In my extensive history of being an anal parker, I've found the best place is at the end of a row.
If you park just past a range of parked cars, other drivers will just keep parking past and all around you. If you park off somewhere empty by yourself, you somehow become a magnet for the crappiest cars in the whole parking lot. They all will seek you out just to be assholes. Odd or big parking spots are a good spot for people to decide a shopping cart belongs. Near a light, like parking in the middle of nowhere, ends up being a magnet for crappy cars.
On the end of a row or by a curb is the best place to park. You have to park so close to the curb that someone cannot prop up a shopping cart and you're far enough away from the next car. You only have one side of your car exposed this way and I've found that most other drivers seem to honor this space as I don't think it's viewed as being the 'two space taking ass' or a 'jerk who thinks they are too good to park near the rest of the cars'. It just works out best this way for me. I've still not gotten a single dent in my Infiniti, and the Mazda we traded in only had one minor one.
If you park just past a range of parked cars, other drivers will just keep parking past and all around you. If you park off somewhere empty by yourself, you somehow become a magnet for the crappiest cars in the whole parking lot. They all will seek you out just to be assholes. Odd or big parking spots are a good spot for people to decide a shopping cart belongs. Near a light, like parking in the middle of nowhere, ends up being a magnet for crappy cars.
On the end of a row or by a curb is the best place to park. You have to park so close to the curb that someone cannot prop up a shopping cart and you're far enough away from the next car. You only have one side of your car exposed this way and I've found that most other drivers seem to honor this space as I don't think it's viewed as being the 'two space taking ass' or a 'jerk who thinks they are too good to park near the rest of the cars'. It just works out best this way for me. I've still not gotten a single dent in my Infiniti, and the Mazda we traded in only had one minor one.
