A grocery store is a place where you buy groceries, hence you may or may not spend too much time in it. The amount of time you spend in a grocery store depends on what you’re buying and how long it takes you to get them and make the payments.
Therefore, how long can you park in a grocery store parking lot?
The amount of time you can park in a grocery store parking lot is between 2 to 12 hours depending on what you’re buying and the store parking rules. Some grocery stores can allow you to park for a maximum of 2 hours after making your purchases.
How Long Can You Park in A Grocery Store Parking Lot?
You can park for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 12 hours in a grocery store parking lot depending on what you’re buying and how long it takes you to complete your purchase.
It is important to note that some grocery store parking lots can allow you to park for a minimum of 2 hours after completing your purchase. It depends on the rules set aside by the store.
However, you may not be allowed to park in a grocery store parking lot if you don’t intend to buy something from the store. Your car can be towed.
I’ve seen a news report about a store that tows people’s cars immediately after they parked them and walk away instead of going into the store to make a purchase.
For a better understanding of what I’m talking about, you can watch a YouTube video below made by Inside Edition where they experimented and reported how McDonald’s towed people’s cars for parking and walking away.
Factors that Determine How Long to Park in a Grocery Store Parking Lot
Factors that determine how long you can park in a grocery store parking lot are:
1. You Must be a Customer
The first possibility is to be a customer before you can have access to a grocery store parking lot. This is because, a grocery store parking lot is designed for “customers”, not the neighbor in the next street or the civilian who is quickly looking for a temporary space to park their cars.
Therefore, you’re first qualified to own a space in a grocery store parking lot when you are an intending customer with the willingness to buy NOW. In this case, you can have your car parked until you are done shopping.
2. The Rules That Surrounds The Parking Lot
Many grocery stores have shed some bitter tears, because of the constant depreciation in sales. When the parking lot becomes too busy with people who are not customers, it makes it hard for real customers to drive in.
Nobody wants to waste time waiting in queues, just to find a place to park when there are other neighboring grocery stores around.
Because of this, some grocery stores ensure that security guards are mounted to prevent non-buying customers or random people from taking a parking space, hence, they go further in hastening the buying decisions of customers, to ensure they have a space to park.
3. The Size Of The Grocery Parking Lot
Not all grocery stores have a spacious parking lot; some have it in a small size which makes it hard for a lot of cars to park or stay parked for a long time.
4. If You Are an Employee
Employees practically have the longest time to park their cars in the parking lot. They work in shifts and hours. They only get to drive out when their working hours are up.
These possibilities are what will determine how long you can stay parked in a grocery parking lot.
Who Can Park In A Grocery Store Parking Lot?
Anyone literarily can park in a grocery store as long as they are willing to make a purchase. It is a public place, so anyone has the right. But rules are what keep things in order.
A grocery store isn’t for you if you’re not in for the following:
- If you are not a customer that is willing to make a purchase.
- If you are not an employee during working hours
- If you are not there for a business purpose
- If you intend to stay too long
Therefore, you are only allowed to park in a grocery store parking lot if you are a customer or an employee during working hours. You are also not allowed to park there if you don’t have any business there and if you intend to stay too long.
With the rules set aside and strictly adhered to, a grocery parking lot can be managed and more sales can be made.
Will My Car Get Towed If I Leave It in a Grocery Store?
Yes, however, not all grocery stores can tow your car if you leave it, but some are strict with their rules. You are expected to park only if you’re in for a business meet-up, a customer, or an employee.
If you don’t fit into any of the categories and your car is sighted to have stayed longer than expected, you can be called upon to move it immediately. If they can’t reach you, your car can be towed away from the spot.
From the video shared above, you could see how quickly McDonald’s towed an Inside Edition employee’s car who parked and walked away instead of entering the store to make a purchase.
It tells you that some of these stores have a standby towing vehicle waiting for trespassers who fail to adhere to the parking rules of their parking lot.
Would you blame them for doing so? A grocery store with a very small parking lot will not tolerate someone parking his car without having any business with the store.
Since the parking space is relatively small, they believe you are blocking real customers from parking their vehicles to make a purchase.
If a customer can’t find a space to park and make a purchase, there is a probability that such a customer will leave for another store where he can comfortably park his car before making a purchase, hence the reason why these stores ensure that only people who have something to do with the store can park in their lot.
Some other grocery stores will give an optimum of 2 hours after purchasing to have your car parked, while some others will expect you to move immediately.
When you get to a grocery store, try to check if there are any instructions pasted or mounted around for parking guidelines.
If you can’t find it, reach out to the security guards, if you have the intention to stay longer than expected. He or she might cut you a good deal.
Conclusion
A grocery store isn’t always free space for random parking. There are rules guiding how you park and when to leave. At first, be sure of the rule that guides your state or precisely, the store you’re in, so you don’t get into a position when you are asked to move your car, or worst case, have your car towed when you’re not there.
