A lot of jokes have been made about offensive customers in Walmart stores; numerous videos and websites are devoted to the subject.
But nobody talks about things that go on in the parking lot.
Recently, I came out of Walmart, got in my car, started the engine and was ready to drive away when I heard a loud crack. I looked up and saw that the man in the car next to me had let his car door smash into the middle of the passenger door of my one-year-old car.
He didn’t even look up, and continued loading merchandise into his back seat.
And I was sitting right there!
I was horrified that he didn’t even glance over, so I rolled down the automatic window and said, “Buddy! Your car door just slammed into my car!”
He looked up in surprise and came closer to inspect the door. I asked, “Is it bad?” and he answered “Um, no…..” (and then I realized it was like asking a kid with chocolate on his lips if he’d just eaten a cookie).
I turned off the car and walked around it — and saw a quarter-inch chunk of missing paint and some navy blue paint (the color of his car) next to it — right in the middle of the door.
I asked him for the name of his insurance company, and he dug out one card and then said it was the wrong card and brought out another, suggesting I take a photo of it. Also got his phone number, but all he gave me was his first name.
He seemed amazed that I was concerned at all. And he helpfully pointed out that there were a couple other tiny little scratches on the car already, like this scrape wasn’t a big deal. We both took pictures of the damage.
Realizing that the info he’d given me might be bogus, I took a photo of his car’s license plates, too.
Meanwhile, he started telling me a big story about how his wife and infant daughter had been stuck on a plane for four hours, etc. — as if that excused him and explained everything.
And he finally apologized.
In my heart of hearts I didn’t think I’d call his insurance company or chase him for reimbursement for repairs (more trouble than it was worth, and possibly making a mountain out of a molehill), but I wanted to make a strong point to Mr. Oblivious that it is NOT OK to carelessly slam your car door into someone else’s car and damage it.
As I drove away I realized (in hindsight) I should’ve asked him, “How would you have felt if the situation was reversed and you were sitting in your car and I slammed my car door into the side of it?”
I bet he’d have gone ballistic, especially because his car was way more expensive than mine.
I only buy a new car every 12-15 years, and save my tax refunds in between to pay for it, so damaging my one-year-old vehicle was a big deal to me.
I went home and buffed some rubbing compound on the scratch, which took off the navy blue paint from his car. And I got out the bottle of touch-up paint I’d picked up at the dealership when I bought the new car and did my best to repair the scratch, but it’s still pretty noticeable.
In the end I decided remaining upset about it and pursuing payment from him would only upset me further and that I should just let it go for my own mental health.
The following day I told the story to someone who implied that confronting the man could’ve been dangerous if he’d been unbalanced or reacted in a violent way, which I hadn’t even thought about at the time. I feel sure, though, that if he’d been someone other than a 35-ish year old family man I might’ve restrained myself.
Meanwhile… I guess in the future I’ll resort to my dad’s defensive parking measures — and park at the far side of the parking lot, a mile from the store.
Apparently, the bad manners of Walmart customers extend to the parking lot.
I suppose it all depends on the given Wal Fart–er–Mart. The people at the Wal Mart where I live are pretty civil overall. I’ve never had any sort of problem.
You’re right. This Walmart is in a pretty upscale part of town so I guess that’s why I was so surprised at what happened. But money doesn’t mean manners, I guess.
So sorry to hear that Diane. Our Walmart can be pretty crazy at times too. I try not to go there often because shopping there is not a relaxing experience at times. There are way too many wackos out there for sure lol. Maybe you can call your dealer and they might be able to fix that for you really cheap. It’s worth asking for sure. Next time you go, it might be worth parking all the way at the end of the lot where hardly any cars are parked. I like to do that too.
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Yeah, parking in the far corner will rack up more points on the Fitbit!