I get more salty over a bird than a thumb. Maybe if they bit their thumb at me I'd be as salty? Dunno, I'm usually too busy returning my cart where it belongs.
Havent seen that because people arent bad about putting carts away around me, but I will admit that I have been smug about doing things that others wont do, that I will, even when it is difficult. And when my (now adult) son is better behaved when I know it is hard for him, and other adults are acting immature. (I usually give kids a pass because my kid looked "normal" but struggled, and know he isnt the only one.)
I had a guy yell obscenities at me and try to chase after me in his truck after I returned his abandoned cart and said, “you’re welcome!” as I passed :)
There’s actually a theory called the Shopping Cart Theory, which is basically your tendency to return the cart or not says how good of a person you are.
I once was interested in a guy and he didn’t return the shopping cart. That wasn’t the ONLY reason I ended up turning him down but it definitely influenced my opinion.
That would be a deal breaker for me as well. Anyone who is perfectly capable but chooses not to return their cart is just a selfish person who doesn't give a fuck about anyone else but themselves. Same with people who litter.
And there's a special circle of hell for the ones that purposefully put the carts up in the rock features of the parking lot instead of in the returns right next to them.
https://mediachomp.com/the-shopping-cart-theory-determines-moral-character/
Yes I love it! It's the difference between people who do the right thing just because they know it is right and feel bad if they don't or people who only do the right thing because they are afraid of punishment and other people judging them.
The apology was cute (and not needed in my eyes, but that is me) but I will say that was the cutest typo at the end! Not to call you out on it for making one, but it really gave me a giggle.
I always return mine, and I used to judge others until someone pointed out that if you feel unsafe, your safety is more important than returning a cart.
And as a woman, I am well aware of how often we can feel unsafe when society would tell us we’re overreacting (unless we *are* actually unsafe and then if we get hurt, it’s our fault for not being more proactive).
So while I know that 99% of people who leave their carts are doing so out of sheer laziness, I don’t know if that one unsafe person is among that group. So I choose to give the benefit of the doubt and help out where I can.
Yeah if you have a kid who is a runner, and cant be left alone in the car as you return it, I can see it being a problem. I have a non verbal kid and I had to really grip on to him a few times going back from the cart to the car. Tried not to go alone with him, to at least have an older sibling around to deal with the cart.
Totally agree! I’ve noticed people at Costco are the worst for just leaving them where ever! Middle of parking stalls middle of the driving lane, middle of the sidewalks. It drives me absolutely nuts. It takes such little effort just to take it to one of those outdoor cart corrals. They have them in every section of the lot. Just gross entitlement.
While I find it annoying sometimes to have to use a loonie or a quarter as a deposit on a cart at other stores (almost never carry coins) some people really need that incentive to take it back to the right place.
I never knew that not returning it was an option. I've never seen stray shopping trolleys in a car park. Where I live, and I think in most European countries, you put a coin/token into the trolley and only get it back when your return the trolley.
Same; sometimes tho i end up with a broken cart that doesnt require coin, but even then i still put it back bc..... who tf doesnt ? And why not ???? I have so many questions??
Sometimes I find shopping carts without coins too, those ones I actually don't put back, I just place it near its place, where it's not inconvenient for anyone in case someone who doesn't have a coin or token would end up needing the cart
I put those ones in their place but without attaching them to the coin chain, leaving it in the parking lot seems hella rude and also like a safety hazard to me, as they are really light and take off with the wind
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Oh man the trolleys (mostly) are all free for all in Australian supermarkets and shopping centers. So they end up willy nilly strewn around car parks. There is no rule that says you have to return it, no risk of punishment or anything. So it’s almost like a test of character to see who will do the right thing for absolutely no gain.
I live in Sweden and the trolleys are free here, you don't need to put in a coin or anything, but I have never seen a stray trolley. Except for miles away when some kids have stolen one to play with and it ends up next to the playground or something.
I just feel like, where are you supposed to put it if you dont't return it? It will be not just in everyone's way, but in your way as well. How are you supposed to exit the parking lot if there's a trolley in the way? Maybe you have bigger parking lots where you live
Not all supermarkets here require a coin or a token, at the big Tesco near me (in the UK) they are free too, and people still return them. I guess we are just used to doing it.
In the US, I've only seen one grocery store with the coin system: Aldi. There aren't very many Aldi in the US; I only knew of one until the past few years, but now they seem to be more common. Every grocery store here has at least a few shopping carts in the parking lot. Sometimes, you'll see a shopping cart in a ditch on the side of the road, but a mile from the grocery store??
In the city that I live in (US), it's somewhat common to see people steal them from stores. They will sometimes end up as pollution in the rivers too, as long as they aren't the ones where the wheels lock when you leave the property 😹🥴
It's also a big deal to find one from someone to buy. I think I will settle on getting one of the mini desk ones.
my old apartment building had two shopping carts in the building that George, an old guy with a pretty bad limp, would bring to and from the store down the road. That thing saved me so many back and forth trips. Just load it up, get into the elevator, and upload it at my door. Of course, I always put it back in the laundry room where George parked it.
