It is the same here, sushipup. Only I notice it mostly at big box stores. Even at the height of the pandemic when most were doing pick-up, there were never more than half the spots filled. Now it is just annoying. Here, a whole parking lot can be full necessitating street parking at a cost, but those pesky reserved pick-up spots are all empty.

I get lots of exercise, but walking across a whole parking lot is not as easy as it was when I was 37.

As I see it, one of two possibilites. If you’re handicapped with a handicapped tag or placard and there are no handicapped spots left, take one of the spots and quickly explain to someone when you go in. If you’re not handicapped then those spots are just like any other close spots that would most likely be taken anyway if it’s a busy store. And if it’s not a busy store, the regular spots are not far away. Enjoy a few seconds of exercise.

If walking around is difficult, why not use pickup yourself?

This is reminding me of nextdoor...

Handicap spots were all full yesterday. There were only 4 of them for two large restaurants.

I see that many comments have been removed here so I hesitate to respond. Myself, I would not park in an area designated for pick-up only.

I don't mind designated spots so long as they are reasonable in number, but there are so many kinds now: mommies with strollers, law enforcement only, order pick up, handicap, 15 min only, electric vehicles, subcompacts only, fuel efficient only...pretty soon you're going to need designated parking spots for "everybody else".

We're all entitled to our own "minor pet peeves" ... and sometimes it's good to let out your frustrations because always bottling them in is unhealthy. Just ask DH or my sibling as they curse out other drivers! (Both are good drivers and super polite in person but for some reason they "gotta let it out" in the privacy of the car. Whatever. I gave up remonstrating them long ago.)

I tried to make my point a general one ---- spots are reserved but going empty. A few of you got my point. Thank you. My husband has a very hard time walking for short distances and uses a cane. In fact, I've just recently convinced him to use a cane, he's proud and stubborn, and using a cane is an admission of his disability. We find that handicap spots are filled quickly, and I think that a few more would be well-used. As for take out yesterday, we wanted a nice lunch after a long medical appointment and before making a round of errands. We often do what Wildchild does: I drop him at the door and then find a more remote parking spot,

I'm on my way to Trader Joe's today. They have 4 handicap spots, all filled quickly. There is no pick-up service at TJ's. Right next door in the strip mall is a Sephora cosmetics store. They have 4, I kid you not, 4 'customer pick-up' spots, and they are always empty. I've never seen more than 3 or 4 people in that store at any one time. How many of you do order pick up for your cosmetics?

@sushipup1....we've commented on empty front row parking for years! You really need the front row spots...I'm glad your asserting yourself and just taking one.

I've got a rant....new car...I park waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out in the boonies....and someone parks next to me. ! ! ! oh well.....

I still do lots of take-out/curb side to go, because I'm not sure I'm ready to eat inside a restaurant yet.

I do know that around me, the take-out orders at dinner are pretty busy. For the restaurants I use, that bring your order to your car, I've occasionally found all the curb side spots are filled when I arrive.

Different restaurants use different protocols - some say text us when you arrive, others have you fill out your car's make/model when you order, others have you call them when you arrive, etc.. (Gosh I eat out way too much. LOL. It's one of my treats to myself...)

Anyway, during the dinner rush I've seen a lack of close-in parking be a problem for the to-go orders, because the staff bringing the orders out aren't sure where to look for your car.

That was not well-written, but it's early and my caffeine hasn't kicked in yet. :)

Home Depot has a slew of reserved pick up parking spaces. And they seem to allow two spaces for each car. They are always empty when I get there.

Your sex, age, and/or physical condition makes you an easier target for crime in parking lots. Even in the daylight in the best of areas aren't crime free. The nearest you can park to a store and the less isolated you are the better your chances of not becoming a victim. Safety in parking lots aren't only for employees.

Sushipup I also commend you for taking the parking spot.

In WWII my parents had to stand in a huge long lineup for a slice of bread. They didn't care how long the lineup was. #firstworldproblems.

When a spot has a sign or painted designation, I abide by it. I can't believe a designation that doesn't meet one's specific circumstances is something to get upset about or to ignore because you disagree with how the parking lot is managed. Really?

