They paved paradise and put up a test of social common courtesy

Occasionally, I don't feel like making the 10 minute drive home from work to have lunch, and I treat myself to drive-thru, sit in a parking lot, and listen to sports talk radio. I'm sure lots of you do the same (without all the sports). Anyway, as I sat in the parking lot today, I noticed a number of "parking lot fouls", and it really bugged me. Therfore, I will now post a list of p's and q's as far as I see it for proper parking lot behavior.

Danny Danger's Straight-Up Parking Lot Etiquette

1. If there are other spaces available, there's no need to sit and wait for a car to pull out of a closer parking space and take that one. I've seen it a million times. While some lady loads her baby, her toddler, and her shopping cart full of groceries into her minivan, someone else is sitting there in their car, blocking the lane, just to get the close space when said minivan leaves. When I see this, I go ahead and park a little farther back. I'm usually in the store before the waiting driver has even occupied his/her prime spot. I'm a pretty big guy who doesn't really like to excercise all that much, but even I can handle walking an extra 20-30 feet.

2. If you're walking across a parking lot lane, and someone in a car is waiting for you to cross, do it quickly. Come on. If a driver is nice enough to let you cross in front of them, don't waste their time by walking slowly. When I'm crossing in front of a car - even in a pedestrian crosswalk, where I have the right of way - I do it with a quickness. Heck, I even give the token "thank-you" wave. It's called being nice. I recommend it.

3. When walking to/from the store from/to your car, walk on the side of the lane, not in the middle of it. Really? You're walking through a parking lot, and you're going to stroll right down the middle of the lane? The drivers you're holding up really appreciate that.

4. You drive one car. Park in one space. The parking lot where I work is almost always empty. The lot has room for 64 cars, but there are never more than 5 or 6 in the lot at a time. About a week ago, some yahoo parked across three spaces. Sure he had the freedom to do so...he wasn't preventing someone else from having space to park. Still it didn't change the fact that it made him look like a total jerk. Had he just taken one of the three spaces, I wouldn't hate his guts today.

5. PUT YOUR SHOPPING CARTS WHERE THEY BELONG! This is a big one...probably the biggest one in my book. You know that guy that has to come out and collect all the carts? He doesn't get paid very much. Why are you going to make his job even more miserable by forcing him to trek all over creation to get the cart that you were too lazy to put in the corral? This holds true especially for this time of year. Summer's coming. It will be getting really hot outside soon. In addition, carts that are left in the parking lot usually end up rolling into open spaces, rendering them unusable, or worse, they roll into other cars. How many dings do you have in the side of your car from people not putting their carts away? Personally, I feel a sense of satisfaction when I put the cart in the corral where it belongs. You know what feels even better? Taking it all the way back into the store. That's courtesy, homes.

Basically, it all boils down to one general tenet. Don't be an a-hole. The nicer you are, the better you will feel. The better you feel, the better your life is. It's all about the golden rule.

SPECIAL ADDED BONUS MATERIAL

Nate, my sign-buddy, added another rule that I previously hadn't thought of. It's a good rule, though, so it needs to be said.

6. Unless it's water, don't empty your cup by your car door. Nobody needs to step in your sticky cola residue. The same applies with gum, candy, or really any trash in general. If you look around, I'm SURE you're going to find a trash can somewhere. If you REALLY need to get that drink out of your cup...like RIGHT NOW, there is likely an island with some nice grass or pine straw closeby. Otherwise...just wait till you get home. Pour it out in the sink.
Plus, it attracts ants. You know how I feel about ants.