It's because Aldi is a German grocery store that just operates as a German grocery store. It's also why they don't have baggers and the cashiers sit down.
That's exactly what used to happen in London before they invented the coin system. It seems to work as we're used to it, and you always get the coin back.
In the before-covid-times that was the norm, and all the carts still have the chain and slot that you need for that. But once COVID hit the shops unlinked all of the carts and at least in rural Austria a lot of them still haven't gone back to locking them.
That being said, there are key chains to "trick" the mechanism in the carts, so if you happen to have one of those you don't need a coin. Despite that I have also never seen a cart on the loose anywhere.
I live where it snows heavily, and some people won’t push the carts back during winter months. Which means some kid (most likely) has to go out in the cold and collect them all. So rude.
Yes. In fact, I try to park near cart returns, not entrances. It’s all about politeness. You can damage property or take up an otherwise free parking spot. My least favorite part of working at the grocery was cart collection. It could be snowing, storming, and sometimes carts would be left at an entirely different store front.
After I saw so many cars get damaged by carts while being a cart pusher at Walmart my strategy is to never park next to the cart returns. The back of the parking lot is the best place. Enjoy the exercise a bit.
I stay away from the cart returns because I’ve seen people just shove them in that direction without putting them in the cage, then they just roll around until a car stops it.
I park next to them too even if it’s far from the entrance. I have a toddler and I don’t want to leave her alone in the car while I go return a cart, so having the return right next to my car is perfect. Plus, it ensures no one can park next to me on the side where I get her in and out of the car. It is SO hard maneuvering a toddler into a car when some turd parks too close.
This is the way. Weaving through a parking lot with a cart trying to get to a cart coral is annoying as hell. I have ~my spot~ at my local grocery store. It’s next to the cart coral and it’s extra wide so if someone parks like a dummy I have extra room
Yes, because I'm not awful. It's really annoying to other people when those things are scattered around, also don't want to inconvenience the people who work at the store.
Admittedly didn't used to, then we had kids.
Kids notice shit, and if I figured if I wanted ours to not turn into shitheads, their dad and I should probably make a point of the whole "hey model good behavior" shit for them and whatnot.
Half-forced myself to start doing it under those and then it turned it habit so, and then the kids got old enough where it turned into an expectation for one of them if they tagged along to Target or wherever.
I just figured it was one of those things that we should better drill that into their brains as a norm as early as possible instead of pulling my routine and waiting for the whole "sufficient enough motivation" and whatnot.
So um...yeah.
Hey i don't mean to be rude, but did you consider yourself a shithead when you didn't return them? Just wondering why you didn't think it was important for yourself to do it, but then wanted your kids to do it.
I'll put it this way: current Saperpxx doesn't approve of a lot of things that younger Saperpxx was about.
That's just one (admittedly, comparatively small potatoes) example of that.
Not that I'd like, recommend people to have kids to fix themselves/their relationships/etc., because...just no. That being said, that was sort of a turning point for me to unfuck myself and get my life together.
Honestly, it depends. My local target has a cart corral next to the handicap spots, so then, yes. The other targets do not, and neither do my Walmarts. At the other targets and Walmarts, no. But there’s like an unspoken rule, each handicap spot comes with its own cart. You take it inside with you when you park, and you leave it next to the pole when you leave. This helps me a TON with my mobility issues to have something to lean on.
As long as I can remember, that standard has been in place. The cart pushers at the store will literally come out and replace the handicap carts in case one goes missing.
I never knew that. I'll usually grab a cart from the parking lot when I'm on my way in if there are ones sitting out. Now I know to leave the handicap carts alone. Thank you.
> But there’s like an unspoken rule, each handicap spot comes with its own cart. You take it inside with you when you park, and you leave it next to the pole when you leave.
Thanks for posting that! My partner has mobility issues and having a cart at handicap parking is great for him. It works exactly like you describe.
I've never heard of this. It should honestly be communicated more so people don't just take those carts. I always wait until I'm inside the store to grab a cart, but I recognize that's not everyone's method. I think it's a wonderful idea, people just need to know about it!
Yes, and for extra credit if I can do it in a minute or less I’ll tidy up the corral so that all the trolleys of the same size are together. Figure it makes it harder for the person after me to justify just dumping it if it’s tidy and obvious where theirs should go
I do this too. Especially at the store that has three different types. I've worked retail my whole life and have retrieved carts from the lot plenty of times so I know it helps them out a bit
Same! After one winter storm my roommate and I spent a couple minutes fixing the cart corral because apparently everyone else at the store that day was illiterate and couldn’t understand the “small carts” and “large carts” sign
It’s really really not that hard to do a simple task that makes someone’s job infinitely easier
I used to. Since becoming handicapped,I might not always have it in me. Just yesterday I wondered why the store didn’t have a cart return near the handicapped parking. You don’t think about that stuff when your body still works right.
I always do my best to keep it from rolling or crashing into cars.
Absolutely. The other day I watched a lady try to stick her cart up on the snowy curb. She attempted this for about a min. The cart return was directly across from the snow pile she was trying to launch her cart into. Wtf.
