One man spent a year and seven months parking in every space at his local supermarket
A man turned one of the most mundane weekly errands into a personal challenge, and the internet had a lot to say about it.
Most people see grocery shopping as a boring task that they just want to finish quickly. You go in, grab what you need, and get out without any excitement. However, not everyone approaches it this way. A man spent a year and seven months systematically parking in every single available space at his local supermarket, and he tracked every visit with such detail that it left people surprised.
What happened
A man, Gareth Wild, from Devizes, England, started the whole thing out of pure boredom. Weekly food shopping was, by his own admission, incredibly dull. So he decided to make it more interesting. When a reporter caught up with him, his reaction was as deadpan as the project itself. “I’ve really reached the peak of life here,” he said, feeling proud of his accomplishment.
He mapped out the entire car park, assigned a number to each parking space, and worked through them one by one. Every time he went shopping, he made a note on his phone. He recorded which parking space he parked in, the day, the date, the time he arrived, and how much he spent on groceries. Over the course of about two years, he successfully parked in every single space.
After completing all 108 spaces, he even picked a favorite. He loved one particular spot that was close to the entrance, making it easy to park without any hassle. He referred to this spot as his “tip-top spot” and humorously labeled it as “God-tier”, and he was clearly pleased with his choice.
Reactions
People were surprised by his dedication to this task. One person wrote, “Tell me you can’t afford hobbies due to the cost of living without telling me.” When everything is getting more expensive, we sometimes have to find joy in the simplest things rather than spend money on new activities.
Another commenter mentioned sarcastically, “At least one person is focusing on the big problems in this world.” Though they said it as a joke, there is truth in it. Often, what we call being productive or ambitious is just a fancy way to describe the stress we feel. The person who tracked down parking spaces completed a goal, and that deserves some acknowledgment.
Not everyone was satisfied with his mission, though, calling him out for doing something the opposite. One person responded with, “Now do it in reverse park.”
Some people just appreciated the knowledge of parking itself. One commenter noted, “He’s not wrong about the top-tier spots, though. Those tend to be my favorite parking spots, too.” The man’s “God-tier” classification system apparently applies to all those men who have ever felt a quiet satisfaction and maybe a bit of excitement at finding a good parking spot.
Many people shared their own relatable stories. One person said, “My buddies and I used to do something similar at the office tower where we worked, but with toilets instead of parking spaces.”
Why this matters
Many people find themselves waiting for exciting events in life, like vacations, promotions, or significant milestones. Sadly, they often overlook the small joys in their daily routines, like commuting, running errands, or just going through everyday life. The truth is that life isn’t boring; rather, people have decided in advance which parts of it are allowed to be interesting.
You can find something meaningful in almost every moment of your day, as long as you’re open to it, just as this guy did. It does not have to be something productive; it just needs to bring you joy. It can be as simple as a numbering system in a car park or logging how many different routes you have walked to the same destination. Whatever it is, if it gives you something to track, something to finish, something to look forward to on a Tuesday morning, that is enough.
If something makes you happy and harms no one, it owes no one an explanation. The older that idea gets, the more obvious it becomes that most people are quietly exhausted from filtering their interests through what others might think. Not everything needs a purpose beyond the fact that it worked for you. That is a good enough reason on its own.
