I chose a cut price option and felt chuffed with my $8 bargain. Until I got back to my car and realised I'd been slapped with a $40 parking ticket.
The slippers had now cost me $48 and left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
While I accept I should have fed the meter, the experience left me wondering why I hadn't gone to The Warehouse or Bayfair where I could have browsed the options without the threat of a ticket that cost me five times more than my purchase.
Which is why I support retailer Bill Campbell's campaign for the first two or three hours of parking in the CBD to be free - and am happy to pay higher rates for the privilege.
At least that way I won't have to worry about an unexpected surprise on my windscreen, or constantly give in to the convenience of malls and shopping centres where hundreds of free parks beckon.
I don't expect a parking free-for-all in the city, where shoppers can sit outside their favourite store for hours on end - that would be detrimental to both the business owners and the other shoppers hoping to pay them a visit.
But something needs to be done to ensure the cost of parking doesn't continue to put central city retailers, many of which are providing something local and different, on the back foot.
