I just go right for the back of the parking lot. Even if there is 50 spacers open closer to the store, i still hang out in the back.
Once in a while i find i'm not alone, but the people who park next to me are respectful always parking diagonally across from me. Usually it's some nice BMW or benz or something. You know when you see cars like that in the back they will be careful, but i still go by the 1 space buffer rule