Vent: the 5 minute walk around the lot beats 15 minutes of circling every time

Everyone swears the front row is worth it, but I started parking at the far end near the cart return at the Walmart on Division Street. I timed it for a week: circling near the entrance averaged 14 minutes plus the stress of watching someone back out. Walking from the back corner took 5 minutes flat, even with a loaded cart. The trick is aiming for the second row from the fence, where the line always ends early. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I've saved about an hour a week since I switched in June. Anyone else tried the perimeter strategy or is the front row really that important to people?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben20613d ago

Funny you mention this, my buddy Dave swears by the same thing at the Costco over in Bellevue, but he got so good at it he started timing how fast he could jog with a full cart. He now treats grocery runs like a mini workout and wears his running shoes to the store. Pretty sure he's saved more on gym time than gas, so maybe the back row has hidden benefits nobody talks about.

tylerblack13d agoMost Upvoted

The "mini workout" thing got me though, because it's funny how people turn boring chores into games without even thinking about it. I catch myself doing the same stuff, like seeing how many dishes I can wash before the kettle boils or trying to carry all the groceries in one trip. It's like we're all wired to make the dull stuff slightly less dull, and once you notice it, you see it everywhere. People at the gym are basically paying to do the same movements they could get paid to do at work, or at least do for free at home. So maybe Dave's onto something bigger than just saving on gas, he's figured out that the whole day can be a workout if you just frame it right. Kind of makes you wonder what else we're missing because we're too busy looking for shortcuts.