To be sure, many people navigate most parking lots with no problems. Many are considerate and civil. Those who have gotten into conflicts, however, say it is a memory that stays with them. And some say they can't really square the way they handled the situation with how they view themselves. People who called the Orange County Register spoke of many parking-lot confrontations, some that resulted in bad words, others in keyed cars and some in assaults.
Some stories fall into the surreal.
Christie Bartusick of Huntington Beach said she had an altercation with a woman who accosted her after she refused to give up her spot at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Bartusick said she clearly reached the coveted spot first but the woman asked her to move, explaining she was 20 minutes late for a doctor's appointment. At first, Bartusick thought it was a joke, but before she knew it, she said, the two women were tussling on the concrete. I was in shock. She was desperate for a parking spot and thought I would give up mine.