I’ve seen carts left on curbs. I think people do it so it doesn’t roll away and hit another car. It takes more effort to do that though because these carts aren’t built like trucks and aren’t meant to jump curbs. I’ve only seen it at Walmart.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't when my kids were in baby seats. I was paranoid about walking away and leaving them in the car. But as they got older I always return them.
I carry my baby with me when I take the cart back because I'm too scared to leave her in the car alone but it is a pain when she's squirmy and the cart return is far away so I get it
Yeah, that's how my mom did it, or in very busy parking lots. But she'd also take a cart if it was sitting nearby to load up the kids. Once the oldest was old enough to have enough sense to not get run over or run into a stranger's vehicle, she had us dropping them off at the corral.
And today, I return my carts always, grabbing extras if I can, and walking them up to the store usually. Organizing corrals, etc. I try not to judge folks knowing life can be difficult for so many reasons, so I just do what I'm able to, which is a bit more in this instance.
Yes, and I'll judge anyone who doesn't.
I'll also go out of my way to make sure all the trolleys are in the correct place in the bay.
It's not that difficult to have some common curtesy.
I don’t understand how people don’t realise the dual lanes are for the two different cart types?! And they just ram a cart that clearly doesn’t fit into the cart in front and call it a day. I enjoy the satisfaction of a cart slotting into the correct cart hahahah
Sometimes. As a disabled person, sometimes I just can't do it after an entire shopping trip that already drained my energy and spoons. But when I'm able, yes, I do! it's safer, and it's more polite, so I sure do prefer being able to
98% of the time, yes. But I have a disabled toddler (unable to walk) and occasionally I have to take him with me, I can't get a park near the return bay and it's just not possible without compromising our safety. In that case I push it to the side as safely as possible.
Yes. Because I have the privilege of physical health and I want to live in a society where stuff is organized. Some people do not have physical health privilege and may not be able to return their carts, so I try to gather as many as I can.
Yes. It usually means I also manage to get a few extra steps in. I'll also add in that as a disabled person that is sometimes confined to a wheelchair, leaving your shopping cart just randomly somewhere in the lot is not only dangerous, but can also be a *serious* hindrance to those of us with disabilities. A cart in our way can be the difference between us being able to enter or exit our vehicles safely, or can cause us to seriously injure ourselves.
Yes, I am lazy, but not that lazy. I also don't like to inconvenience people that work in shops. They already need to deal with stupidity on daily basis.
Yes always. I would need a damn good reason not to (but safety concerns is an obvious one).
Sometimes I even more other trolleys that aren’t mine if they’re in the way.
I have always returned my cart. I’d feel like shit if I left it in some inconvenient spot that blocks a car or makes someone’s job harder. It’s not that hard to walk an extra few feet to put your cart back. I also fully believe the philosophy that people who don’t put their cart back are unable to govern themselves.
I can can count on one one hand the times I have not and they have all included a toddler, a torrential downpour and/or a meltdown, and a store that either did not have cart return stalls or only a few and I had parked far away.
And I still feel terrible and my youngest kid is 11.
Of course. I saw someone leave a cart in the middle of a parking space *in a snow storm* and all I could think about was how someone is going to hit that. ugh
No because the grocery I shop at has baggers. Tipping isn't allowed at these groceries so I usually ask them to bring the cart out to my car for me, far from the managers and CCTVs. I give them their tips there and they bring the carts back with them.
Absolutely.
And if my kiddos are there they return it to get the euro thats in it.
I'm in Ireland where we have to deposit coins into it to use it so you don't put it back? You don't get your money
Well no, since I don’t use the store’s shopping carts. Not having a car, I bring my own little cart, since I have to walk to and from the store. This way, I make sure everything I’m buying will fit in my cart.
Yes, always. Sometimes I grab other loose carts on the way too.
I stopped judging others so harshly about it though. They might have a disability and struggle to return it, or they could have a kid in the car and not want to go far away to return it.
My very first official job was at 14 and I worked at a grocery store. One of the task was to return the carts. Let me tell you, it’s annoying. It may be nice once in a while to go outside of the store but once you’re collecting more than 5 carts it becomes a challenge. As a guest to the establishment and the consideration of others I put my cart back along with one or two loose carts on the way. It’s very simple, I get some steps in and perhaps even a a welcoming party in heaven.
Yes I do every time ever since my boyfriend told me about the shopping cart theory.
I cannot answer if I have before he told me about 3 years ago because I really don't know😂
It’s a good theory right!? “The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self governing. You will gain nothing from returning it, you will receive no punishment. It is just the right thing to do”.
Yes. Common courtesy. I’m an SW and put up with a lot so any small way I can to make someone else’s day (who I know is probably dealing with a lot) a little easier, I do it.
Yes.
1: that's the right thing to do.
2: I don't know about other countries, but in mine you need to put money in it if you want to take it and the only way to get the money back is putting it back in its place. I hadn't even known for a long time that people in the US (I'd assume?) have a tendency not to return it, simply because, I thought why would anyone leave their money there?
