Walking from one side of a Walmart parking lot to the other can take up to 2,000 steps. But most shoppers rarely complain about the long journey - and that's thanks to Walmart's science-based design. Urban planning experts revealed that it doesn't feel like you're walking a marathon because the 'massive sight lines,' spaces in between spots, which allow customers to have a clear view of the store no matter where they have parked.
![[Navigating Walmart 's enormous parking lots requires a lot of steps. But the way they are designed makes the distance from the car to the store feel shorter]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/20/22/92301137-14106963-Navigating_Walmart_s_enormous_parking_lots_requires_a_lot_of_ste-a-6_1732142283347.jpg)
Walmart has also scaled structures around a car strategically, like tall lamp posts and giant signage, minimizing the perception of how large the lot actually is. The experts also noted that because the entire parking lot is dedicated to the store, shoppers do not feel as if they are going out of their way - no matter how far they park from the entrance doors.
![[In a city, sightlines are constantly obstructed by buildings, trees and other obstacles that make it difficult to see the destination until it is very close by]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/11/20/22/92299623-14106963-In_a_city_sightlines_are_constantly_obstructed_by_buildings_tree-a-7_1732142283353.jpg)
A typical Walmart, with its parking lot, occupies a total area equal to more than a dozen football fields. And the parking lot accounts for the majority of that space. A typical Walmart, with its parking lot, occupies a total area equal to more than a dozen football fields.
And the parking lot is, on average, three times the size of the store. Experts at Streetcraft, a media company that creates informative content about urban planning, revealed that the perceived short walk is just an illusion. It all comes down to the differences between how parking lots and cities are set up, they explained.