Along the same line, a CVS has at least 6 handicapped spots. Most usually empty.

It’s a destination location, so only those going there.

I did a grocery pick up recently. It was the only way to get my DH’s favorite cereal.

The spots were off to the side, marked by a canopy. The canopy had the station number so they would know where you are parked.

Sushi ,I think you solved your problem. Park in the pick up spot if you need to, but tell them insudecwhat you are doing.

Dedtired, I wish obgyns could write an order for a temporary handicap placard for expectant mothers in the 9th month to post-partum. I know I would have appreciated it.

I'm grateful for the restaurants that still provide parking for takeout. It also makes it easier for those restaurants that have staff deliver food to vehicles.

If lack of adequate handicap parking is the real issue, you should address that with the establishment.

I've never done curbside pickup. So I'm not concerned with that. And have no problem with bona fide handicapped spots of course. But the designated parking spaces for parents with young children galls me. I had 3 young children/babies all at one time when I was a lot younger. I did what I had to do..unbuckling car seats and carrying babies and having the walking ones hold tight onto me as we schlepped to the store. Sometimes it was a long hike and sometimes it wasn't. It never occurred to me to have a special parking space because I chose to have kids. And now I'm hearing about these spaces for expectant moms? My daughter has seen them at Kohls. What? Give me a break. You're not handicapped. You're just pregnant.

I do not care if all the handicapped spaces are empty -- if YOU are NOT handicapped, you do not belong there. If you have a legal handicapped hang-tag, then you may park there.

One never knows when one might become handicapped and truly NEED those parking spaces. Able-bodied people of any age can jolly well make the hike across the lot. If you are able, physically, to do that, then thank your lucky stars and quit moaning.

Talk about elitist attitudes. And "me first, the h*ll with the rest of you".... Just wait until you join the folk who have medical/physical problems -- as you most probably could at some point in the future. What tune will you be singing THEN?

"me first, the h*ll with the rest of you"

These words describe an attitude that's not so much elitist as selfish or self-centered. I can't use it or need it or didn't have it when it might have been useful for me so the heck with you. I'm not sure that's necessarily what's behind every comment here but it is a bit with a few.

If the handicapped parking spots always seem to be full, perhaps you should speak with management about how many designated spots there are. If they get enough complaints perhaps they will re-assign spaces in the future.

One day I was taking my mother with Parkinson's to the store. I dropped her off at the door and proceeded to park in a handicapped space and hung her placard. A police officer told me I can't park there. But officer, my mother can't walk that far and she's sitting on a bench, and because of the related dementia I can't leave her for long while I circle looking for a space. He didn't ticket me but said he would the next time I did it.

I get it, but what was I to do?

I was doing indoor pickup at Panera once with Mom. I left her in the car with the AC on because it was hot while I literally ran in to grab the bag from the shelf. When I came out she had locked the doors. It took me a few minutes of coaching and coaxing to get her to unlock them. Last time we got take out without a drive-through.

Couldn't bring her in, couldn't leave her in the car, couldn't park nearby. (Why were we even out? We were at appointments, so doing those other things on the way home.)

I hope they continue with curbside for people like us.

I don't understand why the officer told you that you couldn't park in the handicapped spot with the placard.

No where did I mention parking in HC spaces without a valid permit/tag. My only observation/rant is that so many "order pickup" spaces are going unused.

Chi, it says on the card that the person to whom the card is issued must be in the vehicle when it parks. If they are not going from the vehicle to the store etc, they can't park there..I get it, but still it was a conundrum.

One day I was taking my mother with Parkinson's to the store. I dropped her off at the door and proceeded to park in a handicapped space and hung her placard. A police officer told me I can't park there.

I've never seen police patrolling a parking lot. Maybe store security, but not police.

If I was pregnant, or a young mother with a bunch of kids, I very well might shop at a store that showed that they were aware of my situation and cared enough to mark special parking for me. Good marketing by them!

Around here plenty of people are still picking up food so the parking spaces are well used.

