For many years, people have collectively blown thousands of dollars on clipped rear view mirrors and minor scratches. It might seem like the person behind the wheel of the car is at fault, but this is not always the case.
The average trip to Trader Joe’s at 3025 De la Vina St., Santa Barbara, consists of too much trouble parking and too little expectancy for a parking space. Each person spends just as much time in the parking lot as they do in the grocery store itself. This leads consumers to choose alternative grocery stores for a faster trip, despite more expensive goods.
This is why redesigning the lot with slightly larger spaces and lanes would be a major improvement to the current situation. With this correction, each Trader Joe’s trip would be much faster than it currently is. No one would worry about other crazy drivers too close to their car due to tight spaces.
More people would find a trip to Trader Joe’s much more preferable than it is now. This would be in the interest of Trader Joe’s as well, as it would allow for more trips to the store, despite less spaces.
The cost of this improvement will be minimal and timely if executed properly. If nothing is done about this, consumers will continue to be increasingly less happy with Trader Joe’s.
For these reasons, the city should consider an oversight of the parking lot transformation.
Zach Beccue
Santa Barbara
