In a large parking lot between the two stores, a sandwich board stood at the entrance. It said “No public parking”. At the far back corner, there was a food truck.
Customers of the two stores saw the board and thought it was for someone else since people naturally consider themselves as “customers” not "the public”. They parked the car and were ready to walk into the store.
A man jumped out of the food truck and started to yell with frustration, “No parking!! No parking!! Can’t you understand?!” Customers were shocked and stood there baffled. It took a few exchanges for people to realize that they were "the public” and not allowed to park there.
Instead of saying “No public parking”, an effective alternative can be: “Parking is reserved for Food Truck customers only”.
Empathy helps us communicate better to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and emotional stress when writing a sandwich board or living everyday life.
