The slot by the door...

mph323

So this happened this morning.

My gym is in a big strip mall. There's a small horseshoe parking lot in front, parking all down the side of the building and acres more to the rear. Everyone does a turn around the horseshoe and if there's no parking exits and continues on to the side or rear parking spaces.

Except this morning I follow a car into the horseshoe who stops dead in front of me. I assume someone's pulling out in front of them so no problem waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Eventually I realize that there are some people coming out of the gym and getting into a car close to the entrance. They are not in a hurry (no reason to be). The car in front of me is waiting for them to open the trunk and throw their bags in, chat while getting into the car, sit a few moments getting sorted out, and finally pull out of the slot. In the meantime, there are visibly open slots 5 or 6 cars down, which I can't get to because I'm trapped behind this car and the person who pulled in behind me.

When the car finally parks and I can pass, I park in one of the open slots, walk into the gym and stand waiting behind the people from the car in front of me because it takes longer to check in than to walk to the entrance from six slots further away.

Why? Why would you feel so strongly about walking a few extra steps when presumably you're going to go inside and do some kind of workout? It doesn't make any sense. Even if they were running late for a class it would have taken less time to park where I did than sit there waiting. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.

NorthCascades

Habits are a hard thing to break. Sometimes people are on autopilot following habits that don't make sense in the moment.

I always park in a corner, which usually means the far end of the lot. I used to work in a building with somebody who liked parking really close to the car to his right. So close you couldn't open the diver side door to get in. I got trapped after work one day, it took an hour for building management to get ahold of him to move his car. Now I park in the corner so that can't happen. If you didn't know the backstory it might seem weird.

Maxxitt

Doesn't make sense to me either, OP. I always park pretty far from the entrance of everywhere I go UNLESS (1) it's pouring rain AND (2) looking like a drowned rat once I get inside is not an option (i.e. like at work).

mph323

Maxxitt wrote: »

Doesn't make sense to me either, OP. I always park pretty far from the entrance of everywhere I go UNLESS (1) it's pouring rain AND (2) looking like a drowned rat once I get inside is not an option (i.e. like at work).

Me too, especially in shopping centers. The walk is good for me plus I'm paranoid about hitting a kid backing out where it's more crowded. I guess now that I've mulled it over a bit I'm wondering if it's a mindset that separates purposeful exercise from everyday activity. Or simply habit like NorthCascades speculates

Adc7225

. . . It's one of the hmm! moments that you have to shake off in order to have a good a workout. I used to park all the way on the other side of the parking lot initially because then I would always know where my car was, so this made me wonder if some go through the wait to park where they can see their car upon exiting so as to not have to hunt for it. Also, I figured the walk was part of my warm-up.

I once parked a rental in a shopping mall lot near a tree - of course that was the only tree I noticed at that time. Upon leaving the mall, I discovered the lot was full of trees Too bad I didn't have a Fitbit back then, lots of steps!

Penthesilea514

mph323 wrote: »

Maxxitt wrote: »

Doesn't make sense to me either, OP. I always park pretty far from the entrance of everywhere I go UNLESS (1) it's pouring rain AND (2) looking like a drowned rat once I get inside is not an option (i.e. like at work).

Me too, especially in shopping centers. The walk is good for me plus I'm paranoid about hitting a kid backing out where it's more crowded. I guess now that I've mulled it over a bit I'm wondering if it's a mindset that separates purposeful exercise from everyday activity. Or simply habit like NorthCascades speculates

I like to park far enough away that I can find a "pull through" spot if available. If not, I am fine parking a bit further away to have more room.

It could have been habit and a bit of zoning out- sometimes I misread what is happening and find myself waiting for no good reason lol

mph323

Adc7225 wrote: »

. . . It's one of the hmm! moments that you have to shake off in order to have a good a workout. I used to park all the way on the other side of the parking lot initially because then I would always know where my car was, so this made me wonder if some go through the wait to park where they can see their car upon exiting so as to not have to hunt for it. Also, I figured the walk was part of my warm-up.

I once parked a rental in a shopping mall lot near a tree - of course that was the only tree I noticed at that time. Upon leaving the mall, I discovered the lot was full of trees Too bad I didn't have a Fitbit back then, lots of steps!

There's a Macy's in a huge shopping mall I go to sometimes. It's at one end of the center and has three identical exits that open onto three identical lots. I lost my car there once - one of hundreds of silver prius's. I ended up wandering up and down the aisles for an hour clicking my car fob until I eventually found it. I now take a picture of the merchandise at whatever entrance I use so I go out the same way I came in.