Lesson of the Day / Car Park Vexation
I lose my car all the time! Yesterday I was panic stricken with it, wandering up and down examining rows and rows of cars, the majority of them the same colour as mine and made a mental note, upon finding it, to never let myself go through this trauma again.
Apparently, I am not the only one that experiences this – many friends of mine have this same problem, and it’s quite humorous to observe that you will see countless souls wandering around looking as lost as I do. You might be thinking that only an idiot would overlook the simple process of noting where they left their own car, and you might be right, but there’s no denying that it does happen to all of us, and some of us with alarming frequency! So, here are a few simple, obvious steps you can take to make your shopping experience less traumatic and locate your car in next to no time. I tried it today and it worked!!
- Park your car near a landmark. Such as a lamppost or a tree and make a mental note of the location.
- Remember what row you parked in. Are there numbers or letters placed above the rows, or failing that, are you opposite a certain shop? Make a note! That’s what they’re there for.
- Write it down. Simple I know, but it works!
- Take a photograph. If you have your phone with you.
- Identifying features for your car. Bumper stickers, cuddly toy in your back window or a license plate frame. Anything that will make it stand out from the crowd.. Failing that,
hoist a bright red flag on your antenna, you’ll locate it in no time.
I tried it out today in my local colossal supermarket car park and used tips 1 and 2.
It worked beautifully and I arrived back at work after my lunch break calm, refreshed and on time!!!
9 Comments
Cat Hartliebe
This feeling is horrible.
I’ve noted which cars around me. Bad choice. Cars move.
I’ve gotten to parking far away from the building, so it would be easier to see my car even if I feel as like I’m walking for a kilometer to reach it.
Another tip is to park in or around the same spot every time. Or the same side of a parking lot if you visit different ones often.
Or to just start having anxiety over where you park as you park, so you’re brain forces you to use more brain cells to remember where it is. … If I forget too many times in a row, the anxiety that comes with finding the car messes with me when parking. It works, though.
Cat
PS. I also suggest when going to complex places with lots of people and movement, take pictures of your party members. Especially kids. A current picture makes a huge difference if you need help.
Pip
Good suggestions Cat. I’ve done it sometimes where I’ve convinced myself that my car has been pinched. It does create anxiety.
catmann
I lost my motorbike on a side street in London for a few hours 😂
Pip
I imagine London would be a nightmare to find anything left in a street
Sue Berk Koch
HA! This has happened to everyone at one time or another! It’s only funny after the fact. …
Good tips! Thanks for sharing.
–Sue
http://www.susanberkkoch.com/blog
Pip
Thank you Sue
Tom Hughes
I use Google maps! They have a parked car feature and it just drops a pointer where your parked. It’s really useful but only if you’ve got good signal to know your relative location
Pip
You know, thanks so much for this, I had no idea. I will give it ago. I lost mine again the other day. I never learn; probably because I’m always talking too much when I get out of the car!
Loz
This happens alot to my friend too. It is a good thing to write it down and also remember the row where you are parked for sure.