When the lots are wide or several spots are free, I agree, I might pull in front first. But tight parking lots need that extra precission you get by backing into a lot. I have far more often been stuck for a while behind someone trying to pull in front first into a tight spot when backing in would have been quick and easy.

I’m not downvoting you, because this is the type of comment the thread is asking for. But I really need to question this one. To me, it’s obviously geometrically easier to back into tight parking lots. I’m not sure if you’re in the US, but here in Norway, parking lots are generally a lot tighter than american parking lots. When you have only about a meter of total clearance and a narrow road along it, there is no way in hell to pull in front first.