Listening to your girlfriend…
August 16, 2005
This post could get me into trouble, but…it’s a funny story anyway. So, last week, Sarah’s mom, Sarah and I went to lunch at Panera down close to Emory in Decatur. It was pretty busy and we needed a place to park, and all the spots in the Panera lot, so Sarah innocently suggested parking in the CVS lot across the street. Apparently they’ve done this (on Sundays) before and they’ve never had any problems. So we park, walk across the street and enjoy a nice lunch. About halfway through, I see this sign (on the right) which says: WARNING! Do NOT park in the CVS parking lot. CVS WILL BOOT your vehicle! So I look at Sarah and I read the sign. I have no idea what “booting” a vehicle is, and we are both like, “Huh. Oh well.”
We finish our lunch and as we begin to walk across the street, Sarah says, “Did someone put a sticker on your window?” And sure enough, there is a bright orange sticker on my driver side window. But no other cars have them, so it can’t be one of those promotional stickers for a show or something, and as we get closer, I see it.
The boot.
They booted my car.
And it was a $75 minimum charge (thank you Mrs. Walker).
But, they did just sit in the car lot waiting for you to walk up, stare are your car with that “What the HELL am I supposed to do with THIS?”-expression and then ask for the $75, and they only accept cash.
Yah, so…I guess this story begs the question of, well…I mean, I guess you could go down that route of “Don’t listen to your girlfriend…” kind of moral to the story, but….I don’t really want to be that guy, so I guess the moral of the story is keep $75 cash in your car. Or don’t park in a lot where you aren’t going to do business. Or…yah, well, I think I’ll stay away from the questioning what your girlfriend tells you…
Anyway, if you’ve never seen a picture of a car “booted” - mine is below.
Posted in General
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
August 16th, 2005 at 2:42 am
Or keep a pair of bolt cutters in the boot.
August 16th, 2005 at 8:46 am
That made my day! Hilarious. I have never heard of a car being “BOOTED” in my life. When did you notice the actual “BOOT” on your tire? And did they really go to all the trouble to “BOOT” both sides?
August 16th, 2005 at 9:34 am
Bryan, no, they only boot one side, because that’s all it takes. It’s crazy. What an odd thing…I’ve been thinking of getting into the booting business actually…
August 16th, 2005 at 2:14 pm
At $75 a pop, that’s more money than I’m making right now. I’d say we’re all in the wrong business.
August 16th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
I think we should all boycott CVS!
August 17th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
Adam: I like the new look. Booting is an everyday thing in Chicago–by the city. The cost is $250. So, you might say the moral of the story is be grateful.
August 17th, 2005 at 10:39 pm
In Australia it’s called “wheel clamping”, which I reckon makes a lot more sense - not that I’d want to imply that anything American doesn’t make sense. ;)
I ditto the “the moral of the story is to be grateful” - it would cost an awful lot more than $75 here!!
October 24th, 2005 at 11:17 am
My wife also got “booting” in that CVS parking lot on Oct.21, 2005. However, when she talked to CVS, they said that booting company is not related to them. She also asked who booting her car to show his certificate to boot other people’s car, however, they guy never show her that. And he called “his boss” another tall African American to verify the company’s authority and give her the receipt with company’s name. She just a skinny woman and don’t want to against with two tall blackman. So she gave them 75$. When she went home, she did a google search to the company on the receipt. And guess what, there is not such a company. She called the police afterward.
March 12th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
So you got booted by the CVS booter. Or should I say, the infamous CVS booter. That guy is on the s*it list for every Emory student that owns a car. He’s booted and scammed $75 from countless innocent students who are trying to get to class on time and have nowhere to park. However, this guys isn‚Äôt even legit. So, next time it happens to you, do what I did. Either rip the boot of your car, if he didn‚Äôt put it on tight enough, which is what I did last year, or take off the tire with the boot and run for it with a doughnut, which is what I did a couple weeks ago. (I don‚Äôt suggest the latter one unless you have exceptional driving skill, as he will chase you, for a high speed, 25-minute, car chase through the back roads of Emory. In any case, that guys sucks, and as far as listening to your gf goes, there is a balance that you have to find, but from my experience, when if comes to anything pertaining cars, directions, and transportation in general, you will be better off trusting your instincts vs. your gf 99% of the time.
March 12th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Whoa Mr. Anonymous, what’s with the sexist zinger at the end of your post? Yikes. Some jokes aren’t all that funny even if they’re jokes. No wonder you violated comment policy by not using your name.
Katie, a woman who CAN find her way out of a paper bag (99% of the time or so)