$140 boot fee for parking in Old Navy parking lot (Chicago: sales, sales tax)

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

Don't rub it in! you trying to get us to move to Indy? its a 4 hour commute to downtown so that wont work.

Did you take offense to his statement?

[SidewaysLS4]

I'm sure there are private lots and private towing/boot companies doing business in them nationwide. Except Indy, where the entire city is just one big paved over field with nothing of significance to park at, negating the need for managed parking.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

Did you take offense to his statement?

I'm being facetious. he is trying to get us to move to Indy, like a salesman does. he might work for a business in Indy so he is trolling us to move there.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

I'm being facetious. he is trying to get us to move to Indy, like a salesman does. he might work for a business in Indy so he is trolling us to move there.

How does explaining some of the bad things about Chicago and some of the good things about Indiana, have to be interpreted as trying to advertise us to move there?

With the same analogy, I shouldn't assume you're trolling even if I think you might be trolling.

Yea, see that conflict of interest - just because he's from Indiana, then it automatically makes it a conflict of interest for him to criticize Chicago, huh?

Why does every time someone criticizes X without being X, he must be judged for that.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

Yea, see that conflict of interest - just because he's from Indiana, then it automatically makes it a conflict of interest for him to criticize Chicago, huh?

Why does every time someone criticizes X without being X, he must be judged for that.

People on this board from Chicago, think Chicago is there only good city in the entire country. Likely because they haven't lived anywhere else (except small towns they came from around the Midwest). So when people from other city's criticize Chicago, they get super defensive.

[NealIRC]

^ Ah yes, you said it.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

People on this board from Chicago, think Chicago is there only good city in the entire country. Likely because they haven't lived anywhere else (except small towns they came from around the Midwest). So when people from other city's criticize Chicago, they get super defensive.

The weird way that some folks will "defend" the rather twisted practice of "towing firms" selling their "services" to landlords is quite unique to Chicago. While it is true that places like Old Navy or Whole Foods certainly pay quite a bit of money to have a nice parking lot and obviously want that lot to be used by customers who will spend money at their stores the OP really touches on the near criminal way that towing firms have evolved: they have 'spotters' stationed in the lots and as soon as someone drifts away from the stores served by the lot they slap a boot on the vehicle. It is fast money for the towing companies. It also highlights the near criminal mindset that managers for firms like Whole Foods, Old Navy and others seem to adopt along with "the Chicago way" that simultaneously seems to highly value parking yet tends to make even legitimate shoppers who drive cars fear that they'll end up paying the "pirate towing" firm if they are wrongly booted.

In urban areas where there is much more public transit (primarily Europe and NYC) things like surface lots are such a rarity that no 'pirate towing company' really exists. In areas where folks use their cars even more than in Chicago (be it suburbs or a town like Indianapolis) the merchants and landlords know their customers would never put up with ridiculous "pirate towing" -- it is pretty standard to park in front of a suburban clothing store at lunch time and head into one of the nearby places to grab a sandwich. Smart merchants know that being fair with the other tenants will encourage shoppers to do some browsing. If the town misjudges how many "spaces per store" the lot should be setup with the landlords will try to put in signage to remind folks not to take the 'prime spots' unless they are picking up lunch for the office or whatever...

The lack of experience with "polite society" that too many of the small town types that move to Chicago from their "beige towns" manifests itself in their defense of indefensible behavior. While it is of course "not the right thing" to park in the Old Navy lot and then dash across the street for a toasted sandwich or bowl of quasi-Hispanic fast food neither does it do anything to encourage commerce to have some toothless moron skulking about demanding $140 bucks to regain the use of one's own vehicle. Will these "pirate towing" firms be empowered to go looking inside the Old Navy when the browsing shopper has spent two and half hours trying on bargain priced jeans while the lot is full and rudely tell the would be shopper "people with more money than time want your space"? That would probably be defended by the rubes that have no clue about the negative long term effect of such things...

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The weird way that some folks will "defend" the rather twisted practice of "towing firms" selling their "services" to landlords is quite unique to Chicago. While it is true that places like Old Navy or Whole Foods certainly pay quite a bit of money to have a nice parking lot and obviously want that lot to be used by customers who will spend money at their stores the OP really touches on the near criminal way that towing firms have evolved: they have 'spotters' stationed in the lots and as soon as someone drifts away from the stores served by the lot they slap a boot on the vehicle. It is fast money for the towing companies. It also highlights the near criminal mindset that managers for firms like Whole Foods, Old Navy and others seem to adopt along with "the Chicago way" that simultaneously seems to highly value parking yet tends to make even legitimate shoppers who drive cars fear that they'll end up paying the "pirate towing" firm if they are wrongly booted.

In urban areas where there is much more public transit (primarily Europe and NYC) things like surface lots are such a rarity that no 'pirate towing company' really exists. In areas where folks use their cars even more than in Chicago (be it suburbs or a town like Indianapolis) the merchants and landlords know their customers would never put up with ridiculous "pirate towing" -- it is pretty standard to park in front of a suburban clothing store at lunch time and head into one of the nearby places to grab a sandwich. Smart merchants know that being fair with the other tenants will encourage shoppers to do some browsing. If the town misjudges how many "spaces per store" the lot should be setup with the landlords will try to put in signage to remind folks not to take the 'prime spots' unless they are picking up lunch for the office or whatever...

The lack of experience with "polite society" that too many of the small town types that move to Chicago from their "beige towns" manifests itself in their defense of indefensible behavior. While it is of course "not the right thing" to park in the Old Navy lot and then dash across the street for a toasted sandwich neither does it do anything to encourage commerce to have some toothless moron skulking about demanding $140 bucks to regain the use of one's own vehicle. Will this "pirate towing" firms be empowered to go looking inside the Old Navy when the browsing shopper has spend two and half hours trying on bargain prices jeans while the lot is full and rudely tell the would be shopper "people with more money than time want your space"? That would probably be defended by the rubes that have no clue about the negative long term effect of such things...

XD ;p

[SubconsciousMe]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

People on this board from Chicago, think Chicago is there only good city in the entire country. Likely because they haven't lived anywhere else (except small towns they came from around the Midwest). So when people from other city's criticize Chicago, they get super defensive.

I've lived in NYC, Boston, Philly, Detroit, LA, Portland, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix.... most major metropolitan cities.

Chicago is flawed, for sure. However, for me, at the root of this thread is just following instructions. It has nothing to do with how Chicago is or is not flawed.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

How does explaining some of the bad things about Chicago and some of the good things about Indiana, have to be interpreted as trying to advertise us to move there?

With the same analogy, I shouldn't assume you're trolling even if I think you might be trolling.

Yea, see that conflict of interest - just because he's from Indiana, then it automatically makes it a conflict of interest for him to criticize Chicago, huh?

Why does every time someone criticizes X without being X, he must be judged for that.

Neil, dont be weird. I dont have time nor energy to troll, unlike perhaps you projecting your own personal agenda here.