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Another thought regarding getting spooked by proximity...park far away from the madding crowd.

I see people circle in parking lots until a space opens up as close to the store as is humanly possible.

Then, they are tightly confined with vehicles left/right/fore and aft, but, but, but they're closer to the store...

Boloney.

Park farther away so you're not so confined and be prepared to walk a few extra steps. And, it IS just a few extra steps you lazy American...

My truck is 8 years old without nary a ding or scratch on it as is my parking policy is to follow the above approach to parking in big lots. Farther away is generally/plenty roomy. Is this always possible? No, but when it is (and it usually is...) it's generally easier to park and to leave too. No back-filling or extra maneuvering to leave your space. I also park so that when I leave all I have to do is go forward and bingo I'm gone.

My wife on the other hand would (if allowed) drive directly into the store and park.

So when we go somewhere together, she never fails to complain that she has to put in 100/250' of walking to get to the store.

I say nothing, just shake my head and laugh.

One of the other pluses in parking like this is you can see before you get to your vehicle if anyone is lurking near it.

Abraham wrote:Another thought regarding getting spooked by proximity...park far away from the madding crowd.

I see people circle in parking lots until a space opens up as close to the store as is humanly possible.

Then, they are tightly confined with vehicles left/right/fore and aft, but, but, but they're closer to the store...

Boloney.

Park farther away so you're not so confined and be prepared to walk a few extra steps. And, it IS just a few extra steps you lazy American...

My truck is 8 years old without nary a ding or scratch on it as is my parking policy is to follow the above approach to parking in big lots. Farther away is generally/plenty roomy. Is this always possible? No, but when it is (and it usually is...) it's generally easier to park and to leave too. No back-filling or extra maneuvering to leave your space. I also park so that when I leave all I have to do is go forward and bingo I'm gone.

My wife on the other hand would (if allowed) drive directly into the store and park.

So when we go somewhere together, she never fails to complain that she has to put in 100/250' of walking to get to the store.

I say nothing, just shake my head and laugh.

One of the other pluses in parking like this is you can see before you get to your vehicle if anyone is lurking near it.

My wife complains as well. That's why I usually first drive by the front door to the store and offer to drop her off / pick her up.

My favorite is the people who will try to park as close as possible at the gym. They want to avoid a walk right before they exercise? Makes no sense to me.

Abraham wrote:Another thought regarding getting spooked by proximity...park far away from the madding crowd.

I see people circle in parking lots until a space opens up as close to the store as is humanly possible.

Then, they are tightly confined with vehicles left/right/fore and aft, but, but, but they're closer to the store...

Boloney.

Park farther away so you're not so confined and be prepared to walk a few extra steps. And, it IS just a few extra steps you lazy American...

My truck is 8 years old without nary a ding or scratch on it as is my parking policy is to follow the above approach to parking in big lots. Farther away is generally/plenty roomy. Is this always possible? No, but when it is (and it usually is...) it's generally easier to park and to leave too. No back-filling or extra maneuvering to leave your space. I also park so that when I leave all I have to do is go forward and bingo I'm gone.

My wife on the other hand would (if allowed) drive directly into the store and park.

So when we go somewhere together, she never fails to complain that she has to put in 100/250' of walking to get to the store.

I say nothing, just shake my head and laugh.

One of the other pluses in parking like this is you can see before you get to your vehicle if anyone is lurking near it.

I bet most big parking lot incidents are done towards the far side of the lot. My sweet daughter-in-law was taught what you do by her Father, I told her that her safety was far more important than having a vehicle that doesn't have a ding or scratch in it. Dings and scratches can be repaired but sweet daughter-in-laws are priceless. She now does what her loving father-in-law has taught her and her car still doesn't have a ding or scratch on it and she gets to the safety of her vehicle much quicker.

good grief, I thought this thread had died.

sigh....
1. I don't believe I ever said I would or I wouldn't have drawn on the guy. I said..."if he had intended me harm, I wouldn't have had time to do anything" I also said that he shouldn't have been there, the polite thing would have been to wait at the end of his car until I was finished, when I would have excused myself...I only had a few bags, not a cart or anything.

2. while I don't typically park up in the front unless I have my mother-in-law with me, this doesn't have anything to do with that. this has to do with a guy being polite. That's all. Had he been polite, he wouldn't have frightened me.

SewTexas wrote:good grief, I thought this thread had died.

sigh....
1. I don't believe I ever said I would or I wouldn't have drawn on the guy. I said..."if he had intended me harm, I wouldn't have had time to do anything" I also said that he shouldn't have been there, the polite thing would have been to wait at the end of his car until I was finished, when I would have excused myself...I only had a few bags, not a cart or anything.

2. while I don't typically park up in the front unless I have my mother-in-law with me, this doesn't have anything to do with that. this has to do with a guy being polite. That's all. Had he been polite, he wouldn't have frightened me.

