Placing a cache at a business.

[+JandG_Squad]

I would like to place a cache in the parking lot of a chain supermarket. How do you go about finding the land manager/owner of a big chain store, or in a shopping plaza? 

[+cerberus1]

30 minutes ago, JandG_Squad said:

I would like to place a cache in the parking lot of a chain supermarket. How do you go about finding the land manager/owner of a big chain store, or in a shopping plaza? 

 

Most lots here have a name of the maintenance group that manages/maintains the property on a fixture somewhere.    

 

We don't know of one  "parking lot" cache that ever got permission.  I ask at events.       They seem plentiful everywhere though... 

I'm sure someone, somewhere actually got permission to allow the public to play a game on their property 24/7.   

We just haven't met them.

[+niraD]

46 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

We don't know of one  "parking lot" cache that ever got permission.

I have a "parking lot" cache that has permission. The property manager even offered to help maintain the cache when we moved across the country.

[Keystone]

2 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

We don't know of one  "parking lot" cache that ever got permission. 

 

And I know of hundreds.  It doesn't always say so on the cache page, but permission details are often disclosed in pre-publication reviewer notes.

 

Kudos to the OP for asking the question.   I would start at the customer service desk of the supermarket, and ask to speak with the manager on duty to get permission for a "community project."  Then get into the details once you are speaking with a person in a position of authority.  If you do get permission from a M.O.D., be sure to ask them to pass along the information to other managers.  If Manager A doesn't know that Manager B gave permission for the cache, a "suspicious person" during Manager A's shift can and has lead to a law enforcement incident.

[+Mausebiber]

A parking lot of a supermarket?  Is there something special you want to show others?

If not, please read the statement below, maybe you want to reconsider.

 

"When you go to hide a geocache, think of the reason you are bringing people to that spot. If the only reason is for the geocache, then find a better spot."

briansnat, Charter Member

[+niraD]

2 hours ago, Keystone said:

I would start at the customer service desk of the supermarket, and ask to speak with the manager on duty to get permission for a "community project."  Then get into the details once you are speaking with a person in a position of authority.

This is important. Don't start by asking for permission. Start by asking for the person who manages the property, the person who can give permission.

 

1 hour ago, Mausebiber said:

A parking lot of a supermarket?  Is there something special you want to show others?

Stranger things have happened. I once found a cache in a store parking lot that was created to highlight a memorial plaque that had been placed in one of the landscaped areas of the parking lot.

[+Mausebiber]

20 minutes ago, niraD said:

I once found a cache in a store parking lot that was created to highlight a memorial plaque that had been placed in one of the landscaped areas of the parking lot.

 

This is a very good reason to place a cache right there.

[+JandG_Squad]

Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

20 hours ago, niraD said:

I have a "parking lot" cache that has permission. The property manager even offered to help maintain the cache when we moved across the country.

Even when permission has been obtained, a cache placed is such a public area runs the risk of getting reported to authorities and causing all sorts of problems.

 

The person  that manages the property may not convey that permission was granted to every employee (and future employee) of every business the uses the parking lot and certainly every patron of every business that uses the parking lot wouldn't know about it.  All it takes is one soccer mom to see someone searching for it, deem it to be suspicious behavior,  the authorities are contacted, and in some cases a bomb squad deals with the "suspicious container". 

[+niraD]

6 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

Even when permission has been obtained, a cache placed is such a public area runs the risk of getting reported to authorities and causing all sorts of problems.

 

The person  that manages the property may not convey that permission was granted to every employee (and future employee) of every business the uses the parking lot and certainly every patron of every business that uses the parking lot wouldn't know about it.  All it takes is one soccer mom to see someone searching for it, deem it to be suspicious behavior,  the authorities are contacted, and in some cases a bomb squad deals with the "suspicious container". 

That's an argument against ALL caches in public places, not just those in or near parking lots. That would eliminate a LOT of urban/suburban hides.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

1 hour ago, niraD said:

That's an argument against ALL caches in public places, not just those in or near parking lots. That would eliminate a LOT of urban/suburban hides.

 

It wouldn't necessarily eliminate caches placed in public places.  Cache owners should just be aware that when a cache is in a very public place some sort of precautions should be considered (other than a "be stealthy" directive)  that will help ensure that its longevity  I've found caches in public places that were hidden in a manner that it was very difficult to search for and/or retrieve and replace the container.  I've also found caches in public places where is was relatively easy to locate and retrieve the container and then one could move to spot nearby to examine the contents and sign the log.  Recently there was an discussion of caches hidden on public art.  That's a good example of being able to in a very public space but not make the search for it appear to be suspicious.   Just thinking about how it's going to look when someone is searching for, retrieving and replacing the cache might help.   

