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Our local shopping centre operates a parking system whereby you pay at a ticket machine on each parking level before you actually drive to the exit barrier with your, now paid off, ticket. It's a common enough system found in most multi-story car parks and it should be convenient and quick to use, however...
Often the exit scenario goes like this; a group of 10 or so people enter the lift at the shopping level and press their respective floor numebrs; a group gets out at each floor to pay for their parking at the ticket machines located next to the lifts; the person at the ticket machine puts in their ticket at which point the machine tells them how much to pay.
Now at this point what usually happens is that they start patting down pockets for change, asking their partner/friend if they have change. Sometimes this is an ideal opportunity to discuss the shopping trip or even the weather!
The ticket machine WILL want paying...
It's quite simple, you put the ticket in and the ticket machine WILL want paying, so it's somewhat silly to, at that point, start trying to find some change or notes.
Just as bad are the parents with children who then get their young children to put the money in the slot - which is almost always out of reach of said child. So the parent then has to wrestle with their shopping and pick up the child to put the money in the machine. A queue begins to form as we impatiently watch little Jonny drop the pound coin for the third time!
Please, have some change to hand and put it in the ticket machine yourself so we can all pay and be on our way.
By: Bagpuss
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Never ever have there been such practices in any other walk or concern of life.
I think the council is hoping it will lead to them getting more money in fines when people don't manage to get a ticket even though the machine is officially "working".
The ticket-machine scenario is no different from shoppers at the supermarket checkout, who, when confronted with the bill, act surprised and then spend several minutes searching for their purse, opening their purse, shuffling the receipts and scraps of paper around in their purse, locating the appropriate cash, finding they don't have enough cash, shuffling through their cards and finally offering a debit card to the relief of everyone else in the queue...
But hey, it's an imperfect world, and all these little things are sent to try us, just so we can vent steam on the Weekly Gripe, and then get 'shouted' at by complete strangers!!!
And before someone asks, I walk to work after walking the kids to school, take the bus into the city centre, and only use the car for groceries or family outings.
Besides, is the minute you 'waste' waiting for people so valuable? People need to slow down. You'll cause yourself undue stress, worrying that the lady with her kids is eating all your time.
So I'm sorry, but if you meet me trying to read the instructions without my glasses because I've left them in my car, then perhaps you could actually try helping a fellow human being, instead of moaning about being kept waiting ! Whilst you stand there tut tutting at the mum and her young child keeping you waiting for a few seconds, how's about actually offering a helping hand ?
There's a novelty !
Don't ever remember having to pay for car parking in shopping malls in the US - or paying £65 to fill my car with petrol for the privelage of driving to the shops - only to pay another charge for somewhere to leave my car.
Thought we all paid council tax to help fund this sort of service......and don't get me started on hospital car park fees.....
Michelle
I tell him that we have to get people out quickly, not simply because this increases sales (though that is of course an incentive), but because people LIKE getting out of the store fast. I ask him why hold up the entire line when he could simply begin to take out his cash as he is next in line. He takes his time almost as a protest to being rushed, because he feels like my generation is in too much of a hurry.
I say, "If you want to live like your generation, stop using the internet. Otherwise live with the time."