LOL Threads never die, they just go away until they are brought back. BTW, you did imply that he would have been the one that would have been scared if you had been carrying. That might be justified in your mind but you might have a hard time getting the number of others that you would need to agree with your justification.

SewTexas wrote:My mother-in-law hasn't been doing so well, so I haven't been able to get out of the house for almost two weeks, yesterday I slipped out for about an hour and ran a bunch of quick errands, and today I got out and did a couple of things.

I hate to admit it, but I didn't have my gun on me
I was putting groceries in the passenger side of the car at WM and as I closed the door I realized that a guy had walked up close behind me!
He was going to the car next to me, but you DON'T do that!!! Had I been carrying, he would have been the one scared! He did take a step back, but geez! He hadn't made a sound!
I don't think my heart hit normal rate until I got out of the parking lot!

Stay safe guys! <3

If I've said it once, I've said it 6,783 times. None of us, armed or not, are more exposed than we turn our backs to the world while loading {stuff} into our vehicles. Look first left, then right, then left again, all clear.... load!

Abraham wrote:Another thought regarding getting spooked by proximity...park far away from the madding crowd.

I see people circle in parking lots until a space opens up as close to the store as is humanly possible.

Then, they are tightly confined with vehicles left/right/fore and aft, but, but, but they're closer to the store...

Boloney.

Park farther away so you're not so confined and be prepared to walk a few extra steps. And, it IS just a few extra steps you lazy American...

My truck is 8 years old without nary a ding or scratch on it as is my parking policy is to follow the above approach to parking in big lots. Farther away is generally/plenty roomy. Is this always possible? No, but when it is (and it usually is...) it's generally easier to park and to leave too. No back-filling or extra maneuvering to leave your space. I also park so that when I leave all I have to do is go forward and bingo I'm gone.

My wife on the other hand would (if allowed) drive directly into the store and park.

So when we go somewhere together, she never fails to complain that she has to put in 100/250' of walking to get to the store.

I say nothing, just shake my head and laugh.

One of the other pluses in parking like this is you can see before you get to your vehicle if anyone is lurking near it.

This is what I normally do to avoid parking near other vehicles and to avoid getting door dings. Unless the weather is bad (which I probably wouldn't have been out in the first place).

One thing I do when coming up to my vehicle and someone is loading/unloading right next to me is unlock the doors with my remote. Almost all vehicles have remotes now. And normally this gets the attention of whoever is next to me without being to intrusive or startling them.

SewTexas wrote:good grief, I thought this thread had died.

sigh....
1. I don't believe I ever said I would or I wouldn't have drawn on the guy. I said..."if he had intended me harm, I wouldn't have had time to do anything" I also said that he shouldn't have been there, the polite thing would have been to wait at the end of his car until I was finished, when I would have excused myself...I only had a few bags, not a cart or anything.

2. while I don't typically park up in the front unless I have my mother-in-law with me, this doesn't have anything to do with that. this has to do with a guy being polite. That's all. Had he been polite, he wouldn't have frightened me.

I meant to post an observation, but I don't think I did.

Lots of folks were too hard on you, in my opinion. I suspect your reaction would have been different, had you been armed.

My guess is you wouldn't have been frightened as much as your alert level would have soared. Disarmed, things get scary quicker than when not. I think my first reaction when something iffy gets my attention is to start thinking how to extract myself, not how to channel John Wick. The job when armed becomes how to avoid conflict. When disarmed, it's more of a question of how to win any fight that might start.

Fortunately, I say that from limited data. I've been confronted by violent people only a couple of times in my life and never engaged in any kind of fight. But this is the internet. Data is hardly required for an opinion.

treadlightly wrote:

SewTexas wrote:good grief, I thought this thread had died.

sigh....
1. I don't believe I ever said I would or I wouldn't have drawn on the guy. I said..."if he had intended me harm, I wouldn't have had time to do anything" I also said that he shouldn't have been there, the polite thing would have been to wait at the end of his car until I was finished, when I would have excused myself...I only had a few bags, not a cart or anything.

2. while I don't typically park up in the front unless I have my mother-in-law with me, this doesn't have anything to do with that. this has to do with a guy being polite. That's all. Had he been polite, he wouldn't have frightened me.

I meant to post an observation, but I don't think I did.

Lots of folks were too hard on you, in my opinion. I suspect your reaction would have been different, had you been armed.

My guess is you wouldn't have been frightened as much as your alert level would have soared. Disarmed, things get scary quicker than when not. I think my first reaction when something iffy gets my attention is to start thinking how to extract myself, not how to channel John Wick. The job when armed becomes how to avoid conflict. When disarmed, it's more of a question of how to win any fight that might start.

Fortunately, I say that from limited data. I've been confronted by violent people only a couple of times in my life and never engaged in any kind of fight. But this is the internet. Data is hardly required for an opinion.

thank you, thank you.
and yes, I am much more confident when armed.
Crime has been up lately in my area, I'm much more conscious to be armed when out

Times have changed and we shouldn't walk up behind folks even during the day time in parking lots !

