The idea is you enter a parking lot to grocery store, movie theater, or strip club and you want to park as close as possible so that you can get to where you going as fast as possible or travel the least amount of distance. As you go through the parking lot you have a hard time finding a spot and you have to travel to see occasional open spot. You think "so far that's the closest spot but there might be a closer spot. Then you think how long should I spend looking, how long do I spend traveling around the parking lot, how long should I spend planning on finding the best parking spot, and how long do I spend thinking about planning?
It's just fun conundrum that been going through my head that should have interesting answers and has lead me to spends as little time thinking about finding a parking spot and just find the closest spot that I can see and just jump out and get inside the store
Picture unrelated just a dog of I held onto till his owner came and got him
I have learned (over time) to do the opposite. And this will vary based on time of day and seasons (like holidays). I generally park in the same region of the stores I regularly go to. And I start with the row nearest the door I want to exit. I will park in the nearest open spot I can see with my eyes. And I walk from there, even if it's not that close. Why? Because I save so much time, and gas, and frustration. Plus any amount of exercise is helpful. Free exercise, no purchase required. I do try to park close to a cart return so I don't have to carry heavy things a distance, or walk 6 miles to return a cart. Most of the time I can park at the (south) end of the the 1st row I choose. Or, if you want to stay close to the front of the building, you can go to the first spaces east or west of the door you want. Assuming that the store is in the north position. Park where no one wants to and you will save so much time.
That is a good algorithm. My local Walmart and target I can enter from back end of the parking lot. I could go to the exit I want and gamble on on how close I want to get and if fail I go over an aisle and park at the first spot available, like you said.
Then entering from the side, if I want to get to the opposite entrance on the far side and then I have to decide if waiting on pedestrian traffic is worth it because it can be this annoying trickle
Careful, if you admit that you enjoy walking over driving then people might try to admit you into a mental institution