lost car in supermarket carpark

I did once get very cross because I couldn't get my car door open. Then I realised someone had parked an identical car next to mine!

Melanieeastanglia Yes keys will sometimes open other cars of the same make. This happened to us when we parked right next to a car of the same make & model. As we returned to our car and pressed unlock the car next to ours also flashed and unlocked. We got in pulled out of the parking space and relocked the other car before we left.

I often 'lose' our car in large car parks such as Tesco. I forget to check which row I've parked in eg. A,B,C etc. At one time I put a distinctive streamer on the end of the car ariel to make it more noticeable, but someone nicked it. Never mind the exercise looking for the car is good for me!

Arrange to have your car washed by one of the lads with the roaming trollies while you shop. TRUST ME he will see you as you exit and lead you to your, now clean, car

You're all so right about the colour mattering. Many years ago we asked the car salesman the reason for the big price reduction. 'Nobody likes the colour'. Sold. And that car was the one we never 'lost' for that very reason. It turned out to be a boon we never anticipated. Some y' win.

I tend to claim other folks cars as ours, so long as it is kind of the right shape and more importantly (to me) the right colour I head towards it.

Have attempted to get in the wrong car on several occasions and once (several years ago) when I was being collected somewhere I actually jumped into the wrong car, fitted my seat belt and chatted to the driver before looking and realising it was not my partner!! The poor man looked shocked.

Many years ago my husband took me and a friend to a concert at an arena. He said he'd pick us up at the end so we came out of the doors to be greeted by hundreds of cars in the car park. I just set off and walked straight to him parked in the middle which amazed my friend - till she saw the big orange flashing light he'd stuck on the roof!

If you have a smart phone there’s an app called where’s my car which brings you back to your car eveytime

Doesn't the car park have sections marked e.g. A, B, C etc. If not you should find some landmark say, parked in line with the first letter of the store on the front or wherever it shows. Good hunting.

Yes, way back when any key might fit several cars of the same make.

Shortly after I moved from Birmingham to London I saw a Mini just like mine parked up with its headlights on. Without thinking I unlocked the driver's side and turned them off - a gesture that would have been much appreciated in the Midlands.

The owner came racing up; "What are you doing getting into my car1". I explained but she wasn't having it at all and was very indignent. Luckily she didn't call the Police!! I could see where she was coming from - it was a culture thing really!

When I worked at Saintsbury's I always parked in the same place. One day when I went too get my car it had gone! I got the store's security men to start looking for it while I rang the police and called SiL for a lift home. When SiL arrived the first thing he saw was my car sitting in a corner of the carpark. I had comp!etely forgotten that when I drove in at 6am someone had taken my space and I'd had to find another one! This was a long time ago and I've never been allowed to forget it.

grannypauline - did that really happen or was it a funny story? Would an ignition key from one car work on another one? Perhaps they are interchangeable sometimes with the same make of car and I've just not realised this.

If it really did happen, the poor woman must have been horrorstruck and worried she'd be arrested for theft.

How lovely to read the word "wireless". My parents always used this word for the radio.

I am reminded of a story on the wireless: the woman said she came out of the store, unlocked the car, put her shopping in, and drove away. After about a mile she realised that it was similar to her own car but it wasn't exactly right - it wasn't her car!

She drove it back but the space she had come from wasn't empty any more so she had to park it nearby. She said she wondered what the real owner would have thought about their car driving itself round the car park!

My car is red as are quite a few others in large car parks so when on a seaside holiday I bought a small rubber yellow welly boot with a logo which fits on the top of the aerial from the RNLI shop. When out shopping with friends we go on a `find the yellow welly ` hunt which usually doesn`t take very long. Also I feel I`ve contributed to the RNLI - a very worthy cause.