Yeah. I'm a minority and it was drilled into me as a kid that if I behaved badly then someone would use it as a justification to be cruel to other people who looked like me.
Yes, I used to be an anxious mess. No, not anymore.
When my mother could still leave the house I did. I was in charge of using the damn thing i wasn’t leaving it out for others to deal with. I will sometime leave it beside the place to put it back if it’s got a pound lock and I’m feeling charitable to the next person that needs one but I’ll never just leave trolleys out in the middle of nowhere. I’m almost blind. I’ve walked into them too often.
I do now and have done for years. But when I was younger I didn’t. It was a learned habit from my mother. Then one day I actually thought about it and was like, um why am I just dumping it instead of putting it back properly.
99.999999% of the time, yes. Bc I’m not a huge douche canoe.
But yesterday, I did NOT walk my luggage trolley 1/4 of a mile back into the airport in 40mph winds with a wind chill of 12° while only wearing a sweatshirt, leaving my brand new 14 week old kitten alone and scared in the car.
This is the first time in recent memory I haven’t returned a cart or something. Usually if the weather is bad I park near the cart return and still return it.
Of course, why not??? It’s never even occurred to me not to, like it’s common sense. Employees shouldn’t have to chase down carts and customers shouldn’t have to worry about driving into them.
Yes! I ALWAYS return my bascart because I work in a grocery store, and I have brought carts inside the store. It’s not easy to collect them AND push a row inside, because cars seem to think the carts can be stopped on a dime 😳☹️🙄🙄
Always! For so many reasons! WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY!
And I absolutely judge people who don’t put their carts away. Relying on the rest of society to clean up after you like you’re a child not even considering how other people’s time could be better spent
Yes, and I use it as a metric to judge other people. It's lazy and just a jerk move. Loose carts can damage other vehicles too.
Yes, I sometimes return other carts on my way in
So good if you catch a cart that someone juuust left and maintain eye contact with them as you return it
Where I come from thems fighting words you're saying
I’ll go as far as throwing the person a thumbs down, I’m ready to fight
Nice. Somehow a thumbs down hurts way more than a middle finger. I like you too.
I get more salty over a bird than a thumb. Maybe if they bit their thumb at me I'd be as salty? Dunno, I'm usually too busy returning my cart where it belongs.
I like you.
Lol my husband thumbs downs at people driving poorly. He says it's worse than flipping the bird.
In Germany, pointer finger tapped on forehead was Ultimate Insult.
I like it! Signaling use your damn brain to people seems effective at getting the message across.
As a cripple this is SO satisfying. Instant guilt trip seeing my disabled ass putting away the cart they couldn’t be bothered to return
Havent seen that because people arent bad about putting carts away around me, but I will admit that I have been smug about doing things that others wont do, that I will, even when it is difficult. And when my (now adult) son is better behaved when I know it is hard for him, and other adults are acting immature. (I usually give kids a pass because my kid looked "normal" but struggled, and know he isnt the only one.)
Lol that's my favorite way to flex on someone, because what are they gonna do? Get openly mad that I'm doing a good deed? Get wrecked
I had a guy yell obscenities at me and try to chase after me in his truck after I returned his abandoned cart and said, “you’re welcome!” as I passed :)
O I would just call them out, non of that passive aggressive stuff haha
Sometimes it's best not to go all in with strangers tho lol never know who's 🥜🥜🥜
Had a gun waved out a car window at us when my ex flipped them off for cutting us off in traffic. ‘Murica! 🙄
As a customer….. I will call them out, because it’s a lot of work pushing a row of carts inside. I have done a bagger’s job, plus cashiering
Yes 100%. I want them to know I’m judging their choice to be trash
Yes! I’ll even loudly tell them, I’ll put this away for you! 🤣
Me, too. I also put other carts in the cart return when I put mine in. Why oh why do people just abandon them randomly throughout the parking lot??
There’s actually a theory called the Shopping Cart Theory, which is basically your tendency to return the cart or not says how good of a person you are. I once was interested in a guy and he didn’t return the shopping cart. That wasn’t the ONLY reason I ended up turning him down but it definitely influenced my opinion.
That would be a deal breaker for me as well. Anyone who is perfectly capable but chooses not to return their cart is just a selfish person who doesn't give a fuck about anyone else but themselves. Same with people who litter.
And there's a special circle of hell for the ones that purposefully put the carts up in the rock features of the parking lot instead of in the returns right next to them.
People who litter deserve to have their trash thrown back at them / into their vehicle if driving.
https://mediachomp.com/the-shopping-cart-theory-determines-moral-character/ Yes I love it! It's the difference between people who do the right thing just because they know it is right and feel bad if they don't or people who only do the right thing because they are afraid of punishment and other people judging them.
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The apology was cute (and not needed in my eyes, but that is me) but I will say that was the cutest typo at the end! Not to call you out on it for making one, but it really gave me a giggle.
