The holidays are upon us and that means the “Good Parking Spot Battle” is ON! Or, maybe not…
At Telesis Collision Center we have taken the time to do some investigating to find the best parking at the congested shopping malls this time of year. We understand many of you have your voodoo, magic tricks you like to do every year that guarantees you that front spot, but what about the rest of us that seem to circle endlessly?
Our first recommendation is easy but hard for many of us to truly comprehend. The FASTEST way to get inside the mall from the moment you enter the dreaded parking lot is to park in the first available spot you see. Do not circle. Do not follow shoppers darting in and out of aisles because they’ve forgotten where they parked. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. If you see an empty spot, park in it – end of story. Even if the open spot is farther away from the store than you’d prefer, this simple trick will get you into the mall (or grocery store, or amusement park) faster than 99% of the folks stalking that “perfect” spot.
If you find yourself in a parking lot that’s completely full we found that instead of going up and down rows, over and over and over again, you will have greater success if you pick one single row and just wait. That’s right…we said it…the dreaded 4-letter word…WAIT! The chances of a spot opening up in the row you are waiting in is greater than if you took the vulture approach and tried to swoop down each aisle endlessly.
If you find that you are in a major time crunch or simply don’t want to deal with parking then we recommend you find a mall that has a valet service. For a fee you can valet your vehicle and not deal with any of the parking lot drama. Please remember that you can use this opportunity to spread the holiday cheer and tip your valet attendant at either drop off, pickup or both! Find some valet dos and don’ts at this fun website.
No matter where you end up parking your vehicle you’ll want to remember to:
- Place all personal belongings in the trunk or at least somewhere out of plain sight
- Roll up your windows and lock your doors!
- Watch carefully behind you for pedestrians and vehicles when backing out of your parking spot
- Drive slowly and use your turn signals
- Ask mall security to walk you to your vehicle if you feel unsafe or you are not parked in a well-lit lot
- Check your backseat before getting in
Last but not least we ask that you be conscientious of those waiting for your parking space. Whatever you do, do NOT get in to your vehicle while a line of cars waits for you to leave and sit on your phone checking all your messages. This will invoke road rage (aka parking lot rage), which leads to very “unmerry” shoppers, and no one wants that.
Good luck to you this holiday parking season from all of us here at Telesis Collision Center!
Give us a call at (661) 274-2719