Driving can be a stressful experience. But personally, I find that cruising down the road, or even being stuck in traffic, is a breeze. When it comes time to park, however, my heart rate begins to rise. Will I be able to find a spot? How tight will the parking lot be? How much will I have to pay?
It’s understandable that most people aren’t interested in moving once they’ve found a perfect parking spot. But if that spot was blocked off when you arrived, well, you probably didn’t deserve it in the first place. Below, you’ll find a story that was recently posted on the Petty Revenge subreddit, detailing how one man got back at a Karen who refused to move her car, as well as a conversation between the author and Bored Panda.
This man requires plenty of space in a parking lot to do his job
Image credits: Rachael Holzman / Pexels (not the actual photo)
But when one woman refused to move her car, he decided that she could simply wait until he was finished
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Powerful-Gain-972
Image credits: Kindel Media / Pexels (not the actual photo)
"I do often encounter people in my way, but rarely are they this rude about it"
To find out more about this situation, we got in touch with Reddit user Powerful-Gain-972, who shared this story online. He told Bored Panda that he decided to tell this story after being inspired by other, similar accounts he had read online.
We were also curious about how often he has to ask drivers to move while doing his job. "I do often encounter people in my way, but rarely are they this rude about it," he noted.
Next, we asked the author whether or not he thinks this woman learned her lesson. "I believe she either learned her lesson and will become a much nicer and more respectful person in the future, OR she feels that she's not the one who did anything wrong and will just become more bitter," he shared.
Powerful-Gain-972 also added that he enjoyed reading the responses to his post. "The replies were mostly positive and very entertaining."
Image credits: Kindel Media / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Many people find parking to be stressful
So what makes parking so stressful? Is it trying to squeeze into a tiny spot, or trying to dodge other cars in the lot? Perhaps it’s remembering to put money in the meter to avoid a ticket or driving around the block a dozen times just praying that somebody leaves. Depending on where you live, parking might be a daily source of stress or, if you're lucky, a task that rarely ever crosses your mind.
But according to research from AppyParking, 46% of adults in the UK consider parking to be the most stressful part of driving. Over two thirds of drivers also admit that they’re concerned about the price of parking, and nearly half say that there’s not enough information displayed for drivers explaining where they’re allowed to park.
A third of drivers report that they never know whether or not there are parking restrictions, and 31% find information about parking confusing. Over a quarter of drivers admit that they’re often nervous about accidentally parking somewhere that they shouldn’t have. And many drivers are willing to park a ten-minute walk away from where they’re going if it means that they can find a free spot.
And if you find yourself becoming extremely stressed about parking, you might actually have parking anxiety. ParkMate explains that the symptoms of parking anxiety often include experiencing a rise in adrenaline, palpitations, tension, shortness of breath, shakiness, sweaty palms and/or a feeling of claustrophobia.
Image credits: Studio 31 / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Acting entitled is never a good way to get what you want
In this particular case, however, it seemed that the woman refused to move her car simply because she didn’t want to, not because she was scared to. While the act of parking itself can often make people anxious, another aspect of parking that can create tension is dealing with other drivers.
If a neighbor blocks you in or steals your spot, that’s a very easy way to make an enemy. Public parking lots are often the sites of parking disputes as well, as drivers may fight over whose spot is whose or how other drivers parked. “How dare you park over the line? Now I can’t fit in the spot next to you!” Or perhaps you’ll hear drivers shouting about someone dinging another person’s car with their door or scratching their bumper by tapping it.
As for why this woman felt entitled to park in a spot that was blocked off and then refused to move when asked politely, we can’t know for sure. But according to BetterHelp, a sense of entitlement often comes from being a spoiled child, attempting to overcompensate for past wrongs against them or a personality disorder.
Perhaps the woman in this story has never been told no. Or maybe she believes that she deserves the spot due to injustices that she’s endured in the past. And perhaps she simply doesn’t understand what entitled behavior is because to her, it seems perfectly reasonable. We’ll never know. But one thing that the author and the employee of the gas station can agree on is that she was not acting rationally.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this woman learned her lesson from the petty revenge? Or do you think she’ll act this way again in the future? Feel free to share, and then if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article featuring parking drama, we recommend reading this one next!
Amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the author joined in on the conversation
Readers continued applauding the man and sharing how much they enjoyed his story
