Why I don't shop in the city..

cyberspi

Limerick city has a fairly good selection of shops, I have never been affected by crime while there, the traffic doesn't really bother me as I am lucky to be able to go during off peak hours. There is only one thing that stops me shopping in the city and that is parking.
Usually I do the majority of my shopping in the Crescent as I have 2 very young children and there I can get a double trolley for them and not have to worry about bringing a buggy. As everything is under one roof I don't have to worry about getting wet running from the car or running from shop to shop. It does of course have its limitations and this week I had to go to the city for a particular item that I knew wasn't available in the Crescent or any other shopping centre but that I would find in a number of stores in town.
So, armed with my double buggy and rain cover just in case we packed into the car and headed off for the afternoon.
I enjoyed running around the city, and before long 3 hrs had flown by before we returned to the car, which I had parked in one of the multi-stories. A little over 3 hrs shopping cost over 7 euro. But its not just the cost that bothers me. I felt under pressure the whole time because I knew the clock was ticking on the parking ticket - this put a stop to any leisurely browsing and therefore impulse buying..
But the worst of the whole lot for me is the 10 minutes you get to go from paying for your ticket to leaving the carpark. In those 10 minutes I need to go from the ticket machine up the elevator (about 3 minutes wasted just waiting for the elevator!), pack 2 kids plus shopping into the car, dismantle the buggy and put it into the boot - not an easy task with a squirmy toddler and hungry baby, more often than not I end up having to find a snack, make up a bottle or something such.
What irks me is that although I had only used a few minutes out of the 4th hour I paid for I still only had 10 min to leave. I wish when paying for your ticket there was an option to add any unused minutes to your exit time, or even an option to buy an additional 10 min for those with special needs..
Anyhow, because of all this, even though I love spending time in the city it'll be a long time before I head in there again, and it will only be out of necessity.

Edited to add - If I knew of stores that validated parking tickets after you make a purchase it would have a major influence on my shopping habit.. eg, spend 50 euro in dunnes or tescos and get free parking in the adjoining multistory..

Berty

You could get an Easytrip tag for your car which will cover you for the toll on the tunnel when it opens and also will allow you to park in Dunnes Stores on Henry St without needing a ticket.

It scans your tag entering and then leaving and charges you accordinly without any extra fee other than a €1 per month admin charge.

Or like my parking last night. I parked after 6pm in the loading bay outside Laura Ashely on Henry St which is a good parking location and free after 6pm.

cyberspi

Thanks berty that's a great solution re Dunnes, I have been avoiding the place since they changed their pricing structure but hadn't heard about this, the ease of use is worth the extra money for me though.
I try to avoid on street parking where possible as I usually have the 2 children with me and feel vunrable standing in traffic putting them into the car, leaving one on the footpath while tending to the other etc... Nice tip for when we venture in for dinner or something!
Where can you purchase that tag? Any other parks use this system?

Berty

cyberspi wrote: »

Where can you purchase that tag? Any other parks use this system?

For the tag visit

http://easytrip.ie/

You can use it for the tunnel when it opens.

Park Magic for on street parking.

https://bookings.parkmagic.net/pmui/UI/controls.aspx

badboyblast

U can only park in a loading bay if you`ve a goods van, 2 seater etc otherwise the guards can lift you any time of the day or night and it will cost you 125 Euro.

Berty

badboyblast wrote: »

U can only park in a loading bay if you`ve a goods van, 2 seater etc otherwise the guards can lift you any time of the day or night and it will cost you 125 Euro.

And the signs saying Loading bay 8am - 6pm and similar mean nothing. As soon as 6pm hits you can park in any loading bay with a 6pm(finish time) sign.