This could actually work (car park spaes)
This could actually work (car park spaes)
Author
Discussion

isee

Original Poster:

3,713 posts

206 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Following on from the thread about stboxes being parked next to P&Js
If the supermarkets made wide spaces (same size as the family ones with clearley marked spacers in between)
It might actually attract people who value their car. Don;t want to sound like I am stereotyping but people who care about their car are likely to be owners of a more expensive car inteh first place. Owners of a more expensive car, will probably have more cash to go and would either be spending their cash on more goods or on higher quality goods (goods with a higher markup).

I mean this should be piloted by supermarkets and you never know, they might see their revenue increased because an owner of a nice car goes to that supermarket specifically for that parking space non?

kambites

70,787 posts

244 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Waitrose already have much wider spaces than Asda, at least at our local examples of each.

In my experience, people with more valuable but non-enthusiast cars are most likely to not be careful of other people's cars. I suspect this is just because more valuable cars tend to be bigger so if someone flings a door open, it's more likely to reach the car next to them.


Edited by kambites on Monday 25th October 10:37

ewenm

28,506 posts

268 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Why would they want to reduce the number of spaces? Any evidence that people in nice/expensive/pristine cars spend more shopping? Perhaps they spend less so they have more to spend on their car.

Edited by ewenm on Monday 25th October 10:38

SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

221 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
or they just get the food an goods delivered and think of the 5 quid cost as a ding protection insurance lol

10JH

2,070 posts

217 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
My local Costco has some pretty huge spaces. Always presumed it was because they're an American company.

omgus

7,305 posts

198 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
kambites said:
Waitrose already have much wider spaces than Asda, at least at our local examples of each.
Waitroses (Waitrai?) near my house, bigger spaces in Frimley than in Sunningdale. Parking equally dismal in both.

RDMcG

20,515 posts

230 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
WOuld be immediately filled up with Hummer and Range Rover drivers.....

Arese

21,238 posts

210 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
10JH said:
My local Costco has some pretty huge spaces. Always presumed it was because they're an American company.
yes But I always assumed it was because a lot of their customers come in big vans.

Daaaveee

915 posts

246 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Speaking from experience of designing site layouts for supermarkets, they look for as many spaces as possible as each one commands a certain value due to potential revenue earned from the people parking in it. Does that make sense?! Anyway, I doubt theu would be too keen on losing spaces. 2.4x4.8m is the standard size, and is plenty providing people can park in the middle, which I understand is pretty hard for some people!

LuS1fer

43,265 posts

268 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
People with more money have it delivered, dear boy.

carl carlson

786 posts

185 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Stop going to the supermarket and order online.

Munter

31,330 posts

264 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Their VIP customers who spend the most already have the wider spaces as you mentioned.

KaraK

13,695 posts

232 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
The thing is the "affluent" aren't really most supermarkets key demographic. It's young families where the cash is - I'm a single, late twenties male with a decent (if not spectacular) wage and I have a car that I definately like to protect so I'm probably the sort of person you are aiming this idea at.Now I go into a supermarket and spend £40-60 a week, one of my friends who is the same age but is married with two young ones will drop in excess of a £100 a week easily - can you see why the supermarket decided to give up more car parking real estate to them then to me? Particularly since they can reasonably easily make sure that those parking spots are being used by the intended types of customer!

Personally my solution to this would be to have "deluxe" parking spaces that were wider but you pay for them.




Risotto

3,933 posts

235 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
This topic comes up pretty frequently and I really don't understand why. Supermarkets can do as they please with their private car parks. Either accept their terms or find some other means of buying the groceries.

I appreciate that they do cater for certain niche markets - disabled people and parent & child but the former is probably a legal requirement and the latter must generate additional profit or increase the customer base or something.

Supermarkets don't generally do things out of the goodness of their hearts - they wouldn't have introduced parent & child spaces (thus reducing the overall number of spaces) unless there was something in it for them.

I'm sure that if their research indicated that providing dedicated spaces for aggressive people with an over-inflated sense of self worth would increase profits then they'd lose no time introducing spaces marked 'Boorish yahoos'. That's surely got to be the next biggest niche.

'People who fret about leaving their car next to a poor person's car' is probably a fair way down the list, I don't think you'll be getting your own space anytime soon.

mat205125

17,790 posts

236 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
Larger spaces just reduces the requirement for the Picassholes to even attempt to park in the centre of the area, in a straight line. Nothing will change their parking styles, their respect for other peoples property, or the responsibility they take for their own actions.

Making car parks one way, and having the spaces staggered at 45 degrees remains the best solution IMO ...... That, or delivery!!! smile


bigandclever

14,215 posts

261 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
isee said:
I mean this should be piloted by supermarkets and you never know, they might see their revenue increased because an owner of a nice car goes to that supermarket specifically for that parking space non?
You're mad smile

Supermarkets aim squarely at the mass, family market, not the odd plum going in for quail's eggs and 4 ply organic bog roll. It costs me more to go to Tesco in the Tiv than it does for them to come to me, so guess what I do? The infinitely-reduced chance of getting a ding is a bonus.

McSam

6,753 posts

198 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
omgus said:
Waitroses (Waitrai?) near my house...
Fairly confident the plural of rose is not rai hehe

Deva Link

26,934 posts

268 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
mat205125 said:
Making car parks one way, and having the spaces staggered at 45 degrees remains the best solution IMO ...... That, or delivery!!! smile
Herringbone parking (as is common in the US) would be fine and would result in only a few lost spaces - indeed the narrower gap necessary between rows might mean an extra row could be squeezed in.

obob

4,193 posts

217 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
People with more money tend to spend less. Thats why they have more money.

RSGulp

1,472 posts

262 months

Monday 25th October 2010
quotequote all
My local Sainsbury store has a number of very wide spaces furthest away from the main entrance. They are not parent and child spaces, have no signage, no additional markings - just 10 nice wide spaces each around 1m wider than your average space.