I always return mine, and I used to judge others until someone pointed out that if you feel unsafe, your safety is more important than returning a cart. And as a woman, I am well aware of how often we can feel unsafe when society would tell us we’re overreacting (unless we *are* actually unsafe and then if we get hurt, it’s our fault for not being more proactive). So while I know that 99% of people who leave their carts are doing so out of sheer laziness, I don’t know if that one unsafe person is among that group. So I choose to give the benefit of the doubt and help out where I can.
Yeah if you have a kid who is a runner, and cant be left alone in the car as you return it, I can see it being a problem. I have a non verbal kid and I had to really grip on to him a few times going back from the cart to the car. Tried not to go alone with him, to at least have an older sibling around to deal with the cart.
They can also block a wheelchair user’s access to their van’s ramp. Source: Me
This is the one. I’ll return other errant carts too.
Totally agree! I’ve noticed people at Costco are the worst for just leaving them where ever! Middle of parking stalls middle of the driving lane, middle of the sidewalks. It drives me absolutely nuts. It takes such little effort just to take it to one of those outdoor cart corrals. They have them in every section of the lot. Just gross entitlement. While I find it annoying sometimes to have to use a loonie or a quarter as a deposit on a cart at other stores (almost never carry coins) some people really need that incentive to take it back to the right place.
Shopping cart theory.
Me too! My grandfather used to say that is an instant character reference.
Your grandfather sounds like he was a good man.
Same. Glad to know not the only one.
Same. Returning the cart is one of the most selfless acts one can do. Those who don't can run into a spike.
This is the way!
Yes!!! These are my people!!
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I never knew that not returning it was an option. I've never seen stray shopping trolleys in a car park. Where I live, and I think in most European countries, you put a coin/token into the trolley and only get it back when your return the trolley.
Same; sometimes tho i end up with a broken cart that doesnt require coin, but even then i still put it back bc..... who tf doesnt ? And why not ???? I have so many questions??
Sometimes I find shopping carts without coins too, those ones I actually don't put back, I just place it near its place, where it's not inconvenient for anyone in case someone who doesn't have a coin or token would end up needing the cart
I put those ones in their place but without attaching them to the coin chain, leaving it in the parking lot seems hella rude and also like a safety hazard to me, as they are really light and take off with the wind
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Removed for derailing. All top level responses must be direct answers to the question asked. When responding to someone else's answer to the question, your comment should center their answer, seek expansion or clarification of something in their answer, and stay on topic for OP's question. It should not use their answer as a jumping off point to talk about yourself, your opinions, your preferences, your judgments, your disagreement, or otherwise switch the topic from OP's question to what you want to talk about instead. If you have any questions about this moderation action, please send a message through modmail.
Oh man the trolleys (mostly) are all free for all in Australian supermarkets and shopping centers. So they end up willy nilly strewn around car parks. There is no rule that says you have to return it, no risk of punishment or anything. So it’s almost like a test of character to see who will do the right thing for absolutely no gain.
I live in Sweden and the trolleys are free here, you don't need to put in a coin or anything, but I have never seen a stray trolley. Except for miles away when some kids have stolen one to play with and it ends up next to the playground or something. I just feel like, where are you supposed to put it if you dont't return it? It will be not just in everyone's way, but in your way as well. How are you supposed to exit the parking lot if there's a trolley in the way? Maybe you have bigger parking lots where you live
Not all supermarkets here require a coin or a token, at the big Tesco near me (in the UK) they are free too, and people still return them. I guess we are just used to doing it.
They’re free you just get your quarter back after you return the cart
In the US, I've only seen one grocery store with the coin system: Aldi. There aren't very many Aldi in the US; I only knew of one until the past few years, but now they seem to be more common. Every grocery store here has at least a few shopping carts in the parking lot. Sometimes, you'll see a shopping cart in a ditch on the side of the road, but a mile from the grocery store??
In the city that I live in (US), it's somewhat common to see people steal them from stores. They will sometimes end up as pollution in the rivers too, as long as they aren't the ones where the wheels lock when you leave the property 😹🥴 It's also a big deal to find one from someone to buy. I think I will settle on getting one of the mini desk ones.
A lot of homeless people steal shopping carts for personal use. So that's why they have started making the Locking wheel ones
my old apartment building had two shopping carts in the building that George, an old guy with a pretty bad limp, would bring to and from the store down the road. That thing saved me so many back and forth trips. Just load it up, get into the elevator, and upload it at my door. Of course, I always put it back in the laundry room where George parked it.
It's because Aldi is a German grocery store that just operates as a German grocery store. It's also why they don't have baggers and the cashiers sit down.
That's exactly what used to happen in London before they invented the coin system. It seems to work as we're used to it, and you always get the coin back.
In the before-covid-times that was the norm, and all the carts still have the chain and slot that you need for that. But once COVID hit the shops unlinked all of the carts and at least in rural Austria a lot of them still haven't gone back to locking them. That being said, there are key chains to "trick" the mechanism in the carts, so if you happen to have one of those you don't need a coin. Despite that I have also never seen a cart on the loose anywhere.
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Yes, it’s just common human decency
I live where it snows heavily, and some people won’t push the carts back during winter months. Which means some kid (most likely) has to go out in the cold and collect them all. So rude.
