The Walmart Curse Lives On

[OneAlienBoi]

So I mentioned awhile back how the last 4-5 cars we've owned have all been scratched and/or dented in a Walmart parking lot. I don't know why it's so common, I try to park away from people, but it's like the bad luck follows me .

I've included a few examples below, one that's on our explorer that's very bad, and clearly deliberate imo. It's a little hard to see in the pic, so I marked the begging and end with red lines. Then our maverick, which was scratched today. Compared to the explorer, it's mild, it looks like it only took off the clear coat and you don't really notice it until you get close, about 2-3 ft from the truck, but it's still annoying.

I wish more people in society were raised right. Of the 5 times this has happened, I've never once had someone leave money, or insurance information, or even wait around to apologize.

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[fossil]

Walmart is on my no fly list

 

[Bob The Builder]

So I mentioned awhile back how the last 4-5 cars we've owned have all been scratched and/or dented in a Walmart parking lot. I don't know why it's so common, I try to park away from people, but it's like the bad luck follows me .

I've included a few examples below, one that's on our explorer that's very bad, and clearly deliberate imo. It's a little hard to see in the pic, so I marked the begging and end with red lines. Then our maverick, which was scratched today. Compared to the explorer, it's mild, it looks like it only took off the clear coat and you don't really notice it until you get close, about 2-3 ft from the truck, but it's still annoying.

I wish more people in society were raised right. Of the 5 times this has happened, I've never once had someone leave money, or insurance information, or even wait around to apologize.

And you never will. People only do the right thing under two circumstances. One, it is advantageous for them. Second, it is advantageous for them.

 

[Bobinmi]

Stay out of that dump...you don't catch me at WM.

 

[Aherpa]

So I mentioned awhile back how the last 4-5 cars we've owned have all been scratched and/or dented in a Walmart parking lot. I don't know why it's so common, I try to park away from people, but it's like the bad luck follows me .

I've included a few examples below, one that's on our explorer that's very bad, and clearly deliberate imo. It's a little hard to see in the pic, so I marked the begging and end with red lines. Then our maverick, which was scratched today. Compared to the explorer, it's mild, it looks like it only took off the clear coat and you don't really notice it until you get close, about 2-3 ft from the truck, but it's still annoying.

I wish more people in society were raised right. Of the 5 times this has happened, I've never once had someone leave money, or insurance information, or even wait around to apologize.

I hear you. If my wife wants us to stop by Walmart for something, my response is "let's take your car".

 

[Tailender]

And you never will. People only do the right thing under two circumstances. One, it is advantageous for them. Second, it is advantageous for them.

I resent that remark! Not everybody is a scumbag and would run from an accident. I would leave my info to contact me if I'd ever did that. Never have and hope to never have to.

 

[Jman79]

People are jerks and Walmart doesn't set the bar too high either.

But this whole idea that our cars should stay scratchless and pristine is just counter intuitive thinking, unless you plan to never use it.

Many parking lots are not setup with enough space to fully open doors. Chances are whether you realize it or not, you yourself may have bumped or scratched a near by car. You'd be surprised how little it can take to scratch clear coat. Now couple that with people and body shops going overboard to repaint panels vs touch up and you might have more view into why people don't stick around to tell the owner. What could be a simple sorry + spit and buff could quickly turn into a demand that you pay $500.

In a crowded mall or bar if someone stepped on and scuffed your shoes, do you demand that your shoes have the leather cut out and a new leather patched in?

I'm not condoning poor behavior but there is also a reasonable expectation of wear and tear and things. This should include very much our cars in public. I think a bar is a good example. There is reasonable expectation that drinks will be spilled in a crowded bar and if you demanded someone pay for your shoes or outfit you'd be considered unreasonable.

Our car culture is honestly unhealthy, for most of us they are working tools but somehow we want to treat them like jewelery. Why are our truck beds covered in high impact materials and considered well used when things happen to it but they exterior treated like a snowflake. Its kind of counter intuitive. Perhaps all cars should just be painted with bedliner and our cultural expectations changed.

PS: I know these threads are in some way group therapy for the pain of having such big purchases besmirched the first time. It's understandable, it suchs, I'm sorry. But the threads always make it to be "obvious mal-intent" and turn into some doom/gloom spiral demand someone needs to pay to repaint your car.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

Stay out of that dump...you don't catch me at WM.

Normally, I'd agree with you, but there's one literally down the street, a out a minute's drive away. We go to Smiths and Costco pretty frequently, but there are a lot of moments where I don't feel like driving further away to spend more money. The quality of most products is undeniably better at those two locations I'll say.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

People are jerks and Walmart doesn't set the bar too high either.

But this whole idea that our cars should stay scratchless and pristine is just counter intuitive thinking, unless you plan to never use it.

Many parking lots are not setup with enough space to fully open doors. Chances are whether you realize it or not, you yourself may have bumped or scratched a near by car. You'd be surprised how little it can take to scratch clear coat. Now couple that with people and body shops going overboard to repaint panels vs touch up and you might have more view into why people don't stick around to tell the owner. What could be a simple sorry + spit and buff could quickly turn into a demand that you pay $500.

In a crowded mall or bar if someone stepped on and scuffed your shoes, do you demand that your shoes have the leather cut out and a new leather patched in?

I'm not condoning poor behavior but there is also a reasonable expectation of wear and tear and things. This should include very much our cars in public. I think a bar is a good example. There is reasonable expectation that drinks will be spilled in a crowded bar and if you demanded someone pay for your shoes or outfit you'd be considered unreasonable.

