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Black Friday parking survey

Veloise

By Veloise
in Grand Rapids Coffee House

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Veloise City

Veloise

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While some of the stores looked at are trying to have as much parking as possible, many of them work to meet those municipality's minimum requirements. Most places regulate base number of parking places on a combination of the following:

Usable Square Footage

Number of seats/Chairs (movie theaters, sit-down restaurants, barber shops, and such)

Number of teller counters (Banks and other service places)

Number of employees

I think that everyone should encourage the GR and the surrounding cities to reduce the number of required number of off street parking places.

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Allison Slater Town

Allison Slater

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I'm speaking more of the demographics crowd expected to be waiting in line for one on opening day. Star Wars doesn't really have a set demographic, but with lines on opening day one would naturally expect hardcore fans, geeks, and people dressed as random sci-fi characters. (Speaking of which, I loved the Conan O'Brien bit where they caught some guy dressed as Spock giving everybody in the line a choice finger.)

Anywho back on a horribly derailed topic, does the rapid provide earlier service to help people get these stores before open on Black Friday, or are service hours still the usual start-around-5AM?

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blueradon Hamlet

blueradon

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It's kind of hard to judge whether "black friday" or days like xmas eve or the weekend before xmas are the busiest...I usually try to do most of the shopping in Greenville for xmas because I'm from there and like to keep my money local as much as possible...and we are usually pretty busy here the day after thanksgiving...but I have to say by far that the weekend before xmas and especially xmas eve is jam packed. If I ever decide to drive down this road during any one of these times, I'll snap a traffic photo...it gets pretty bad...

However, I find the best sales at xmas eve...although good luck on finding the prodcuts there but sometimes you get lucky...I bought my parents a dvd player (to bring them in the 21st century) and got it for 75 percent off at meijer on xmas eve...can't beat that.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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I work 3rd shift so I'm busy sleeping. I'm thinking online buying will suit my situation well and will leave the car at home and not on the road. It's scary because I just started buying online. I'm used to the face to face, money to hand transaction. It's extremely/awkward to buy online it almost feels if I'm getting items for free, wait until I look at my balance. :lol:

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Chris Knape gives a great contrast between the bustle of downtown Holland vs. Westshore Mall (now mainly deserted thanks to Rivertown Crossings I'm guessing).

I think it would be interesting for someone to take an average Christmas shopping list, and try it both ways: to a successful downtown shopping area like Holland or Rockford, and then to a major retail area like Rivertown, and then write an article about their findings. Like how much they paid, parking issues, crowds, friendliness, availability of the merchandise they were seeking, service, other amenities (hot coffee, hot cocoa, other extras) that the found with each.

As far as the massive parking lots go, I think municipalities could rewrite the requirements for lower minimum parking, and 99% of the public would never even notice. The developers would probably love to not have to plan for so much parking. In fact, with a larger mixed-use development, they could then use that extra space and make it marketable. Parking creates $0 income outside of downtown.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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...

I think it would be interesting for someone to take an average Christmas shopping list, and try it both ways: to a successful downtown shopping area like Holland or Rockford, and then to a major retail area like Rivertown, and then write an article about their findings. Like how much they paid, parking issues, crowds, friendliness, availability of the merchandise they were seeking, service, other amenities (hot coffee, hot cocoa, other extras) that they found with each.

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Greedo Whistle-Stop

Greedo

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My wife and I go shopping every year after Thanksgiving and the lots are indeed packed starting as early as 5:30 AM. Last year we were in Kalamazoo and nearly every parking spot in the Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Crossroads Mall was taken. The Kohls on S. Westnedge was filled until after 10:30 AM.

Not sure if one day justifies a sea of parking, but it sure was necessary.

Separately, Downtown Holland had an open house Saturday night and it was awesome. Hundreds of people shopping and eating in restaurants and socializing with friends. Carolers on the sidewalks singing, and Santa handing out candy canes. It was as crowded as the mall on any Saturday during Christmas.