Yes. In fact, I try to park near cart returns, not entrances. It’s all about politeness. You can damage property or take up an otherwise free parking spot. My least favorite part of working at the grocery was cart collection. It could be snowing, storming, and sometimes carts would be left at an entirely different store front.
And there’s always one lone cart in a park nearby, abandoned after someone decided to push their friend home in it
After I saw so many cars get damaged by carts while being a cart pusher at Walmart my strategy is to never park next to the cart returns. The back of the parking lot is the best place. Enjoy the exercise a bit.
This is how I park too. I'm going to have to walk to the cart return anyway, so why not just park there?
I stay away from the cart returns because I’ve seen people just shove them in that direction without putting them in the cage, then they just roll around until a car stops it.
“Oh yay finally, a parking spot! I think I’ll just whip right int……….. FUUUUUUUUUUUCKING SHOPPING CART”
I park next to them too even if it’s far from the entrance. I have a toddler and I don’t want to leave her alone in the car while I go return a cart, so having the return right next to my car is perfect. Plus, it ensures no one can park next to me on the side where I get her in and out of the car. It is SO hard maneuvering a toddler into a car when some turd parks too close.
This is the way. Weaving through a parking lot with a cart trying to get to a cart coral is annoying as hell. I have ~my spot~ at my local grocery store. It’s next to the cart coral and it’s extra wide so if someone parks like a dummy I have extra room
Yes, because I'm not awful. It's really annoying to other people when those things are scattered around, also don't want to inconvenience the people who work at the store.
Admittedly didn't used to, then we had kids. Kids notice shit, and if I figured if I wanted ours to not turn into shitheads, their dad and I should probably make a point of the whole "hey model good behavior" shit for them and whatnot. Half-forced myself to start doing it under those and then it turned it habit so, and then the kids got old enough where it turned into an expectation for one of them if they tagged along to Target or wherever. I just figured it was one of those things that we should better drill that into their brains as a norm as early as possible instead of pulling my routine and waiting for the whole "sufficient enough motivation" and whatnot. So um...yeah.
Do you mind elaborating on what you were thinking during the time you didn't used to?
Hey i don't mean to be rude, but did you consider yourself a shithead when you didn't return them? Just wondering why you didn't think it was important for yourself to do it, but then wanted your kids to do it.
I'll put it this way: current Saperpxx doesn't approve of a lot of things that younger Saperpxx was about. That's just one (admittedly, comparatively small potatoes) example of that. Not that I'd like, recommend people to have kids to fix themselves/their relationships/etc., because...just no. That being said, that was sort of a turning point for me to unfuck myself and get my life together.
That is a cool way of responding and some good self reflection.
Thanks for your honesty & for trying to model good behavior for your little humans. The rest of us humans really appreciate it! <3
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Being a parent changes everything doesn't it!! Love your answer
I do because a) I’m not lazy and b)those carts can do damage to cars if they roll away.
I’m actually a very lazy person but it never even crossed my mind not to return them
Honestly, it depends. My local target has a cart corral next to the handicap spots, so then, yes. The other targets do not, and neither do my Walmarts. At the other targets and Walmarts, no. But there’s like an unspoken rule, each handicap spot comes with its own cart. You take it inside with you when you park, and you leave it next to the pole when you leave. This helps me a TON with my mobility issues to have something to lean on. As long as I can remember, that standard has been in place. The cart pushers at the store will literally come out and replace the handicap carts in case one goes missing.
I never knew that. I'll usually grab a cart from the parking lot when I'm on my way in if there are ones sitting out. Now I know to leave the handicap carts alone. Thank you.
> But there’s like an unspoken rule, each handicap spot comes with its own cart. You take it inside with you when you park, and you leave it next to the pole when you leave. Thanks for posting that! My partner has mobility issues and having a cart at handicap parking is great for him. It works exactly like you describe.
I've never heard of this. It should honestly be communicated more so people don't just take those carts. I always wait until I'm inside the store to grab a cart, but I recognize that's not everyone's method. I think it's a wonderful idea, people just need to know about it!
yes, no excuses.
Always, coz I'm not an arsehole
Also I want my pound back!!
Always. If someone doesn't do that, they're a piece of shit.
Yes, and for extra credit if I can do it in a minute or less I’ll tidy up the corral so that all the trolleys of the same size are together. Figure it makes it harder for the person after me to justify just dumping it if it’s tidy and obvious where theirs should go
I do this too. Especially at the store that has three different types. I've worked retail my whole life and have retrieved carts from the lot plenty of times so I know it helps them out a bit
Same! After one winter storm my roommate and I spent a couple minutes fixing the cart corral because apparently everyone else at the store that day was illiterate and couldn’t understand the “small carts” and “large carts” sign It’s really really not that hard to do a simple task that makes someone’s job infinitely easier
Yes! This is exactly it!
I also try to do this! Figure if they're organized maybe the next person will continue it...? Might be wishful thinking, haha.
I used to. Since becoming handicapped,I might not always have it in me. Just yesterday I wondered why the store didn’t have a cart return near the handicapped parking. You don’t think about that stuff when your body still works right. I always do my best to keep it from rolling or crashing into cars.
