damages *and your deductible*), it's going to look a lot better for you if you can get an officer to show up and use some verbal judo to get some sort of response from guilty party and piece together a write up. It's kind of a tall order though.

That response deals specifically with insurance, because that is what I know. I can't answer your question if you're just talking about taking someone to court or something.

[Byte Stryke]

It was a long time ago that I kicked that car. I wouldn't do that now unless I saw the person because there is no way for me to know for sure if the car parked there when *I* got back, was the same car that dented my car.

Byte Stryke, the police may or may not come. In some states, like California, the police won't come to any traffic accident unless there are injuries. You stand a better chance of getting police response here in Colorado. Plus, if you call your insurance company and file a claim (with the intent that they fix your car, then pursue the guilty/negligent party for damages *and your deductible*), it's going to look a lot better for you if you can get an officer to show up and use some verbal judo to get some sort of response from guilty party and piece together a write up. It's kind of a tall order though.

That response deals specifically with insurance, because that is what I know. I can't answer your question if you're just talking about taking someone to court or something.

Stuart, we don't like in California...
so I think its safe to assume I meant Colorado.

I was referring more to the liability of destruction of private property, perhaps I failed to communicate that clearly.

[Troublco]

Having had two separate instances where my truck was damaged in parking lots, I try really hard to park as far out as I can, and so I can pull straight out. I still have people park next to me; I'm pretty sure as well that it's a sport with some. I'd rather walk a couple hundred extra feet than have to deal with yet another problem requiring a body shop to fix. I used to have some cards, business size, that had a nice little saying on them for when someone parked so close to me that I couldn't get in to my vehicle. Ran out, and haven't bothered to find more. I may have to make some up myself, now that I've thought of it again.

I got rear-ended in a parking lot once, and the SOB who did it told me to my face that he didn't care, it was private property, and walked off. Fortunately, it didn't do any damage (I had a truck, and it was a fairly heavy chrome bumper) but I was sorely tempted to do something to his...I managed to resist that temptation but not by much. I don't get how people think this sort of behavior is OK, but then, I suppose I'm glad I don't otherwise I'd probably be like them.