Greer's enforces "Customer Only" parking... Panini Pete's suffers.

Greer's market in Fairhope has been a staple of the community for many years providing the locals with a good variety of groceries without the hassle of Wal-Mart crowds. Anyone who has struggled to find downtown parking close to the French Quarter has probably once in their lifetime pulled in to Greers, looked sneakily around, and ran across the street disobeying the Customer Parking Only signs. Now that has changed.

Greer's has decided to enforce the rules to keep unwanted guest out and to keep parking open to Greer's shoppers. Now, A constructed wooden guard tower has been tactically erected in the center of the parking lot manned by a guard armed with paintball guns and water balloons. Anyone veering away from the entrance heading across section or to Faulkner will be shot on site. To further ensure the system works, each person entering the lot will be asked to fill out a series of 16 lengthy forms with questions that cover their grocery plans to their favorite flavor of Moon Pie. The whole process can take up to 3 hours to gain entry. The final step in the plan was a brick and mortar wall reaching 25 feet across the east and west parking lot. Rumors have circulated that "Coyotes" have been asking $25 dollars to sneak Fairhopers to and from the parking lot unnoticed.

There are many casualties to the change. French quarter businesses have suffered with customer numbers dropping 5% since last week.