JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Albertsons has a juicy big parking lot that in recent years has played host to a de facto, unofficial park-and-ride for skiers headed to the Village. Truth be told, Albies doesn’t want to come down hard on people, but the practice can’t continue… at least not without the possibility that someone caught doing it will get their car towed.
A store manager at the large grocer chain on Buffalo Way admitted it was the store that put up signs spotted in the area warning people to stop using its parking lot as a place to leave a vehicle while catching the bus to either work or play at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
In years past, Albertsons has been fairly lenient about looking the other way when folks use their parking lot for overnight RV camping, a meeting place for charter buses, or as a convenient park-and-ride for in-town skiers wanting to avoid the bumper-to-bumper trip to Stilson. The lot is big enough for various non-store-related uses but winter poaching is on the uptick and with the holiday season here, it often fills up each day.
Consider yourself warned. Albertsons employees will be checking when they can. If they know you’ve been there all day (snow piling up on your car is a dead giveaway), they may just call a wrecker and have your rig towed off the lot.
It’s about respect. There is a right way to ride the bus. Catch START from the nearest stop to your home or use the free Stilson park-and-ride lot at the intersection of Highways 22 and 390.
