Thoughts on Parking Guards

Parking isn't free in South Africa. Almost everywhere you go there are parking guards who watch your car while you're shopping. When you leave, you're supposed to pay them R5 or something like that. And if there aren't parking guards then there are automated tickets and machines to pay for parking depending on how many hours you park.

But back to the parking guards. In any parking lot, there is a guard for every aisle, and being the creature of habit that I am, I usually park in the same row. Consequently I have the same parking guard each time. After a while you get to know these guys, and going to the grocery store becomes a social visit.

For example, the guard at Pick N Pay is going to night school at Tshwane University of Technology to study IT. Cool, huh? Makes me want to tip him extra each time I buy my groceries. The guy at Spar (pictured above) makes fun of me because I am apparently the only person in South Africa who drives around with a cup of coffee in my hand (a leftover from my Starbucks indoctrination, I'm afraid).

It is easy to see the parking guards as near-invisible service providers who never had higher aspirations than to guard cars for a living, but the truth is that most of them dream big dreams as do all of us. Many of them are foreigners from the DRC or Zimbabwe who just want to support their families and will deal with a lot to do so. Others have disabilities or are dealing with difficult circumstances, but at least they're working and doing what they can, and most of them even do so with a smile.

I don't know where I'm going with this, so let me just end by suggesting that the next time you meet a service provider that tends to be ignored - smile and thank them. Treat them with dignity. Be the bearer of grace.