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lost car in supermarket carpark

(80 Posts)
Fennel Thu 06-Sep-18 19:41:51

I've only just got the confidence to drive down to our big Tesco once week for the main groceries etc.
I get there early, 9.30 ish and park, trying to be as close as possible to a main entrance.Go up the escalator and do my shopping.
Fine up to now, but when I get down again, register the parking ticket, but where is my car? The carpark is packed by now, and it's HUGE. All 4 sides around the store. This morning I must have walked over 15 minutes looking for it.
With my trolley. TG found it eventually.
Any advice how to track the parking place.

Bathsheba Thu 06-Sep-18 19:51:20

If you get there early, when it's fairly empty, try to park near a landmark. Next to one of the trolley bays for example, or at the very end of one of the lanes.
Have you got a smart phone? If so, take a photo from your car looking directly towards the store. Walk in a straight line to the store and take another photo looking back towards your car. These should guide you when you come out.
Secondly, make a point of always parking in the same part of the car park every time you go there. Then you won't have to search all round, you'll at least know which area to look in!
Good luck smile

Marydoll Thu 06-Sep-18 19:51:24

Years ago I took delivery of a new car and went to Tesco on my way home from work.
I came out of the supermarket, went to my car, pressed the zapper, but it wouldn't open. I was beginning to panic when the trolley boy, a former pupil, came up and said: That's not your car, Mrs Marydoll, that's yours over there. I saw you parking it! blush

Jalima1108 Thu 06-Sep-18 19:54:16

I spent 20 minutes once at a large car park looking for my car then realised I had taken DH's.

Sorry, that wasn't much help.
At our large Mall all the rows are marked clearly A1 etc, so I try to remember to make a note of the number of the row. And I usually try to park in the same area if there is space.

Greyduster Thu 06-Sep-18 20:46:54

The day we moved into this house, I drove down to the local Morrison’s superstore to get some stuff for lunch. My first visit. When I came out, I looked all over the car park and couldn’t find the car anywhere. Panic set in. I went back into the store and said to the security guard that I thought someone might have taken my car. He said “have you searched both car parks madam?” They had two entrances, each with adjacent car parks and I had entered through one and exited through the other without realising it! I felt very foolish, but relieved.

Fennel Thu 06-Sep-18 21:02:43

smile like me today, Greyduster.
I eventually found there was an extension of the carpark round the other side of the store entrance .

Diana54 Thu 06-Sep-18 21:15:22

My sister ties a pink bow onto the aerial but that's not much help if it's the wrong car park. I go before 10 am and it's not too busy so no real problem.

midgey Thu 06-Sep-18 21:18:22

My daughter has a snowman on her aerial. She constantly looses her car but it does help .....a little.

NanKate Thu 06-Sep-18 21:23:20

Some car parks have numbers or letters to say where you have parked your car. Why some supermarkets have removed these I do not know. ?

Melanieeastanglia Thu 06-Sep-18 21:43:38

Years ago I came out of the supermarket and started to look for my car. My son, aged 18 months, had not started to talk but helpfully pointed a finger in the direction we had to go to find my car. I was amazed that he knew.

lemongrove Thu 06-Sep-18 21:45:27

I like a car that is easily spotted by it's colour.... so never buy a silver or pale blue one.

Willow500 Thu 06-Sep-18 21:46:14

I've lost count of the number of times I've lost my car! The worst was at a festival - even though I'd taken note of where I'd parked I walked round for an hour getting more and more panicked as I failed to find it. Eventually I found a marshal who asked a variety of questions and finally determined I was in the wrong field - he kindly put me on his tractor thing and took me to the right one. By that time I'd missed the main act so had to leave feeling terribly stupid and very annoyed with myself!

Many years ago my dad called the police as he said his car had been stolen from the street he'd parked it in. Before they arrived he suddenly remembered where he'd actually left it! Never lived it down!

I can get lost anywhere and my husband despairs of me in service stations - I come out and walk right past the car in the wrong direction. He just sits and watches me till I finally find him then berates me in front of nearby drivers for being so daft - jokingly of course grin

I recently bought a tracker which plugs into what used to be the cigarette lighter socket - an app on my phone can take me directly back to the car apparently. So far I've not needed it but it's reassuring to know it's there if I did.

Nandalot Thu 06-Sep-18 21:54:52

Once, on a ferry with friends, we went down to our car deck to find both our cars had disappeared! We had a surreal few minutes until some huge doors opened and we found our Carson the outside part of the deck.

Nandalot Thu 06-Sep-18 21:56:47

A roof box is useful for finding one’s car. We’ve just taken ours off so having to cope with the ‘finding where you have parked’ problem again.

janeainsworth Thu 06-Sep-18 22:32:11

My solution would be to not go to a big Tesco.
I go to our local Co-op where you can park outside, or the local Waitrose which is a small one. Even if you couldn’t remember where you’d parked, it would only take 2 minutes to walk round the car park. Provided you could remember what your car looked like you’d be finegrin

Maggiemaybe Thu 06-Sep-18 22:49:09

No advice, but I sympathise. We once had to wait till everyone else had left a music festival carpark because we hadn't taken note of where we'd parked - it was bang in the middle and we were literally the last out of the gate.

And just last year we were about to ring the police about the car that wasn't where we'd left it in a beachfront carpark, when we realised that there was an identical park a few hundred yards further on.

varian Thu 06-Sep-18 22:54:09

I have a friend whose husband owned a garage selling second hand cars. She didn't actually have her own car as her husband was always giving her different cars to test for a week or so. She once came out of a hypermarket loaded with shopping and looking round the vast car park, not only could she not find her car, but she couldn't remember what car she'd been driving.

stella1949 Fri 07-Sep-18 05:14:58

Take a picture of the surrounding area when you get out of your car - especially if there is a number / letter denoting the area .

Missfoodlove Fri 07-Sep-18 08:01:36

Try shunning big supermarkets and use a local market, butcher etc.
You may be surprised at the cost and quality and of course you will be supporting independent traders?

Fennel Fri 07-Sep-18 09:14:54

Some good ideas, thanks. I think I'll try tying something bright on the aerial.
There's not much choice of supermarkets here, I would have to drive much further to find an alternative. And I do like this one.

NfkDumpling Fri 07-Sep-18 09:27:35

I’m with Missfoodlove and Janeainsworth. Choose a smaller supermarket or shop locally. I hate parking in multi-storey car parks and have traipsed miles when I’ve forgotten the floor number or got in the wrong lift!

We’ve saved money shopping at small shops as we don’t impulse buy and just get what we need. Also it’s local food and supports local shops.

henetha Fri 07-Sep-18 10:12:15

I used to have this problem, so I bought a sparkly blue butterfly to attach to the top of the aerial. It definitely helps.

annodomini Fri 07-Sep-18 11:08:56

My solution used to be my granddaughter when she was younger. She could unerringly find my car in the most crowded carpark. Unfortunately she is now grown up and gone south. But now that we have both Aldi and Waitrose close at hand I no longer need to go to the big Tesco.

oldbatty Fri 07-Sep-18 11:10:29

I absolutely force myself to take a very careful note of which floor I'm on. Are there any colours or numbers? Are there any landmarks? I try to park near something like a post or a light. It's like learning to read or play a musical instrument. It takes all my energy.

goldengirl Fri 07-Sep-18 11:17:54

I've just got a new car which is a very bright colour. It sticks out a mile in a carpark of dull coloured cars but I do try and find a landmark - just in case!