I used to be a fan of the Knitting Factory parking lot, as it was always cheaper than Ruby parking. When the Ruby lot was $7, the KF lot charged $5 and when the former went up to $10, the latter was only $7. Well, now that the Knitting Factory no longer stands isolated in that Hollywood and Sycamore structure, the parking has changed as well.

My gripe isn't that it now costs $8 to park in this building, it's the payment method. As I learned Saturday night when we left the venue, you have to pay with a credit card.

Now, I don't like using my credit cards for things other than gas and other business-related expenses. I had cash on me, $8 in exact change as well. I shouldn't have had to use my credit card. So when the machine that picked up my ticket insisted that I stick a card inside its mouth, I looked for an attendant. I found one standing over at the next exit, one that may have been cash friendly, but since we saw no lines advising anyone of anything, I wouldn't know for sure. I called the attendant.

"I want to pay cash," I said.

"You can't. You have to use your credit card," he answered.

"But I don't want to pay with my credit card."

He shrugged. I would have argued, but the line behind us was six cars strong. I stuck in the card. The machine spit it out.

"Well, your machine isn't taking my card," I snapped.

He ran over grabbed my card and stuck it inside the slot. Then I had to press a button to get the receipt. The barrier rose and we left, all while I was muttering stuff like, "this shit is fucking stupid."

This may seem minor to some readers, but I find forced credit card use to be problematic. Yeah, it might help if you have no cash on you, but since 99.99% of the parking lots at LA nightclubs are cash only, leaving home without the green stuff is a fairly stupid move. And, I firmly believe that the option to pay cash should be there for those of us who don't want to deal with transaction charges, interest rate increases, possible identity theft, etc. for an $8 parking spot.

From now on, I will be parking at the Ruby, even if it costs more, just so that I won't be forced to use my card.

When I mentioned this story to someone, the person asked, "Do you think they're trying to get rid of the parking attendants, like they did at Kaiser?"

This is certainly a possible motive for the switch to parking machines and it's something that I find problematic. Parking attendants are more than just the old dudes who get all crotchety when you have large bills and they have to find another attendant to make change. These people provide a sense of security that is needed when going out at night. Every light might have that sign that reads that the lot should not be held responsible for theft or damage, but, in the thirteen years that I've been clubbing, nothing has ever happened to my car, nor my rides' cars, while parked in guarded lot. Also, as a girl, knowing that walking back to the car by myself at 2 a.m. could make me a target, I felt much more at ease knowing that there is at least one person in that lot that I could call should I need help. Parking attendants provide a valid service in LA and I sincerely hope that their jobs do not disappear.

Labels: Parking