[+ras_oscar]

And to make the OP's  permission issue even more complicated, may large chain stores actually lease their real property. The "Owner" is the lessor. Could be a real estate holding company half way across the country.

[+ecanderson]

For free standing properties especially, use of the property by the lessee is typically, apart from things that could negatively impact the value of the property (which the lessee would be on the hook for in any case) pretty much up to the lessee.  The lessor can by contract limit the nature of goods sold as a competitive issue, of course, which is especially true in indoor/strip malls, but irrelevant here.  Whether the lessee wants to run a tent sale in the parking lot is a local ordinance issue, if it's anything at all.  A geocache would also be the business' manager's decision.

[+HunterandSamuel]

On 8/27/2020 at 10:37 AM, JandG_Squad said:

I would like to place a cache in the parking lot of a chain supermarket. How do you go about finding the land manager/owner of a big chain store, or in a shopping plaza? 

 

 

A great question! We called the managers to get permission. Make sure to get their full name for the reviewer, and phone number to be contacted. They are very nice and love the idea of geocaches being hidden in their lots. We hid caches at the far ends with less traffic from muggles. That's also a good point to bring up to get their permission. The manager we contacted has also done geocaching!

[+HunterandSamuel]

On 8/27/2020 at 1:29 PM, Keystone said:

 

And I know of hundreds.  It doesn't always say so on the cache page, but permission details are often disclosed in pre-publication reviewer notes.

 

Kudos to the OP for asking the question.   I would start at the customer service desk of the supermarket, and ask to speak with the manager on duty to get permission for a "community project."  Then get into the details once you are speaking with a person in a position of authority.  If you do get permission from a M.O.D., be sure to ask them to pass along the information to other managers.  If Manager A doesn't know that Manager B gave permission for the cache, a "suspicious person" during Manager A's shift can and has lead to a law enforcement incident.

 

On 8/27/2020 at 1:29 PM, Keystone said:

 

And I know of hundreds.  It doesn't always say so on the cache page, but permission details are often disclosed in pre-publication reviewer notes.

 

Kudos to the OP for asking the question.   I would start at the customer service desk of the supermarket, and ask to speak with the manager on duty to get permission for a "community project."  Then get into the details once you are speaking with a person in a position of authority.  If you do get permission from a M.O.D., be sure to ask them to pass along the information to other managers.  If Manager A doesn't know that Manager B gave permission for the cache, a "suspicious person" during Manager A's shift can and has lead to a law enforcement incident.

 

Great advice. In our case, they also passed along their permission to security of the parking lot. 

 

[+JustFindingOurWay]

I've had zero success getting permission from property management companies, but I've had great success with churches, some fire departments, and some law enforcement offices. All my gadgets in the past three years have been placed in public locations after having gadgets muggled on state land.

[+RocTheCacheBox]

On 8/27/2020 at 11:19 AM, cerberus1 said:

We don't know of one  "parking lot" cache that ever got permission.  I ask at events.       They seem plentiful everywhere though... 

I'm sure someone, somewhere actually got permission to allow the public to play a game on their property 24/7.   

We just haven't met them.

 

Since I mange the business, I gave myself permission to put one in my parking lot! 

 

On 8/27/2020 at 2:27 PM, Mausebiber said:

A parking lot of a supermarket?  Is there something special you want to show others?

If not, please read the statement below, maybe you want to reconsider.

 

"When you go to hide a geocache, think of the reason you are bringing people to that spot. If the only reason is for the geocache, then find a better spot."

briansnat, Charter Member

 

Thats is a great idea. From more than 10 years ago and still something to strive for when placing a cache. But the fact is, with more than three million placed now, reasons to bring someone to a location are harder and harder to find. ESPECIALLY in more urban areas.

 

When a cache owner finds that to be the case they should try to make the cache itself more memorable rather than just another bison tube hanging in a tree or a key box stuck to a guardrail. 6 or 7 years ago I did a LPC in a parking lot (shame on me) that was one of those "snake in a can" with camo tape covering it. I jumped and screamed like a little girl. Then gave it a favorite point.

 

 

[+Mausebiber]

1 hour ago, RocTheCacheBox said:

From more than 10 years ago and still something to strive for when placing a cache. But the fact is, with more than three million placed now, reasons to bring someone to a location are harder and harder to find. ESPECIALLY in more urban areas.

 

Yes, fully agree, but if there is nothing to show or visit, or all interesting places are already taken by someone else, maybe another cache should not be placed there.