Parking Mexican Standoff

I heard that for a few years a couple years ago, the biggest shopping day of the year wasn't Black Friday, but the Saturday before Christmas. It might not be true now, but yesterday was the Saturday before Christmas, and I went out to the Megamall to buy things and people-watch.

I was ready to fight the crowds, but there wasn't much fighting when I tried to go up to the second level of the parking ramp. There was a car stopped in front of me, which presumably was waiting for a car that was about to back out of its spot. There was another car on the other side of the ramp preparing to back out too. And top it all off, there was a car going down the ramp. This was a four-way stop in a fucking parking ramp.

And like many four-way stops in Minnesota, no one moved. No one. At first it gave me time to make a quick call, but once I was done with that call (which took me a couple minutes), still no one moved. We got a fucking standoff here!

I get out of my car and gesticulate wildly towards the cars seemingly fearful of this vortex that none of them want to step through because everybody is waiting for the other to move! Finally, the second parked car decided to give up break the ice, back out of the space, and free up the log jam. A minute later every car either had parked or left in an orderly fashion.

Good thing it didn't turn ugly. But I'll remember seeing that for a long time. I mean, didn't these people think that a lot of people would be waiting because they're backed up over who has the goddamn right-of-way???