RicoTX wrote:I usually say hello before I get too close in that situation, even more so if it's a woman. I will also wait until they get in their car or whatever...unless they are taking forever...then I just say hi and get in my truck lol.

Good advice. If you let people know you are there and do so in a friendly manner it can lower everyone's blood pressure and prevent a situation from unnecessarily escalating.

SewTexas wrote:

Keith B wrote:

SewTexas wrote: Had I been carrying, he would have been the one scared!

Glad you weren't carrying. Just getting close to you in a parking lot, especially since he was going to the car beside you and it was daylight, would not have justified drawing on him. I would possibly have put my hand in a purse or on the handgun, but kept it hidden until there was evidence you were being threatened.

I'm not sure if it would have been justified or not, but if he had meant harm, even if I'd been carrying, I probably wouldn't be here to have posted. The guy was as quiet as Bat Man. And he had no business being inches away from a strange woman in a parking lot. For a few seconds, I was terrified.

Think of it as an educational opportunity.

First, always be aware of your surroundings, that way you don't get spooked.

Second, keep in mind that even a defensive display of a firearm can land you in prison if you cannot demonstrate an actual realistic fear of grave bodily harm.

The bar isn't what you feel is justified, it is what you can convince a jury of your peers is justified.

We cannot even demonstrate the threat of deadly force unless the criteria for the use of deadly force are met.

Abraham wrote:Another thought regarding getting spooked by proximity...park far away from the madding crowd.

I see people circle in parking lots until a space opens up as close to the store as is humanly possible.

Then, they are tightly confined with vehicles left/right/fore and aft, but, but, but they're closer to the store...

Boloney.

Park farther away so you're not so confined and be prepared to walk a few extra steps. And, it IS just a few extra steps you lazy American...

My truck is 8 years old without nary a ding or scratch on it as is my parking policy is to follow the above approach to parking in big lots. Farther away is generally/plenty roomy. Is this always possible? No, but when it is (and it usually is...) it's generally easier to park and to leave too. No back-filling or extra maneuvering to leave your space. I also park so that when I leave all I have to do is go forward and bingo I'm gone.

My wife on the other hand would (if allowed) drive directly into the store and park.

So when we go somewhere together, she never fails to complain that she has to put in 100/250' of walking to get to the store.

I say nothing, just shake my head and laugh.

One of the other pluses in parking like this is you can see before you get to your vehicle if anyone is lurking near it.

Totally agree, we recently purchased an Impala, don't want any dings. First day purposely parked out in the lot, no cars around our car. Come out of the store and someone parked a clunker in the spot next to ours. what the heck!

striker55 wrote:

Abraham wrote:Another thought regarding getting spooked by proximity...park far away from the madding crowd.

I see people circle in parking lots until a space opens up as close to the store as is humanly possible.

Then, they are tightly confined with vehicles left/right/fore and aft, but, but, but they're closer to the store...

Boloney.

Park farther away so you're not so confined and be prepared to walk a few extra steps. And, it IS just a few extra steps you lazy American...

My truck is 8 years old without nary a ding or scratch on it as is my parking policy is to follow the above approach to parking in big lots. Farther away is generally/plenty roomy. Is this always possible? No, but when it is (and it usually is...) it's generally easier to park and to leave too. No back-filling or extra maneuvering to leave your space. I also park so that when I leave all I have to do is go forward and bingo I'm gone.

My wife on the other hand would (if allowed) drive directly into the store and park.

So when we go somewhere together, she never fails to complain that she has to put in 100/250' of walking to get to the store.

I say nothing, just shake my head and laugh.

One of the other pluses in parking like this is you can see before you get to your vehicle if anyone is lurking near it.

Totally agree, we recently purchased an Impala, don't want any dings. First day purposely parked out in the lot, no cars around our car. Come out of the store and someone parked a clunker in the spot next to ours. what the heck!

I tell my wife to park as close as she wants, her safety is far more important than a ding on a cheap car. (Even tho we paid north of 70 grand for her car it is still not as important as her level of safety) I guess some folks have different priorities.
Let me add that I think these quotes are in jest and you are just trying to get a rise out of sensible folks.

twomillenium,

It's true that at times I post to get a rise, inject a little humor, or perhaps a bit of loutish wit or what have you, but not this time.

I really do park far away in huge parking lots as is possible.

I can 'overall' see the environment better, I don't mind walking a little further to get to the store.

Plus, usually I can park in the 'forward' space, so when I leave no backing and filling, I just drive off.

Being in the parking lot 'hinterlands' is in my opinion safer parking than crowding in where every vehicle is parked so jam packed close it creates a visual block, thus allowing a sneaky mugger a better opportunity to get within "mugging me" distance.