When I was a student (a very long time ago) one of our lecturers drove to town at lunchtime. He did some shopping and then walked back to the university. At the end of the day he was convinced his car had been stolen from the university car park!
My previous car was red and although I've occasionally tried to get in the wrong one - an identical one owned by someone in the same village - I rarely lost it. I now have a similar model in dark blue. It is much more difficult to find, even when in familiar car parks. The only plus is that walking up and down the rows looking, feeds my fitbit nicely.
My DS and DiL used to live in Leeds. I once went out shopping alone near their home and parked, noting the name of the road. It was the name of a former boss, so easy to remember. What I didn't realise was there was a Haddon Road, a Haddon Avenue and a Haddon Place all parallel to each other off the main road! Needless to say I had a few minutes of complete panic!

Camelotclub Your advice to buy a car in an unusual colour is really something to think about. The silver Honda Jazz seems to be a very popular car and recently in Morrisons car park, I couldn't understand why my key wouldn't "work". Fortunately my husband spotted our Jazz nearby!

my friend went to work in Dublin for a couple of months ,he was invited for drinks with his new workmates and left his car in the car park(he thought) the next day he couldn't find it and assumed it had been stolen so he called the Guard and reported it .It was found outside his house ...he had got a lift into work the day before and had forgotten.Because it was a renatl car he'd walked past it without realising it was his .Has he ever lived it down? I dont think so .

Take a picture on your mobile of where you are parked - they usually have the car park parked into sections. Don’t worry Ive done this too - and its not nice

My cousin's car was 'stolen' at the mall. She was sure because she had parked it in an easy spot near the entrance. After she called security and made a big fuss, she was embarrassed to learn that her car had been located in a different, (but identical) parking lot, on the opposite side of the mall.

Some large stores also have multiple entrances and multiple parking areas that may look the same. Make a mental note of the particular entrance you entered and the what's behind it (i.e. menswear vs home goods etc.)

If your (misplaced) car is not too far away from you and has a remote key, press it and look for the car that lights up and beeps once (especially useful after dark). Similarly, the 'panic' button on the remote key will set off repeated beeping and lights flashing.

There is a lot of guidance here but don’t do what a friend of mine did - there were two multi storey car parks built next to each other and when she couldn’t find her car, she called the police. You’ve guessed, hers was on the other park!

When I was driving regularly I parked in the same area of the car park every time, preferably the exact spot. I deliberately chose one that wasn't near to the entrance so that it would usually be available. Although several times a have tried to open someone else's similar car because it was parked near mine.
My problem now is as a passenger I try to remember where the car is parked, but The Wonderful Man knows he has to get out of the car and wave at me madly as I can rarely remember where to look. We have a silver/grey Ford identical to about 70% of other cars in the car park so I'm always happy when we have a windsurfer/kayak on the roof to help me out.

My last car was gold coloured. Rather too flash for me, but the best option, at the time, when my previous car failed it’s MOT. What a joy it was. A quick glance around the car park was all it took to spot it.
When it, in turn, finally failed the test, the best option I could find was black. What a pain it is. I have mislaid it numerous times in car parks. I will definitely look for an unusual colour for my next car.

Camelotclub..Or M&S.

Georgiekay Adverse to silver grey even if it was an offer you couldn't refuse? like mine was.It could have had polka dots on it for all I cared when the seller of the car I bought it from wanted to sell as husband was being sent abroad with his work for a minimum ? of three years and she could go with him. It was on the small side and I prefer hatch backs to cram all my bits and pieces in , but served its purpose for what at the time I wanted.When I eventually sold it brought me not far off what it cost me in the first place.
Beggars can't always be choosers.

Marvellous thread this one. I have great difficulty keeping track of my grey car in any car park - beach front, shop, multi story. At last a kind person has mentioned an app for my phone. There seem to be plenty to choose from.
www.findmycarsmarter.com/

itunes.apple.com/gb/app/find-my-car/id349510601?mt=8

uk.pcmag.com/software/88858/news/how-to-use-a-smartphone-app-to-find-your-car

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elibera.android.findmycar&hl=en_GB

freeappsforme.com/find-my-car-apps/