Judi, I found it curious, too. But maybe he is looking for people parking in handicap spaces illegally! He was definitely a police officer, not security.

bpath, oh, that is annoying. I'm sure it's to prevent people from "borrowing" placards and claiming the handicapped person will be right back, but that seems overly rigid if your mother was in view.

Judi, yes the police do patrol parking lots looking for HC violations.

My husband is handicapped and not only does he need to display his placecard,but he also has a wallet card with the number of the placecard identifying him as the owner of the placecard. If asked by law enforcement he must show his wallet card and identification to verify rightful ownership.

Pickup/carryout at resteraunts has been around for ages for me. Ever since I was a kid there were places with those marked spots, and there got to be more of them as I became an adult and got older. Since I've been used to that for decades before the pandemic, it hasn't seemed too unusual to see more of them as the pandemic has been going on. Sometimes those spots have cars in them, sometimes they don't. 15- 30 minute parking at some stores and the like has been around for decades too, and I see them used or not. Same goes for handicapped, expectant mothers, and veteran parking- those are sometimes empty, sometimes not. I don't begrudge those spaces, I just look right past them to other parking spots.

"yes the police do patrol parking lots looking for HC violations."

Not in my area, I think there are better ways to spend their time - disabled parking violators ought to know better than to be so inconsiderate.

Here's a better way to spend their time - apprehending those who violate the "hands free driving" rules in their cars. It's one of so many important and useful mandates that exist in our democracy. Any car made in the last, what, 7-8 years or even longer has a bluetooth capability. Why is it I see so often people of one particular gender more than the other driving near-new Teslas, MBs, BMWs, with a phone in hand? It's dangerous and there's no excuse. Maybe a few $150+ tickets will get the message across one by one.

For me, the #1 priority for public safety officers is to do just what the name implies, protect the safety of the public. I said that people should follow posted parking rules but this isn't a policing priority. As between cruising the streets to apprehend lawbreakers whose conduct threatens the lives of others (DUI, violations of the hands free rule, speeding and running red lights, stop signs, and other important traffic rules) , or driving around parking lots to write parking citations, most people would rather they prioritize public safety. I'm okay with parking enforcement officers, who aren't regular police officers, spending time in parking lots. Whether looking for expired parking meters or illegal parking of one kind or another, that's what they do. Their time allocations don't have life or death consequences.

There's an irony in the comment because not for the first time, you think your matter should be everyone's and anyone's priority. Like those who go to an ER and think they should be seen next because, hey, after all, let others wait.

Store security should be able to handle private parking lot violations. There's absolutely no reason we should be paying police to babysit parking lots.

Cops in my area do police parking lots periodically - they're looking for stolen cars, unregistered cars, cars and drivers with outstanding warrants, that sort of thing. I suppose if they see a car unlawfully parked in a handicapped zone they'll write it up while they're there.

I suspect this varies with the type of community, its density (urban vs rural or gradations in-between) and the police workload.

In many areas in my state, there are lists of non-emergency, no suspect-present crimes that the local police forces when called won't show up for at all. Because they're too busy and they've determined there are better ways to spend their time. Including, in some places, car accidents where ID info has been exchanged between drivers, theft (including theft from cars), hit and run, vandalism, and the like. "Police reports" are prepared online by the citizen(s) concerned or aware of the crime committed or suspected.

As mentioned before, more bustling or populated places have traffic enforcement staff to relieve patrol cars from concerning themselves with other than egregious parking issues.

For all I know, the officer was dealing with another issue by request in the parking lot or a store. WHY he was checking on me is not the issue. Btw, a lady was walking by and yelled at the officer "she dropped off her ELDERLY MOTHER!" which I appreciated but the officer was taken aback.

Anyway, I had the officer come in to the store to explain to my mother why she would have to trek all the way from the parking space across where cars drive in from of the store to get to the store-provided cart that she can ride in. Just to prove my point to him. He was not a prime example of that town's police force, I hope.

After that, I drove her to her salon at the other end of the shopping center. They would always come out to the car to help her in while I parked -- wherever I wanted. They are so kind!

