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How do we pay for parking?

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201–210 of 347 posts

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#201

I was at Dick's sporting goods and the cleats section was this special "app" area where you could either enter in your search criteria or scan shoes so associates would approach you with the shoes in hand. The app was slow as f - and only really worked if you brought up and scanned the shoes. Was there any instruction? No - you had to figure it out yourself. To be honest if felt like you were playing myst. Why was th…

… I was also recently at Dick's, and witnesses this same stupidity. Am I supposed to … what, have the attendant haul out pair after pair while I attempt to determine what my size in this brand+model is, or if, like so many shoe stores, they even carry my size? Let alone whether I like the look.

… the best shoe store I even went to, hands down, just had all the boxes laid out in stacks upon stack on the floor, where you could go through them.

… stores should be destroying online purchasing in this category by allowing me to try the damn thing on. If I can't … might as well order online? It's just as much of a gamble. (And sometimes, Amazon retailers provide a size chart with a conversion to mm. Although sometimes they also provide multiple size charts with conflicting information, too.)

(Also, a.) America, can we start measuring shoes in some actual unit, like mm or cm? … that there's a kids system, and women's is just inane. b.) Shoe companies would do well to have a standard sizing. You'd think that would be a thing. And yet, as someone with an odd foot, I can tell you that for some companies, it is, and for some, it isn't. I bought Nike for a while, since it was, and I knew any shoe in my size would fit comfortably. It was a magical few years … until Nike changed something. Why?)

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not even the UI or the tech stack ... it's that it's tech at all. Am I required to own a smart phone now to park? Am I required to have a credit card to park? Idea: 1) Park without paying 2) Get towed 3) Sue the living shit out of the municipality so that they shut down modern parking meters.

Semi-related, there's a somewhat established YC company whose entire business is facilitating smartphone gig app usage for seniors who call in for help. https://gogograndparent.com/

Oh jeez. This is a semi-decent idea for a company so not sure of the need for downvotes…but at the same time it’s a bit “we put a Service as a Service in your Service as a Service leveraged on Software as a Service!”

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#203
I just can't fathom how a business would not care about the loss of revenue from making it THIS hard for the customers to pay.

Is it possible that the parking prices in the city of the author are legally capped and are not reflecting actual demand? This would mean that the parking lot is basically filled every day anyways, and the business doesn't see any ways to increase revenue by improving satisfaction.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#204
post #145
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without a cell phone I would be more concerned about other things than the parking lot, such as how people contact you when you are out?

I have a flipphone. People can contact me if they need to (they never do). I can't use a QR code or app or whatever. How do I pay for parking?

Well it's clearly nonsense that some parking lots required having a smartphone with some data available in the data plan.

Still I was just wondering about the author of the parent post that reported that he didn't have a cell phone.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#206

Bill my license plate. That is the UX I want.

This is actually how New England handles toll roads. (Not parking.)

You have to write a law with it that says "rental car company's can't charge a junk fee of $25/day" or whatever. (Which is roughly what we were charged the last time we accidentally — there wasn't a toll booth! — took a rental through a toll. $25 from the rental car company for a $1 toll. We own an EZ pass now to avoid this very problem.)

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#207

I. Hate. Technology. I hate working in this field. I hate how unprofessional every company is, from the largest to the smallest. I hate how incompetent all the engineers are. I hate how no business I have ever worked for has ever trained its workers on anything but how to fill out a time sheet. I hate all the blog posts about inane technical details. I hate how people start building a solution to a problem they're no…

It's not even the UI or the tech stack ... it's that it's tech at all. Am I required to own a smart phone now to park? Am I required to have a credit card to park? Idea: 1) Park without paying 2) Get towed 3) Sue the living shit out of the municipality so that they shut down modern parking meters.

[deleted]

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#208
post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One obstacle to this is mentioned on the OP: People might not actually know the street address of the parking lot they are standing in, so you'd have to use some other means of identification, like a lot number or geolocation - however, then you're back to requiring an app...

Not necessarily. "I want to pay for parking" -> "Click this link" -> quick automatic web based geolocation and redirect back to the SMS thread -> done.

Good point actually. But if you already got the user onto a webpage, why not complete the flow there?

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#209

I. Hate. Technology. I hate working in this field. I hate how unprofessional every company is, from the largest to the smallest. I hate how incompetent all the engineers are. I hate how no business I have ever worked for has ever trained its workers on anything but how to fill out a time sheet. I hate all the blog posts about inane technical details. I hate how people start building a solution to a problem they're no…

You can practice the craft of software for money without working on horseshit. You just might get paid a little less

Yes, I do that one. I work with small team that is excited about the space. Each team member has opportunity (and obligation) to interact with clients. The relationships are great. The money is less than at $BigCo but still above median for the area. Actively working against enshittification -- but I still feel it's a futile battle.
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