Our car culture is honestly unhealthy, for most of us they are working tools but somehow we want to treat them like jewelery. Why are our truck beds covered in high impact materials and considered well used when things happen to it but they exterior treated like a snowflake. Its kind of counter intuitive. Perhaps all cars should just be painted with bedliner and our cultural expectations changed.

PS: I know these threads are in some way group therapy for the pain of having such big purchases besmirched the first time. It's understandable, it suchs, I'm sorry. But the threads always make it to be "obvious mal-intent" and turn into some doom/gloom spiral demand someone needs to me pay to repaint your car.

You're right, but it's not really the damage that bothers me, it's the fact that it was inflicted by someone else, and in some cases, intentionally so. If I scratched my own vehicle, it's still frustrating, but somehow, being able to pin it on our own stupidity makes it feel less, I guess you could say offensive.

We're ok with harming ourselves for some reason, but hardwired to be more upset when someone else does it. It's also the first scratch, I think we can all agree, the first scratch or dent on a car is the worst one.

But the one of the explorer is very clearly intentional imo. You don't get a two foot wiggling scratch down the side of a car by accident. My best guess is someone saw our CA window sticker, and that bothered them enough to key the car, yes, people in Utah really do hate outsiders, particularly people from CA that much. They assume for whatever reason everyone fleeing from CA is super liberal and wants to change the culture of other states, not realizing most of the people leaving CA hate it more than just a out everyone else.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

As for Jman's comment about how parking lots are often too cramped, leading to more issues, this is true. But personally, whenever I'm too close to someone, I cup my hand around the outermost part of the door, electing to hurt my hand rather than someone else's car if it comes down to it. Again, it's really not a big deal, as far as scratches do, it's not super noticable.

It just annoys me how people care so little about others, and by extension, their property.

 

[Johnkn]

When you park at a parking lot, do not park downhill from the area that the carts are returned ...

Take a minute to look around and park where gravity won't assist an unattended cart to gaining speed and hitting you vehicle...

..

 

[Sounder206]

Tell me about it, the same thing had been done to my front bumper. Went to Costco before closing time when it wasn’t busy, parked at the far end of the lot with no other vehicles and carts around. Didn’t noticed the scuff until the next morning. I chalked that one as intentional. Sucks that I’ve been saving to do front end PPF now will go for a spot repaint.

F-ing morons. This is why we can’t have nice things.

 

[Jman79]

You're right, but it's not really the damage that bothers me, it's the fact that it was inflicted by someone else, and in some cases, intentionally so. If I scratched my own vehicle, it's still frustrating, but somehow, being able to pin it on our own stupidity makes it feel less, I guess you could say offensive.

We're ok with harming ourselves for some reason, but hardwired to be more upset when someone else does it. It's also the first scratch, I think we can all agree, the first scratch or dent on a car is the worst one.

But the one of the explorer is very clearly intentional imo. You don't get a two foot wiggling scratch down the side of a car by accident. My best guess is someone saw our CA window sticker, and that bothered them enough to key the car, yes, people in Utah really do hate outsiders, particularly people from CA that much. They assume for whatever reason everyone fleeing from CA is super liberal and wants to change the culture of other states, not realizing most of the people leaving CA hate it more than just a out everyone else.

Yeah, all legitimate feelings, people can indeed be jackasses.

Coming from a person who can obsess and over analyze. Often things have a less sinister origin. Often it's grossly negligent, but not as sinister. Either way, it's best mentally for you to move past it as fast as possible and the latter is better for that.

Eg. Wife's van had a ding in the rear fender. My mental process "this had to take some force... who the hell cares so little for other people's things to just fling a door open... People suck" but heh life happens. Fast forward a month or so and another ding in the same spot. open the rear door of my car in the garage and it lines up.
- my kids are still small, they struggle to get my sticky hinged back door open
- they struggle to control the door as the heavy spring moves it to the first detent.
Talk with my kids about it who still very much want to please their parents and try hard. They say sorry and promise to do better. Fast forward a few months and there are now like 4-5 dings. I've literally watched my 7yo do it while trying but unable to fully control the damn door. Funny how my brain first went to the horrible person scenario

Parking lots aren't going away, or rocks at speed, etc. We need to find a better material for the exterior of our cars. My Saturn was amazing for this, not sure why that wasn't more successful. Even when it does get dinged or scratched you don't have to worry about rust.

 

[Hot pepper]

So I mentioned awhile back how the last 4-5 cars we've owned have all been scratched and/or dented in a Walmart parking lot. I don't know why it's so common, I try to park away from people, but it's like the bad luck follows me .

I've included a few examples below, one that's on our explorer that's very bad, and clearly deliberate imo. It's a little hard to see in the pic, so I marked the begging and end with red lines. Then our maverick, which was scratched today. Compared to the explorer, it's mild, it looks like it only took off the clear coat and you don't really notice it until you get close, about 2-3 ft from the truck, but it's still annoying.

I wish more people in society were raised right. Of the 5 times this has happened, I've never once had someone leave money, or insurance information, or even wait around to apologize.

I go to Wall*Mart often. I look for a parking spot that has enough space to park the truck. Many people park poorly and are too close to the white line of your parking space, I stay away from those spaces. I usually park a distance awy from the building, a long walk, but worth it for the MAV not to get scratched or dented.

 

[RonFLA]

You’re looking at this all wrong. Walmart’s net worth is $440 Billion and has some of the best security camera systems in the country. Since they permit patrons to “Boondock” in their parking lots, their isn’t an inch of lot that isn’t being recorded, for liability purposes. Go and ask for the Manager/Assistant Mgr., explain what happens and that you are considering pressing charges. They will give you the loss preventions contact and I’m sure they will help you identify the culprit.

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