Looking for stolen cars and unregistered/unlicensed drivers is/is police work, not parking enforcement. A quick sweep through a crowded parking lot using hi-tech automated license plate recognition is an efficient way of checking out a large number of cars in a very short time. It's not as if the cops are there 24/7, it's an occasional sweep, at least where I live. I don't see it being any different than the highway patrol running the numbers on every car that passes them and going after the ones with warrants on them. Standard policing. And for obvious reasons, well suited to areas with dense populations or high traffic volumes.

"A quick sweep through a crowded parking lot using hi-tech automated license plate recognition is an efficient way of checking out a large number of cars in a very short time"

I must be mistaken. Unless I see one near the door of somewhere like a grocery store, where I presume some incident or disturbance triggered a call. Otherwise, I never see them in parking lots.

I only know of my own experiences. .

I guess your experiences in my area are different. How frequently do you see police cars in public parking lots in the cities and towns where I spend my time?

IMO, as our society ages, more and more people seem to be in need of disabled parking spots. Whenever I take my mom to her appt.s, the disabled spots are almost always already filled with legit vehicles. Many places have only 2-3 spaces set aside and that's clearly not enough.

Though I don't use them myself, I've seen the same thing, Carol. A medical office may need more than an elementary school. It seems like locations that can tend to have more older visitors/patrons may need to have more spots set aside but I think the number is something that's set in commercial building codes that vary by more by square footage than by anything else.

Why y'all are bothering to explain to elmer, I don't get it? They're no expert in policing. Not in metropoli, not in small towns. They have no idea what criminal justice means anywhere. Don't justify yourselves.

Dropping off an elderly mom with Parkinson at the store entrance so she can be spared at the least the walk from the parking lot to the store is so very fine in my estimation. Explain that to the officer and he should just say-oh sorry, I didnt realize that because it should not be about some letter of the law. The whole point is to accommodate the person who needs the help. An officer is allowed to make that sort of decision in enforcement. Officers are not required to hand out a ticket for an infraction. They get to interpret and everytime they do not give someone a ticket they are doing just that.

"I guess your experiences in my area are different."

Possibly that's why I began my comment with "Cops in my area do police parking lots periodically."  Emphasis on "in my area." That my experience is different from yours doesn't make it less valid.

Cops here make extensive use of ALPR wherever they are: it's a useful policing tool which has nothing to do with enforcing parking rules.

Carol, you are right about accommodating people where they need it. I used to take my Dad to the orthopedist and to PT at a building where the push-button to open the door was a good 10’ from the door, so if you had any mobility issues, like the reason you were visiting the building in the first place. you had to scramble to get to the door. Dad couldn’t scramble! and, the door to the orthopedist’s waiting room you had to pull, and it was heavy. I got plenty of exercise hopping up from my chair to hold the door open for someone with an arm in a sling, a leg up on a knee-scooter, or with a walker or cane.

IGNORE it all, means nothing. A police officer can only give out a parking ticket for parking in a fire lane or a Handicap spot on private property, unless the other spots are written into the city ordnance as a violation. If in doubt ask a cop or read your city ordinances but until it clearly becomes a written ordnance all other parking spaces are open game.

If they called a cop he or she wouldn't even call a tow truck, it's up to the property owner, and in most cases the owner must have a sign posted with the name of the tow company and where your car will be held to have it towed (ever seen a will tow sign in one of these spots?) so odds are they will never tow your car.

So park in any takeout, pickup or Pro parking spot you want. They could ask you to move your car or call a tow truck it it's posted, but they won't. The worst they could do is ban you from the property and then have you arrested for trespassing on private property if you come back, but they won't.

Gee, if it’s your favorite take-out the worst they could do is hang up on you when you order!

Judi, security guards do not have the authority to write parking tickets in public parking lots at shopping centers and stores. If there is a violation then they have to call the police to write the citation.

“It seems like locations that can tend to have more older visitors/patrons may need to have more spots set aside but I think the number is something that's set in commercial building codes that vary by more by square footage than by anything else.”

Its all about ADA compliance. The number of accessible spaces depends on the total number of parking spaces in the lot.

https://adata.org/factsheet/parking