A man from south-east London has turned the mundane task of supermarket shopping into a six-year challenge, parking in every available space at his local Sainsbury's. Gareth Wild, 39, a company director from Bromley, documented his quest on social media, where his thread has garnered over 100,000 likes.
Mr Wild began the project in 2015 to add purpose to his weekly shop. Using spreadsheets and Google Maps, he catalogued 211 spots—excluding disabled bays and motorcycle spaces—categorising them from A to F. 'It kind of feels like the old Panini sticker albums, but a really boring version of it,' he said. 'It's a collector's thing, I suppose.'
His favourite spot? 'It's all about C1,' he joked. 'The moment you drive in, it's the first one you see past the restricted bays. Right at the front, near the trolleys. Every criteria is met.' He completed the challenge on 24 April, slotting his Skoda Octavia into F20, which he described as 'a pig to get in'. 'I don't want to make out this was too big a deal, but there was a moment of elation,' he added.
The thread sparked lively debate about parking etiquette, with hundreds of replies and questions. 'It turns out there's a lot of questions about car parks,' Mr Wild said. His wife Kathryn and four-year-old daughter Aubrey often joined him, turning the missions into daddy-daughter time. As for what's next, he hinted at a Lidl down the road: 'I've got my eye on Lidl. But how do you go up from this?'
