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Friday, May 21, 2010

Have you ever wondered...

So.

You know those parking garages? You sometimes end up having to park in one? Well. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you didn't have the cash on you to pay?


I have always wondered this. I'm not sure why. Except (1) I rarely have cash on me & (2) these prices range by the hour, so what if you took longer to get back than you expected?

This happened to me yesterday & really - it turned out to be not that big of a deal at all!

SO i have this part-time job at the Manship theatre downtown. I've only worked there twice so far & both times i got a great spot right in front of the theatre. Awesome. It probably worked out that way because I was arriving there between 4 & 5 pm, so downtown employees were leaving, and leaving me their parking spots. :)

But Wednesday i had a meeting there at 5:30. I don't get off work now until 5. I headed downtown praying for a good spot. No such luck. NO spots available. Except in a parking garage. Great. I don't carry cash!


I looked in my wallet. $1 in cash. I drove into the garage so i could get a glimpse of their prices. It said,

0-1 hour - $1
2-3 hours - $2
3-4 hours - $3

...and so on. I said to myself, "Okay, you are staying at this meeting for 55 minutes & that's it! No matter what!" I had already told them i'd have to leave by 6:20 or 6:30 (depending on where i got a parking spot!) so i could get back to BRLT for Sound of Music rehearsal. But now my ticket read "5:23". So i'd have to get back to my car & out of the garage by "6:23" or ... what would happen?! Would i go to jail? Or get a ticket? Owe a fine? Or would they let it slide if i was just one minute or two over?! Who knew? I didn't want to find out.

I parked & my friend Jenn was waiting to walk with me. I said "I can only stay in the meeting for 55 minutes because i only have one dollar!" She laughed & said she could spot me if i went over. :)

Into the meeting we go. 55 minutes later & i didn't leave. (You know how it is sneaking out of a meeting early? I HATE doing that when someone is in the middle of expressing their thoughts! Even if i had told them ahead of time...)

57 minutes later, i left. It was 6:20. I had 3 minutes to get to my car & out of there! Jenn was still in the meeting & i didn't take money from her because i thought i would make it!

The times on my cell phone & car radio are different. So i had no idea if i REALLY made it or not. I didn't know what time the TICKET HOLDER would have.

So i pulled up to the ticket window thingie. It was a woman, younger than i am & she seemed sweet. I said as i dug for my dollar & my ticket, "I'm kind of nervous because i may have went over the hour & i only have 1 dollar!"

"Oh, it's 3 dollars."

Um...I'm sorry... WHAT?!?!?!?!?

"But the sign..."

"It's 3 dollars after 4:30 pm," she replied & pointed to the sign.

Uh-oh. I hadn't read the ENTIRE sign (& that was at the very bottom).

"Oh. I'm sorry... I only have $1. So what do i do?"

"Oh, i just write you an IOU!"

SERIOUSLY? That's it?

Yup. That was it. She took my driver's license, copied my name, address, phone number & driver's license number & wrote that i owed them $3. I had to sign it. There was just one sentence above where i signed "I agree that i owe in the above amount & that i will pay in person or by mail within the next 7 days." 

So THAT'S what happens if you park in a parking garage & don't have the cash. 

I've always wondered. 

And now i have the cash. And tonight, when i go to work there, i'll bring them there $3 & my name will be marked off the list. 

Not too bad! I thought i'd owe some terrible fine or something! 

Just thought you'd like to know... you know... in case this ever happens to you. ;) 




9 comments:

  1. And then if you forget to pay your IOU it turns into a full parking ticket ! Hahaha at least in Florida it does. So, again, not a huge deal. :)

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  2. I have so done this before, but I could not write an IOU. I had to park and go to an ATM and get some additional money. I totally hit panic. I think it was because it was right before my wedding and I was running late for my wedding dress alternation.

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  3. always wondered this too!

    glad everything worked out for you.

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  4. Whew, glad they didn't throw you in the slammer LOL

    Have a good weekend.

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  5. thats pretty funny!! once the kids had a dr appointment at a new place and i had no idea I had to pay to park Dom had to meet me up there!!! it was crazy i had no idea

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  6. I have always wondered that when I go to the airport and park. Very nice to know!

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  7. hahaha... too funny. Good story!

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  8. Good to know! I have wondered that as well!

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  9. HAHA!!! okay you crack me up sista!!!

    I ALWAYS wondered what would happen tooo...like if there is some cop lurking around the corner waiting to arrest those of us who carry cards!!!

    that's funny that it's just an IOU!!!

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