Letter to the Editor: We Apologize, But Parking Lot Patrol Didn’t Work

We apologize for the difficulties you had finding a parking space in our parking lot this past Labor Day weekend. Believe me, we’ve tried to keep our parking lot available for our customers. We designed new signs that more clearly state that our parking lot is for Main Street Market (MSM) shoppers only. The signs are not threatening or flashy – we really don’t want to do either – but we may have to reconsider, especially if the literacy rate does not improve.

You’ve asked why we don’t have people monitoring the parking lot. Boy, is that tricky! After many of you complained about the lack of parking and expressed your anger at the rudeness of the people parking in our lot and walking across the street, Dave and Vonnie spent several hours Saturday and Sunday afternoon patrolling the parking lot. These are some of the comments they received:

“I’ll go in and buy a bottle of water. Then I’m a customer.”

“We won’t be gone long. Then we might go in and buy something.” (This is a good one. Most people spend hours at the bar and restaurant!)

“I am not going to carry this child over a block away.”

“You don’t really need all of this parking.”

To their credit, some people did move their cars. However, the vast majority simply ignored them and continued walking across the street.

MSM customers: It’s a losing proposition for us to try to patrol our parking lot. We end up being the bad guys. It’s just not worth it.

So again, we apologize to you. This situation causes us immense heartburn and frustration. The lack of respect for personal property – and for the owners of Main Street Market, the people who built this store 33 years ago – is incredible. 

Kaaren Northrop

Egg Harbor, Wisconsin