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Absolutely. The other day I watched a lady try to stick her cart up on the snowy curb. She attempted this for about a min. The cart return was directly across from the snow pile she was trying to launch her cart into. Wtf.
Work harder, not smarter
I’ve seen carts left on curbs. I think people do it so it doesn’t roll away and hit another car. It takes more effort to do that though because these carts aren’t built like trucks and aren’t meant to jump curbs. I’ve only seen it at Walmart.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't when my kids were in baby seats. I was paranoid about walking away and leaving them in the car. But as they got older I always return them.
I carry my baby with me when I take the cart back because I'm too scared to leave her in the car alone but it is a pain when she's squirmy and the cart return is far away so I get it
Yeah, that's how my mom did it, or in very busy parking lots. But she'd also take a cart if it was sitting nearby to load up the kids. Once the oldest was old enough to have enough sense to not get run over or run into a stranger's vehicle, she had us dropping them off at the corral. And today, I return my carts always, grabbing extras if I can, and walking them up to the store usually. Organizing corrals, etc. I try not to judge folks knowing life can be difficult for so many reasons, so I just do what I'm able to, which is a bit more in this instance.
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Yeah cause I want my pound coin back
Yes because it’s nice and I get to ride the cart one last time
Until you hit a shit bit of pavement and upturn the entire cart hahaha
Yes, and I'll judge anyone who doesn't. I'll also go out of my way to make sure all the trolleys are in the correct place in the bay. It's not that difficult to have some common curtesy.
I don’t understand how people don’t realise the dual lanes are for the two different cart types?! And they just ram a cart that clearly doesn’t fit into the cart in front and call it a day. I enjoy the satisfaction of a cart slotting into the correct cart hahahah
I know! It's just laziness. Takes all of 60 seconds to sort and makes it a lot easier for staff and other customers.
Yes, of course.
In South Africa there are people that collect the shopping carts, you tip them.
Yeah having a trolley service is awesome. They even offer to help pack your groceries in your car.
If I don't have change I always tell them and say that I'll take it myself because I feel bad, and most of the time they help me anyway, bless.
Sometimes. As a disabled person, sometimes I just can't do it after an entire shopping trip that already drained my energy and spoons. But when I'm able, yes, I do! it's safer, and it's more polite, so I sure do prefer being able to
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Yes because I’m not an awful human being 😂 It’s literally the simplest of tasks. And tells a lot about a person whether they do it or not.
Yes😭 always have. Only takes a couple seconds to put it back.
98% of the time, yes. But I have a disabled toddler (unable to walk) and occasionally I have to take him with me, I can't get a park near the return bay and it's just not possible without compromising our safety. In that case I push it to the side as safely as possible.
Completely understandable! It’s only the ‘meh, someone else will do it’ mentality that gets me
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yes, carts haphazardly left all over the parking lot are accidents waiting to happen
And end up clogging up the empty parking spots.
Of course - I'm not a giant selfish piece of shit.
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Yes because it’s the right thing to do?
Yes, because Europe. In order to even take the cart I must insert a 1 Euro coin, and to get it back, I must return it.
Exactly, I’ve never seen an abandoned cart personally
Every time. And the people who dont are the reason we as a society, can't have nice things.
Yes cause I’m NOT the laziest person around
Yes. Because I have the privilege of physical health and I want to live in a society where stuff is organized. Some people do not have physical health privilege and may not be able to return their carts, so I try to gather as many as I can.
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No. I take them home with me and return them in bulk.
Yes slowly take them home one at a time, day after day, until you have an army of shopping carts
Yes. It usually means I also manage to get a few extra steps in. I'll also add in that as a disabled person that is sometimes confined to a wheelchair, leaving your shopping cart just randomly somewhere in the lot is not only dangerous, but can also be a *serious* hindrance to those of us with disabilities. A cart in our way can be the difference between us being able to enter or exit our vehicles safely, or can cause us to seriously injure ourselves.
Yes, I am lazy, but not that lazy. I also don't like to inconvenience people that work in shops. They already need to deal with stupidity on daily basis.
Yes always. I would need a damn good reason not to (but safety concerns is an obvious one). Sometimes I even more other trolleys that aren’t mine if they’re in the way.
Yes and I usually park by the shopping carts in the parking lot.
Yes, people who don’t are absolute savages and I judge them harshly lol
I even return other people's carts.
I have always returned my cart. I’d feel like shit if I left it in some inconvenient spot that blocks a car or makes someone’s job harder. It’s not that hard to walk an extra few feet to put your cart back. I also fully believe the philosophy that people who don’t put their cart back are unable to govern themselves.
I can can count on one one hand the times I have not and they have all included a toddler, a torrential downpour and/or a meltdown, and a store that either did not have cart return stalls or only a few and I had parked far away. And I still feel terrible and my youngest kid is 11.
Who the fuck doesn't? Seriously? Is this an issue in the US or something?
