The Pop-Up Parking Lot Attendant

I’ve been hearing a lot of the pop-up shop idea in the last few years, but when I moved to Spain in early 2002 I ran into perhaps a predecessor to this concept: The pop-up parking lot attendant (pupla).

Now, I don’t know if this is a European thing or a southern European thing or whatever, but I do not recall seeing this entrepreneurial venture taking place in North America. Let me explain…

In early June before the weather gets too hot and the tourists arrive, you can drive down to San Juan beach and pull into one of the gravel lots that line the beach and park within 30 meters of beautiful blue Mediterranean water.

Come tourist season a new element appears at these places, the pop-up parking lot attendant, a.k.a the pulpa. Entering the parking lot you will encounter a person waiving you over into an open parking spot. Sometimes this is quite helpful, and other times you wonder at how this person thinks you haven’t figured out where to park your car in the near empty lot you just pulled into¹. Anyways, these people are not official empoyees of the beach and they expect a tip or donation for their effort. This is where things get messy.

Obviously thier service can be quite useful; on a hot day you get to the beach a little late and this person appears from the sand-dust and cars and waives you into a spot whose presense was heretofore unbeknownst to you. Nice. But what if you are an early bird and you find this person waiving you into a lot that is more or less empty?

I have had this happen to me; pull into a lot about 150 meters long and park on one side while the pop-up parking attendant is over on the other side waving you down to him. As you and your family get out of the car he walks his way towards you and kind of hovers in your area. Just this morning I parked in one of two lots at the weekend market and had a guy hover over from the other lot. What to do?

The Spanish worry that these folks will do something if you don’t pay them; key your car or whatnot. I have some rules for dealing with these folks, and indeed there have been times when I don’t pay and I have never had anything happen to our car². So what are the rules?

Rules for the Pop-Up Parking Lot Attendant

Quite simply I pay when the person offers value. For the two examples above where the PPLA hovered over and didn’t help me get a spot I don’t pay; I may say hello. If the guy actually helps me negotiate some of that great Spanish lets fills this gravelly lot with cars and to heck with the consequences craziness, he gets a good tip.

Another good example is the fellow in the gravelly lot by Casa Domingo at Playa San Juan. This guy shows up during the tourist season and ensures that people can get in, get out and park smartly. We get their early to get a spot in the shade (shaded parking at the beach!) and generally don’t need his help. But he is there looking after my car in this spot that I cannot see from the beach. Some folks³ even leave their keys with him so that he can move their car around if needed during the day. We’ve been parking there for two years now and he’ll even help me out as I fumble back tot he car with all of our beach stuff after a long morning in the sand and surf. He gets a good donation.

So the gist is value. If the attendant gives value, give up some coin. If they haven’t done anything for you, in my experience it’s worth just saying hello.

When I first arrived here I must admint the pop-up parking lot attendant wasn’t someone I wanted to give my money to. In the end they tend to appear when  there are a lot of people and they can make themselves useful and make money. Seeing it in this manner I now have no problem handing over a little Euro coin to these entrepreneurial folks.