No Parking: Common Courtesy, Rules of the Road
My grandfather had a saying:
“Your right to swing stops at my nose.”
That notion may be rough around the edges but it ain’t wrong. Take, for example, parking. The parking lots at Lowe’s and Home Depot are half the size of my town. I’ve never in my life seen one full. Ever. In my life. (See where this is going?)
Well, despite 6 million hectares of free parking in the lot, it appears that an increasing number of contractors simply park in the loading zone outside the contractor’s entrance. They pull up (presumably, others are loading their trucks when they do), they park, and then they walk into the store for who knows how long?
So what does that mean for Johnny Honesty (read: me) who parks in the lot but wants to load in the loading zone? He can’t.
Danny Dilettante doesn’t want to walk too far and wants to take his half of the road out of the middle — doesn’t care about his colleagues or doing what’s right. A best practice to him is “getting his.” Well, I’ve got news for you, Charlie. “Thoughtless” is not a good way to go through life.
So, anyway, while Lame-O-Jones and company are keeping their trucks dry I’m loading 2-by out in the rain. (Nahhh….I’m not angry. Why would that make anybody upset?)
I realize this can be a tough trade, but just because we’re not working on the same site doesn’t mean we’re not all in this together. Let’s act like it.
Otherwise, I’m tempted to explore just how far my right to swing can take me.
Mark Clement is a home improvement contractor, author of The Carpenter’s Notebook, and co-host of MyFixItUpLife.
Totally with you on that one. I love pro-distribution for the EXACT reasons you state. However, there's a dearth of it where I live now (you'd be mortified at some of the lumber yards near me). And in other places where I've worked, they're a total haul–35 minutes driving each way, versus 15. The trade-off in many cases is convenience.
Addressing your first issue, you could shop at your local lumberyard, if available, like Ziggys.
Here in the Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho we have Ziegler Lumber Companies available to shop at. You get better service and actual help with loading and unloading of materials and supplies. You can also drive to most materials and load them right into your vehicle. Yes at times everybody has a bad day and the service isn't great but generally speaking the service is good! Also it's nice when you hear "are you finding everything or how can I help you", unlike the box stores where employees divert their eyes and hustle by so as not to have to help you as has happened in the past.
I'm sure you all have some good old home town Ma and Pa stores in which you can shop. In patronizing these stores more of our hard earned money stays in the neighborhood and surrounding community!
I only shop at the big box hardware/lumberyard as a last resort or emergency. It only makes $ense to me.
Wo, do I feel your pain, frustration & anger!
These guys can park in the lot like the rest of
us ‘commoner’s and have a worker lug out his
stuff AND stand with it while Danny Dilettante gets his truck & returns to the protection & convenience of the loading zone. Isn’t that why it’s called a LOADING ZONE?
NOTHING takes just five minutes any more, so if that’s LAME-O’s excuse, it’s a poor one. ‘Gotta get back to the jobsite quickly’ isn’t valid either, because, SO DO I!!!
It’s truly just a case of, ‘I’m important and you’re NOT!’. It’s a big disease in America. Maybe the ME Generation started it, but it’s become the prevalent attitude and we considerate people are REALLY in the minority!
Lowe’s & Home Depot staff won’t say anything to people to discourage the activity for fear of getting sued! Hey, have you noticed how deplorable people act walking out of Costco? They’ll stop dead on the middle of the exiting people & carts just to check their receipts, TOTALLY oblivious to the 20 people & carts behind them! Or, they’ll park their carts anywhere NEAR the foodcourt, not caring or even noticing people then have to walk single- file or trudge around their cart just to get put of the store! Staff won’t say anything, again for fear of getting sued (management admitted), so shoppers just back up and clog the otherwise large artery even further!
And, how about slow drivers in left lanes, or slower drivers in the #2 lanes— both holding back many dozens of cars, when EVERYONE should be driving to the right except to pass? I’m certain they couldn’t have taken Driver’s Ed (remember that?). I see more slow cars in the #2 lane now, even when #3 lane is EMPTY, than ever before! They might think they’re staying away from ‘trouble’, but they’re actually causing it! Cars going the speed limit have to pass them on the right (in the ‘blind zone’) which causes untold problems and accidents!
Just be considerate America! It’ll make you feel good about yourself! AND, it might even catch on & become the new NORMAL!!!
You nailed it with your observation: "I'm important and you're not!"
It's too bad so many people act this way. And it's great you're not one of them. Thanks in advance for your consideration!