This morning, just as I was pushing a lumber cart with two twelve-foot long two by tens on it out of the door at the local Lowes Home Improvement Store, a pickup truck towing a trailer with a couple of ATVs pulled up into the white striped loading zone right in front of the exit — and right in front of me — and stopped. The driver turned the engine off, opened the door, and got out in a manner that clearly indicated he was headed into the store in a little bit of a rush.
Then he saw me — and my load — and that he had blocked my path. He apologized and, when he opened the driver side door, I thought he was going to get in and move the truck and trailer forward out of his way. Instead, he tossed the keys to his passenger, asked him to move it, and went inside.
As the passenger was coming around the front of the truck, he, too, started apologizing and told me that he would move the truck out of my way.
I just muttered, “That’s ok,” and turned the cart to push it around the front of the vehicle. By the time he got it started, I was already past him and headed out into the parking lot to where I had parked my truck and trailer.
I’m sure they could tell that I wasn’t happy.
People parking their vehicles in loading zones at home improvement stores is just another one of those things that bothers, though not as much as people parking in handicap spots.
It especially irks me when they block the entrance/exit to the store or when they park in such a way that it blocks access to the high volume building supplies that are stacked outside the entrance. When a vehicle is parked in front of the pallets of concrete mix, it kind of hard to back up to it to load what I’ve paid for.
I guess it’s just another example of today’s hurry up world where some folks just can’t take the time to park a little further out and walk a little more.
