Signs and Following Directions

WARNING:  Rant coming....

Do you read signs that are posted and more importantly, do you follow the directions on those signs?

Like, you pull into a parking lot and a sign says "Parking Reserved for Bob's Pretty Good Customers Only."  Do you park there anyway?  Or, do you keep driving and find a spaced that's not reserved?

It bugs me to no end when I work in the Palo Alto office and all the parking spaces are taken.  There's about 100 spaces in front of the building.  80 of them are marked for the company in the building next door to ours (there's some arrangement with the management that those folks can park in our lot).  10 spaces are maked with signs that say "Reserved Parking for XXXXX," the company that shares the building with my firm.  The last 10?  Yep, there are signs with our firm name and logo and the giant word RESERVED in all caps.  To me, those 20 signs tell me that if I'm not an employee or guest of one of those two named companies, my car should not be parked in those spaces.  Right?

Today, I left for lunch about 1:45; all of my firm's parking spaces were taken with employee cars.  While I was approaching my car and then getting into it, I noticed a very large white SUV circling the parking lot.  My only thought was "watch this blankety-blank-so-and-so come and take my parking space when I pull out."  And I was right.  She sat there waiting for me to leave, then just pulled right in and parked in the reserved space.  And she is not an employee of my firm, nor was she a guest - she proceeded to walk across the parking lot and into the building next door.

Of course, I ranted to myself the whole time I was gone; I really started ranting when I returned and the car was still there.  I drove to the 'back' parking lot, where we have another 15 spaces marked "Reserved" with the firm name on them, and those were all taken too!!!!  Are you kidding me?

Keep in mind - on a day when everyone in the firm shows up, there are 13 of us.  So, 10 people get to park in front and 3 must park in back.

And that's ok, because most days not all of us are in at the same time, and everyone can park in front.  Until some schmuck decides to take one of our spaces.

So, please, please, please:  If you come across a parking space that says RESERVED and it doesn't have your name on it, don't park there.  You're not as important as you think you are. 

Okay, rant over.

Until Next Time,

Kel