Pet Peeve: Shopping Cart Abandonment

[Towelboy]

If you want to change the world, return your shopping cart.

When I was 16, one of my Food Lion responsibilities was to corral the shopping carts at night and return them to the store. I made it a priority to get every cart, even the ones several stores down. I did this for a few reasons: 1) it was my job 2) I didn’t want someone’s car damaged and 3) it is the right thing to do.

For the 20 years since then, I continue to return other’s carts at the stores. When I lead a workout in a parking lot, we return the carts. When I see one abandoned, I ride it back to a corral. When I take a cart to my car, I return it. As I have grown older, I have grown more brazen in my approach. I now say loudly, “This is what is wrong with America. People are lazy.” This tends to illicit some laughs from onlookers and glares from the guilty parties. I guess my thought is, “what are they going to do about it - yell at me?” By yelling, they are acknowledging their laziness. Win/Win.

I didn’t realize the impact of my actions until a few weeks back whilst driving through a Target parking lot (notoriously bad at cart abandonment) and my 4 year-old daughter pointed and yelled, “Lazy!” I inquired what she was talking about to which she responded, “a lazy person left their cart over there.”

I beamed with approval.

Returning a cart is more than just the right thing to do - it is a tangible example of selfless intentionality. A journey of community improvement starts with an intentional action. Intentional actions make impactful changes. Impactful changes spread like wildfire. Be the change you want to see in the world. Return your cart.

[Jeremy Igo]

 

Someone actually did this. Roll it to the cart keeper, but don't actually put in in, just leave it in the street. 

[Towelboy]

3 minutes ago, Jeremy Igo said:

Someone actually did this. Roll it to the cart keeper, but don't actually put in in, just leave it in the street. 

So close. That's like writing the email and not hitting send.

[Cat]

4 hours ago, Towelboy said:

Returning a cart is more than just the right thing to do - it is a tangible example of selfless intentionality. A journey of community improvement starts with an intentional action. Intentional actions make impactful changes. Impactful changes spread like wildfire. Be the change you want to see in the world. Return your cart.

Idk if you're screwing around but I fully agree with this. 

[PurityControl]

This & people who don’t buss there table at establishments that don’t have bussers.

Brewerys are a good example, if you have to pick your food/drink up and take it back to your table then buss your table when you’re done you  Lazy F*cks

You see garbage bins and plastic totes for used glasses and dishes yet you lazy slobs leave all your dirty used sh*t on the table.

What compounds this is when the place is packed and you know people are waiting for that table you get up and leave your half eaten food plates and lipstick stained beer glasesa for me to buss if I want that table.

Go outside and throw yourself in front of a train you waste of humanity lazy loser slob.

 

[Zaximus]

I hate people that do this.   I mean, how hard is it?   I also take peoples' carts back.    You'll also see the carts on the median, and I'm thinking, it took more or as much energy to lift it onto there as it would have to return it where it goes.

[Bronn]

lol everyone here is turning into a bunch of old "get off my lawn" types...

I reread the whole thread with a precursory Peter Griffin voice saying "Ya know what really grinds mah gears?"

[Anybodyhome]

A dog park divided into 3 separate 3-acre areas (large, small and agility), for a total of 9 acres. Each area is equipped with 3 bag dispensers and attached waste receptacles.

Yet people will not pay any attention to their dogs (that fugging phone is more important) while they're crapping and you have to tell them to go clean up after their dog.

[Arroz con Panther]

Definitely a pet peeve of mine. I will also put something back in it's proper place. That probably comes from me stocking shelves as a teenager. Nothing worse then seeing a cold item left by the paper towels because someone decided they didn't want to buy it anymore. Guess what? That cold item (probably something that can melt) is now bad and has to be thrown away.

[Zaximus]

59 minutes ago, Bronn said:

lol everyone here is turning into a bunch of old "get off my lawn" types...

I reread the whole thread with a precursory Peter Griffin voice saying "Ya know what really grinds mah gears?"

So you don't find it annoying when people leave a cart 3 inches from your car lol?

[SmokinwithWilly]

What makes zero sense though is there usually isn't a cart return close to the handicapped spot. For truly handicapped people, not just the ones that are so large their ankles are the size of a potbelly pig, walking to the cart corral and back isn't an easy task. A small one should be put there. 

[frash.exe]

probably the greatest online story i ever read

there’s a farmer’s market next to my gym and pretty much everybody who shops there must forget how to push a cart the second they don’t need it anymore bc once they load their car they don’t bother to put it back where it belongs. i’ve literally seen the cart collector next to the entrance of the store empty and 20-25 carts strewn all over the parking lot countless times.

[Bronn]

15 hours ago, Zaximus said:

So you don't find it annoying when people leave a cart 3 inches from your car lol?

I mean, yeah, a little I guess. I just felt like this thread and the gender reveal one, especially them being so close together in a relatively slow posting time in the lounge, was humorous.

For the record, I try to return the cart back to the storefront most of the time.

I, too, had my first real job back in the day as a Food Lion employee. When I wasn't stocking (my primary job) I'd help out up front. I still remember how much it sucked to have to clear the lot of carts, especially in the rain or the super cold. I'm doing someone a slight favor if I can take the few seconds it requires to return my cart to the front of the store.

Although, those guys do have it made now, with those fancy, motorized cart pushers that allow them to tow a mile of carts in at a time.

If I see someone leave a cart somewhere other than a corral, I typically just carry on about my business because I realize how pathetically lazy most people are (myself included sometimes, except when it comes to shopping carts, lol) and don't want to get bogged down in letting them ruin my day.

I get more annoyed by the people in the actual stores, doing their shopping, than I do with people not returning shopping carts.

[Zaximus]

3 minutes ago, Bronn said:

I mean, yeah, a little I guess. I just felt like this thread and the gender reveal one, especially them being so close together in a relatively slow posting time in the lounge, was humorous.

For the record, I try to return the cart back to the storefront most of the time.

I, too, had my first real job back in the day as a Food Lion employee. When I wasn't stocking (my primary job) I'd help out up front. I still remember how much it sucked to have to clear the lot of carts, especially in the rain or the super cold. I'm doing someone a slight favor if I can take the few seconds it requires to return my cart to the front of the store.

Although, those guys do have it made now, with those fancy, motorized cart pushers that allow them to tow a mile of carts in at a time.

If I see someone leave a cart somewhere other than a corral, I typically just carry on about my business because I realize how pathetically lazy most people are (myself included sometimes, except when it comes to shopping carts, lol) and don't want to get bogged down in letting them ruin my day.

I get more annoyed by the people in the actual stores, doing their shopping, than I do with people not returning shopping carts.

lol I just read the gender reveal thread.   I mean, I don't care about those, I can just ignore them or not show up.