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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Love your avatar jstalin - we've got to have more cowbell! My Christmas shopping is done. I did it all on foot from my place on Cherry St in Heritage Hill. Walked down to Cherry and Diamond. What I couldn't get there, I walked up a few more blocks to Fulton and Diamond. What I couldn't find there, walked up to Cherry & Division and hit the art galleries and Vertigo Music--done. The best find was very inexpensive huge tissue paper flowers to be hung from ceilings custom made by, of all people, my dry cleaner on Lake Drive next to the Cheri Inn. I got one for my bedroom and several more for my 12 and 13-year-old nieces--they will love them. You wouldn't find that in suburbia--plus the dry cleaner in Cascade charges at least double. Closer to Christmas the businesses up on Fulton & Diamond do hold a Christmas open house with trolley, carollers in Victorian dress, wine, cheese, hot cocoa, the ever-popular creme puffs and assorted nibbles. Everyone is very jolly and it's a great way to meet neighbors.

That was the walmart in Cascade. I remember sitting at my sister's in Washington DC that morning, watching the news, and seeing the caption at the bottom of the screen. I laughed my rear end off. Youtube has a copy of the video here:

Watch for flying wigs!

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Weallneedhistory Whistle-Stop

Weallneedhistory

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Until I married this past summer, I lived 1/2 mile from Rivertown Crossings, and went by it every single day, visiting quite often. It is hard to find a parking spot there on Black Friday, and any weekend between now and Christmas. Still, I think their parking lots are adequate. More importantly, I don't really see it as waves of black asphalt. I think they did a good job with the landscaping, and the "wetlands," to make it look better than your average Wal-Mart or Meijer parking lot.

Removing those flower boxes on the top parking level also was an added bonus. :thumbsup:

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Veloise City

Veloise

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Until I married this past summer, I lived 1/2 mile from Rivertown Crossings, and went by it every single day, visiting quite often. It is hard to find a parking spot there on Black Friday, and any weekend between now and Christmas. Still, I think their parking lots are adequate. More importantly, I don't really see it as waves of black asphalt. I think they did a good job with the landscaping, and the "wetlands," to make it look better than your average Wal-Mart or Meijer parking lot.

Removing those flower boxes on the top parking level also was an added bonus. :thumbsup:

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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General Growth didn't create those wetlands out of the goodness of their hearts, they had to replace the wetlands they plowed over (I believe it's called wetland mitigation). And they don't at all look natural, especially with the runaway shopping carts sticking out of the mud. There is nothing redeeming about that entire Rivertown area in my opinion. I can't wait until the Target shopping center gets added where X-Rite is now. The pie'ce de resistance. :rolleyes:

Now do you think it looks like a sea of asphalt Weallneedhistory? :blink:

rivertown_opening_lg.jpg

(I can't believe how much retail has filled in all around this photo)

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Weallneedhistory Whistle-Stop

Weallneedhistory

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Looking again at that photo, what I really miss seeing on a daily basis are the horses and farms that used to sit where the Ihop area and Costco now sit. Of course, once the High School went up it changed for them, but it was sad to see all that new develoment go up there. The development across the street, next to D&W, that was expected. But where the Meijer, Outback, and previous mentioned items, those make it worse than it needs be.

Of course I also use these same stores quite a bit (basically b/c they're convienently there), so its hypocritical for me as a consumer to criticize what they did to my stomping grounds.

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tamias6 Town

tamias6

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Wow! I didn't realize the vastness of Rivertown's asphalt sea until seeing this arial shot of the mall. This doesn't even include the Home Depot and accompanying strip mall built after this photo was taken. I know parking structures come at a cost premium. But how much? All of this asphalt is just plain rediculious. Even if America never becomes a Mass Transit oriented country and we're doomed to drive our gas guzzlers for the rest of eternity, there has to be a better way to store our cars.

General Growth didn't create those wetlands out of the goodness of their hearts, they had to replace the wetlands they plowed over (I believe it's called wetland mitigation). And they don't at all look natural, especially with the runaway shopping carts sticking out of the mud. There is nothing redeeming about that entire Rivertown area in my opinion. I can't wait until the Target shopping center gets added where X-Rite is now. The pie'ce de resistance. :rolleyes:

Now do you think it looks like a sea of asphalt Weallneedhistory? :blink:

rivertown_opening_lg.jpg

(I can't believe how much retail has filled in all around this photo)

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Speaking of Rivertown Crossings and transit, there's a disturbing article in the paper today that I'll start a topic about.

In a special advertising section of the Press today is a listing of stores and events in Uptown Grand Rapids. East Hills and E. Fulton will host a Holiday Hop event Thursday, Dec. 7th starting at 5 PM. Featuring trolley ride shuttles from the Farmers Market, carolers, hot cocoa, horse-n-carriage rides in East Hills, free food, and much more!

easthillscouncil.org and

shopgr.org for more info

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