Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Caught Red-Handed

I've been caught...loitering. In my grocery store parking lot, no less. I usually spend my lunch hour doing one of three things: running errands, eating at my desk because I'm too busy to get away, or relaxing in my car eating my lunch and reading a book. The last one is my favorite. There are several reasons why I eat in my car rather than somewhere else: eating at my desk (we don't have a break room) - even if I close my door and turn off my phone - is not really a lunch break, I bring my lunch from home everyday so I can't really commandeer a table in any food establishment, and there are no parks close enough for me to enjoy (not to mention the fact that the weather doesn't always cooperate).

So last week I was in my car reading after I had eaten my lunch from home. A security patrol-woman who rides around the grocery store parking lot in a little golf cart came up to my car and tapped on my window. She asked me what I was doing. I told her I was reading on my lunch break. She asked me where I worked. I told her. She told me that I could not sit in the parking lot because I looked suspicious (!) and it was private property. I asked her if I had bought something at the grocery store that day would I be allowed to park in their parking lot for a while. She said yes, but only for a certain amount of time. She said that I had been there for over an hour (impossible since my lunch break is only an hour long total). She said I would no longer be allowed to stay. So, I left.

Never mind the fact that I have been parking there on my lunch break for about two and a half years. Never mind the fact that I am a patron of that grocery store and shop there every week if not more. The pharmacists know me by name as does the manager, strangely enough. In fact, I thought about getting special permission from the manager to "loiter" in their parking lot, but decided against it.

My coworker, who does the same thing on her lunch break on a regular basis, told me another place to go. I'll try that.

7 comments:

Carissa said...

You are one suspicious-looking woman, let me tell you! Haha!

It sounds like that lady was on a little bit of a power trip.

Unknown said...

This is so funny! I know, it wasn't funny at the time. But really, this is the kind of thing that is fun to imagine in my head...the security woman tapping your window. The conversation. The look on your face. I can see it all! How do you eat and read in your car without getting too hot??? Is your AC on or the windows down? And if I were you, I would absolutely ask permission from the store manager and continue to eat and read there. Don't let her ruin your plan!

Anonymous said...

This actually cracks me up!
Colt and I are sharing a car right now, and yesterday we went to the grocery after I picked him up from work, on my way home. After we had done all the shopping, I realized I left a coupon for $15 off. So Colt drove home to get the coupon, so I just meandered around the relatively small grocery story for about 30 minutes while Colt made the trip home and back. We only live about 4 miles from the store, so it wasn't that far, but I was afraid I looked suspicious too!!! :)

Emily Cade said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Emily Cade said...

Rachel! you are such a rebel! How am I going to sleep at night knowing that there are nice young women who like to make lists loitering in my grocery store parknig lots! If you had been planning graffiti of some kind, or even a kidnapping, but reading a book?
Seriously, that is so lame of them. I used to always sit in my car on my lunch breaks in random parking lots. I would have been SO MAD if someone would have come up to me and ask me to leave!!!

Amberly said...

Oh, for crying out loud... that's just plain ridiculous!!

Unknown said...

I used to do the same thing when I went to UNT. I didn't have enough time to drive home, and I wasn't about to eat in the school cafeteria by myself, so I'd sit in my car out by the football stadium. Some semesters I'd have about an hour and would even lay down in my backseat.

My car became by favorite place to be!