Christmas Nightmare

One of my worst Christmas shopping adventures occurred at the Best Buy in Allentown, PA before the Christmas of 1999 or 1998. I had stopped of for a last minute gift after a work Christmas party. The purchase was made and I was leaving the store. As I left the store, I became aware of the fact that no cars at all were moving in the parking lot or what cars were moving were moving slowly. Essentially all the cars were locked into the parking lot like a bunch of sardines. There was one exit onto a main artery known as MacAurthor Rd, which also served to be not only the outlet for the biggest mall in the area, but it was also a main junction for an Interstate highway.
The planners of the parking lot had made one exit and one entrance. The side of the parking lot that I was in did not move for nearly 3 hours. Cars were attempting to drive over the curb and up over a grassy hill. Only a few SUV’s made it out successfully. The lack of planning on the part of the developers created a situation that could have caused great harm, especially if an emergency situation that involved ambulances or rescue vehicles.
What should have taken no more than several minutes, took well over three hours after getting into my car. The frustration of this event caused me to avoid this store for numerous years. And then I would only go into the store while parking in another stores parking lot. I also notices that they store had put in an other exit which does not empty out onto a main artery. I still have some negative feelings towards this store, and in general learned my lesson about going shopping in and around the malls during the holiday shopping season.