Ever stop to observe the behaviour of vehicles entering a shopping center parking lot?
They will generally circle close to the entrance of the shop they want to go to. Frequently, they will stop in a row, hazards flashing, waiting for someone to leave their space.
Eventually, when someone does leave and another vehicle approaches from the other side, our driver waiting for the parking space will furiously flash lights or honk or wave or all of the above.
Here's my strategy for parking lots: I will generally grab the first unoccupied parking I find.
My preference is to find one with a pillar on the driver side so that another driver doesn't make it difficult for me to get back into my car. I will usually back into the space for a quick exit. I then hop out and walk.
Consider that for the average human, walking 100 metres will take around 70 seconds. That versus 5 minutes waiting for a spot to clear close to the entrance? No-brainer.
