Tis almost the season to get out of my way. Or so it seems like it anyway. The stress that goes with pulling off the perfect Pinterest holiday sometimes can cause us to act almost Grinch-like in other circumstances — especially store parking lots.
No matter how much I strategize in September to shop online, I am often out with the masses shopping late in the season with a fist full of coupons.
By nature, crowded parking lots compel shoppers to devise plans. Some motorists wait to “win” a close parking spot. Others take extended time to serpentine through aisles searching for the perfect spot.
Alternatively are the motorists who park far out from the fray — so far it seems that it confuses passengers as to exactly where they are headed.
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Pedestrians too take on certain tactics. The gamut ranges from trusting individuals who exit a store and walk straight into traffic without looking right or left. Did they pick up that positiveness of humanity from Pinterest posts? Or to pedestrians who trust no one and are prepared to wait a long time for a gap in traffic.
For Naperville-area shoppers, the end of the 2014 shopping season holds a unique set of challenges. The construction on Route 59 makes those challenges seem even more difficult to overcome.
For shoppers at Westfield Fox Valley, Jeff Rutzen suggests shoppers avoid the entrance directly off Route 59. He recommends shoppers traveling on Route 59 take either McCoy Drive (south of the mall) or New York Street (north of the mall) and use those entrances.
“To avoid further traffic, shoppers can continue on either McCoy or New York Street and turn onto Commons Drive, which runs parallel to Route 59 and is located just west of the center,” Rutzen adds. The Road Entrance 4 feeds directly into the mall from Commons and will place shoppers right by Macy’s, he adds.
In Aurora, the Chicago Premium Outlets is in the midst of a large 50-store addition on a former parking lot to the east of the mall.
To better manage the crowds throughout the construction period, the outlets are operating remote parking lots and free shuttles, says Christa Kremer, director of marketing.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the mall will have shuttles running from three remote lots — Pipers Banquet Hall, C Club and 1245 Corporate Blvd. Throughout the rest of the holiday season, the remote lots at the C Club and 1245 Corporate Blvd. will continue to be available on weekends.
Opening at 6 Thanksgiving night and staying open until 10 p.m. Friday will allow the crowds to spread out, Kremer says.
Weekdays and early mornings are a good time to avoid crowds, she adds. The mall recently opened a new 300-space parking lot in the northeast rear corner of the mall.
“It is a hidden gem,” she says.
For downtown Naperville shoppers, Linda LaCloche with the city of Naperville says, shoppers can park downtown for free using on-street parking or three parking garages — two of which provide status of the open number of parking spots.
No matter where shoppers trek this holiday season, some drivers have a completely different mindset upon entering a parking lot, says Julie Smith with the Naperville Police Department.
“All their knowledge of the rules of the road gets thrown out the window,” she says. “Pedestrians automatically think that a car is going to yield to them, and unfortunately we know this not true.”
For pedestrians, it is important to constantly look and make eye contact with drivers, she adds. “Don’t assume a vehicle sees you.”
Smith says motorists need to remember that constricted lanes and spaces in a parking lot allow for little or no room or evasive action. It is hard to react to a pedestrian when there is nowhere to go, she adds. In essence, “drivers need to slow down.”
Slowing down in parking lots and everywhere else is a popular topic on Pinterest posts — tis the season after all.
Enjoy it while it lasts.