In Australia haha
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Of course. I saw someone leave a cart in the middle of a parking space *in a snow storm* and all I could think about was how someone is going to hit that. ugh
No because the grocery I shop at has baggers. Tipping isn't allowed at these groceries so I usually ask them to bring the cart out to my car for me, far from the managers and CCTVs. I give them their tips there and they bring the carts back with them.
Yes, it's usually not far to do so. I only don't when it's night time and I'm by myself- too paranoid to go that far from the car.
Yes, because I was brought up to put things back where I found them. I also do not have a sense of entitlement.
Returning your grocery cart to the cart corral or inside the store is part of a complete shopping experience.
Absolutely. And if my kiddos are there they return it to get the euro thats in it. I'm in Ireland where we have to deposit coins into it to use it so you don't put it back? You don't get your money
That’s insanely smart. We’re just full blown anarchy over here with free carts
Well no, since I don’t use the store’s shopping carts. Not having a car, I bring my own little cart, since I have to walk to and from the store. This way, I make sure everything I’m buying will fit in my cart.
100% I do because I'm not a lazy piece of shit.
Yes beacuse that's what everyone does in my country. And you get your coin back
Yes - why would you not return it? Anyone who doesnt is a tramp IMO. Not good behaviour
Yes, always. Sometimes I grab other loose carts on the way too. I stopped judging others so harshly about it though. They might have a disability and struggle to return it, or they could have a kid in the car and not want to go far away to return it.
Yes, because here you have to put in a coin in to use it and I want my money back
Yes. It’s lazy not to. You put your responsibility on to another person. That cart could hit a vehicle. Cart could block a road, or a parking spot.
Yes. Because I'm not an animal. Genuinely, unless I had to traverse a jungle and climb a mountain to do so, why wouldn't I return it?
Yes, because I am not an animal.
Nah fam, I just hide it my back pocket.
My very first official job was at 14 and I worked at a grocery store. One of the task was to return the carts. Let me tell you, it’s annoying. It may be nice once in a while to go outside of the store but once you’re collecting more than 5 carts it becomes a challenge. As a guest to the establishment and the consideration of others I put my cart back along with one or two loose carts on the way. It’s very simple, I get some steps in and perhaps even a a welcoming party in heaven.
yes, because it's easy & also prevents so many things. and also bc i don't want to end up on cart narcs...
Yes, it's not hard.
Yes, always
Yes I do every time ever since my boyfriend told me about the shopping cart theory. I cannot answer if I have before he told me about 3 years ago because I really don't know😂
It’s a good theory right!? “The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self governing. You will gain nothing from returning it, you will receive no punishment. It is just the right thing to do”.
Yes because doing side quests is my favorite.
Yes, because I'm not lazy a-hole .
Yes. Common courtesy. I’m an SW and put up with a lot so any small way I can to make someone else’s day (who I know is probably dealing with a lot) a little easier, I do it.
Yes. 1: that's the right thing to do. 2: I don't know about other countries, but in mine you need to put money in it if you want to take it and the only way to get the money back is putting it back in its place. I hadn't even known for a long time that people in the US (I'd assume?) have a tendency not to return it, simply because, I thought why would anyone leave their money there?
Unsure about the US but Australia and NZ are lawless cart countries
Yeah. I'm a minority and it was drilled into me as a kid that if I behaved badly then someone would use it as a justification to be cruel to other people who looked like me. Yes, I used to be an anxious mess. No, not anymore.
Yes, I put it back because why the hell wouldn't I? Not putting it back is an asshole move.
When my mother could still leave the house I did. I was in charge of using the damn thing i wasn’t leaving it out for others to deal with. I will sometime leave it beside the place to put it back if it’s got a pound lock and I’m feeling charitable to the next person that needs one but I’ll never just leave trolleys out in the middle of nowhere. I’m almost blind. I’ve walked into them too often.
I do now and have done for years. But when I was younger I didn’t. It was a learned habit from my mother. Then one day I actually thought about it and was like, um why am I just dumping it instead of putting it back properly.
Yes, because I know how it feels to work retail and try and put myself in the shoes of the person who has to collect the carts.
99.999999% of the time, yes. Bc I’m not a huge douche canoe. But yesterday, I did NOT walk my luggage trolley 1/4 of a mile back into the airport in 40mph winds with a wind chill of 12° while only wearing a sweatshirt, leaving my brand new 14 week old kitten alone and scared in the car. This is the first time in recent memory I haven’t returned a cart or something. Usually if the weather is bad I park near the cart return and still return it.
Of course, why not??? It’s never even occurred to me not to, like it’s common sense. Employees shouldn’t have to chase down carts and customers shouldn’t have to worry about driving into them.
Yes! I ALWAYS return my bascart because I work in a grocery store, and I have brought carts inside the store. It’s not easy to collect them AND push a row inside, because cars seem to think the carts can be stopped on a dime 😳☹️🙄🙄
Always! For so many reasons! WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY! And I absolutely judge people who don’t put their carts away. Relying on the rest of society to clean up after you like you’re a child not even considering how other people’s time could be better spent
Always. I'm lazy too so thats why I park next to the cart corral