Lost in the Parking Lot at Meijer

After my doctor's appointment today (post-op for Cataract #1), we drove to West Lafayette to enjoy lunch at the new Freddie's restaurant which is in front of Menards.  The first time we ate at a Freddie's was in Orlando last January.  It was across from the resort and near the Publix where we always shop for groceries.

After lunch we went to the Meijer on the west side which is MUCH better than the Meijer on 26.  It seems cleaner, the groceries are better organized, and there seems to be a better selection of items on the shelves.  The produce and meat also seems fresher and there is more variety.  Maybe the influence of Purdue is evident in the items stocked at this location.

After finding nearly everything on our list which will put our menu items on the table for Thanksgiving, we checked out and walked to the Escape.  As Gary was putting the bags of groceries in the back, I moved two trash bags of Goodwill donations to the back seat and placed my purse in the passenger side of the front seat.

It was then that I noticed her.

An older lady was pushing a cart around the parking lot, back and forth, looking intently at the cars, and holding out her hand with her key fob, pushing buttons. Her hood on her coat was up which was good since it was misting and the wind was blowing as well.

As I watched her for a few moments, I knew that she was lost.  She had misplaced her vehicle.  

I asked her if she needed help finding her car, and she responded by saying that she knew her car was out in the parking lot somewhere, she just couldn't locate it.  

I asked if she had pushed the button to sound the horn.   She had, but she couldn't hear the horn anywhere.  She pushed it again and she was right  - no horn sounds.  

I asked her the color of her vehicle.  Gray.  Of course there were many vehicles that were gray in the parking lot--none of them hers.

Then I asked what type of car it was.  A Buick.  

Did she remember where she had parked, such as close to the doors or in the back of the lot?  She replied that she always parked close to the cart corrals because her car would always be easy to find and she could return her cart easily.

So I wandered.  By this time Gary had finished moving our groceries to the back of the Escape and had returned our cart to the corral and he was joining in the search.

Suddenly I spotted a gray car straight out from the other entrance to Meijer.  The trunk lid was up.  No one was around the car.

The lights then flashed.  As I approached the car, I noticed that there were no people, no carts, no groceries, no one around at all---just the gray BUICK with a trunk lid open.

I waved at Gary and pointed at the car, then he directed the lady in my direction.  Her face lit up as she realized that I was standing next to her car and she was no longer lost!

When she stopped her cart behind the car, she said she realized what she had done...something stupid.  She had entered Meijer in one door and exited the other door.  Therefore she was on the wrong end of the parking lot to find her car.   She put her hands in front of her face and shook her head.  Then she reached out and hugged me and thanked us for helping her.  

I told her that I had done the same thing, and that is why I tried to always park in the same area each time I went to a store like Meijer.  

She said she did too, but somehow today she just got turned around.

I gave her another hug, asked her if we could help her move her groceries into her trunk, she declined and thanked us again, and we wished her a Happy Thanksgiving.

Later as we were talking about it, I said that I remember that at some time Mom had relayed that she had been lost in the parking lot at Walmart in Wooster.  I have seen other people wandering around the parking lots, usually in pairs or in small groups, searching for their cars and pressing the alarm on their key fobs to help with finding the location.  I have done the same thing ---not very often, but it has happened to me.

Today, in the drizzle, we helped someone, and it felt good to know that we could be of assistance.