28-year-old bears witness to bitter neighborly dispute over unassigned parking spots: '[This woman] started setting up chairs in front of the parking spaces and would just sit there until a spot would open up'

What are the lengths that people will go for a prime parking spot?

This 28-year-old recently moved into an apartment complex where tenants were granted parking spots but none of them were assigned. Naturally, some spots were more desirable than others, which inevitably led to conflict. Since property management refused to take part in helping mitigate any tension by assigning parking spots to residents, some tenants began battling it out for the three best parking spots just so they would not have to park their cars 60 more steps away.

It turns out that it's remarkable how much time and energy tenants will expend in order to avoid having to park in a slightly less ideal spot. One would think that the amount of wasted anxiety, stress, and action over these three so-called "perfect" spots could have been used toward a better cause. In fact, these two neighbors in particular probably spent way more time and energy competing with one another than they would have to park in the other unassigned spots.

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A parking sign in surrounded by flowers and bushes near an apartment complex.
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My neighbors have been stalking our unassigned parking spaces

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A 28-year-old woman watches in awe from inside her apartment.
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The only person who comes across as sane and decent in this scenario is the author herself. As she mentions, she's a fully remote employee, who frequently lucks out on one of those prime parking spots because she's able to snag them when other folks are away at work. However, that probably changed once these two neighbors began watching the spots like hawks in order to get them before the other one did.
It makes you wonder if these other neighbors ever worked during this time. Who has the energy for all this? Thankfully, they're clearly putting on a show for the author, who is able to sit back, relax, and watch these entitled tenants embarrass themselves again and again over a silly parking spot. While I would not want to get in the middle of this dispute, I can't help but feel envy for the author for her front row seat.
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