I’m one of the employees that gather up carts on the lot, many do return to the proper place but it’s fairly common for those in the handicapped spaces to leave the cart next to their car, using it as kind of a walker. We just gather them up and go along. It’s a scavenger hunt to find some of the carts on a busy day, with many left in-between cars or shoved into the shrubbery next to their spot. With the ban on plastic grocery bags customers are more often using the cart to carry out their groceries, either left the canvas bags in the car or just don’t want to pay the 5 cents for each paper bag.
I know that when I have tools and stuff in my truck, I park next to a car that looks like it belongs to someone who won t steal them. but I always leave plenty of room
I sometimes park head in against the curb In the compact only spots. 9 times out of 10 when I return there is a giant SUV parked on one side and a giant pickup parked on the other. There is absolutely no visibility for me to back out so I have to do it an inch at a time. Many times it doesn’t matter because they cannot be bothered to back up and pull in anywhere close to inside the lines completely blocking me from backing out of the compact only parking space.
Wolyrobb, with respect, it isn’t those of us who use the carts as walkers and need the handicap spots that leave them in the handicap spots. I have never seen a user of a handicap spot do that, but I regularly see people parked in other spots who are clearly fully ambulatory do this. Those of us need the handicap spots are far too aware of the need to keep the spots open for others. I cannot walk the cart to a corral, but I always leave it out of the way of the adjacent handicap spots.
I don’t need a handicap space yet but I have many disabled vet friends, non vet friends, and relatives that do. If the day comes when I qualify I would still not use one if I only needed a cane possibly depriving a disabled person confined to a wheelchair of the space. If I see stray carts blocking parking spaces (especially handicap ones) I will take them to the rack which is usually a tangled mess because the morons appear to not have the knowledge that the carts are designed to telescope together. THEY JUST DON’T CARE!
The other day at my work parking walking from a distance, I see this small CUV, doing a few back and forth moves, trying to squeeze next to my car. As I am getting close, I am thinking hopefully she would realize that she would not be able to get out; but no, as I get there, she bangs the door to mine and sure enough, she can only get the door opened just a finger width and there is no way she can get out.
There was no way in the world you could fit that car in that space and be able to get out, very poor judgement.
This as I am watching, my car got a dent. I know her from work and let her off the hook, but I bet this happens all the time and these idiots dent our cars.
They banned plastic bags? First light bulbs and now bags. What next?
“They banned plastic bags? First light bulbs and now bags”
Yup!
The phase-out of incandescent bulbs was begun when Public Law 110-140 was signed into law on December 19, 2007. You might want to send a letter to George W. Bush to ask why he decided to approve that law.
As to plastic bags, to the best of my knowledge, the only state-wide ban at this point is in California. However, some additional states (and some cities) are considering either a 5-cent tax on each plastic bag, or perhaps banning them completely. You can see a run-down with more specific local info here: http://plasticbagbanreport.com/bans-by-state/
Personally, I hope that my state doesn’t ban plastic bags as I use them to clean-up my dog’s “deposits” from my back yard. If they decide to impose a 5-cent tax on them, I will pay it, as I know of no acceptable substitute for the purpose to which I put those bags.
I wouldn t mind the plastic bags, except that they put holes in them on purpose so that they aren t effective to use instead of plastic wrap or baggies for sstoring food
^
The ones from Shop-Rite, in NJ, don’t have any holes in them, so the “hole or no hole” decision is probably one that is made by the local markets that buy them.
In addition to disposing of my dog’s “deposits”, I also use fresh plastic grocery bags to store many of the vegetables that I get from the local farm, as Farmer Al and his wife don’t provide bags–but I wouldn’t use them to wrap anything that couldn’t be washed prior to eating.
I repurpose plastic bags for all sorts of things including as “quick & free” plastic gloves for things like checking my fluids. From the standpoint of depletion of resources, I’m not sure plastic bags are any worse than the alternatives I’d use.
I can understand California’s aversion to plastic bags. As I understand it, discarded plastic bags have been a serious threat to the wildlife out there.
The two left lanes do merge shortly after the turn. It is quite easy for the two lanes of traffic to merge, and almost everyone is courteous enough to negotiate the merge easily.
mountainbike
Last year, I participated in a “Clean up the Los Angeles river” event. The plastic bags were by far the biggest problem
It’s time for parking lot safety 101. Speeding (35mph) through the empty spaces is beyond stupid. There are many vehicles backing out, pedestrians, children, shopping carts, and more. The traffic lanes, driveways are there for a reason. The 15mph limit is there for a reason. When you hit a child or senior seriously injuring or killing them how will you feel then? I forgot. In your feeble mind it will be their fault and you will be the victim!
I don’t think the plastic bag ban is statewide in Calif yet, it’s just city by city, but I read in the newspaper it will probably be state-wide soon. Plastic bags have been banned here in San Jose and most of the neighboring communities for 2-3 years now. At first I thought it would be a big inconvenience to not have plastic bags. And being a cheapo, you know I’m not paying 10 cents for a paper bag. But in practice it really isn’t much of a problem. I keep several cloth bags in the trunk of the Corolla, and just haul everything out to the car in the shopping cart and put the items in the bags there. To me banning plastic bags is a reasonable compromise. It does have a clearly observable effect on the amount of plastic I see laying and blowing around along the roads.
I just can’t help myself. Don’t forget to wash those eco friendly cloth bags. They get filled with nasty little organisms you can’t see without a microscope. People disinfect their shopping cart handles, use hand rub, then throw their stuff in contaminated cloth bags to bring home. Just sayn’.
We were talking about parking in a large lot at night. Parking lots, especially the Walmart types it seems, are great places for assaults. So you really don’t want other cars around you that can be hiding places at night. If someone parks their car out by itself, it is sometimes to be able to see if anyone else is lurking around the car. Its bad form to then go park next to that car and the alarm bells should be going off. These days you really need to be aware of your surroundings.
“I keep several cloth bags in the trunk of the Corolla”
I also keep several cloth bags in my trunk. Every time I buy parts from my local Toyota dealer, they put them in a cloth bag.
I use those things when I’m at my local grocery store
The plastic bag ban only applies to most of Thurston County (including the city of Olympia where I am) Seattle and Bellingham are the two cities that have passed ban’s before ours. We can sell plastic shopping bags that are of a thicker material to be reusable (I think they’re 50 cents)
California is the only state wide ban, It was discussed in Washington before but went nowhere in the legislature. So it’s basically being passed city by city. You can go a few miles up 101 to Mason County or up north to Tacoma and get all the plastic grocery bags you need for free. Those of us in retail weren’t looking forward to this although it mostly has been a smooth transition.
It used to be to recycle newspapers, they had to be in the bin in either a paper bag or tied together with twine. When the stores quit the paper bags and went to plastic, it was scrounging time to get a supply of paper bags. Tying up bundles of newspaper is a hassle. Couldn’t buy them anywhere. Doesn’t matter now, you just throw everything in a bin. Like others I use plastic bags for oil soaked paper towels from changing oil and a host of other things so maybe I’ll have to start saving them up if this goes nation-wide. I wonder if possession of a platic bag would be a felony or not.
We park well away from the entrance at the back of the lot. This has saved us a lot of grief and scrapes over the years. At the local supermarket, the employees park at the back of the lot to preserve their vehicles.
Unless you are handicapped, and can park up front in those wide designated spaces, walk a little further; the exercise will do you good.