Leaving your grocery cart in parking stalls?

[Dave Gray]

If there's a cart on my walk up to the store, I always push a cart up on the way, whether I need a cart or not. 

Those who say that they put their cart away 100% of the time, do you deal with inclement weather?  I think that's the big thing here.  We have sudden lightning storms where I'm just not keen on pushing a metal cart around.

[pondwater]

Was listening to the radio on my way into work last week and they talked about this very thing and their take on it was that you could tell a lot about of person by watching what they did with their cart. They surmised that someone who always returned the cart was by nature a thoughtful and curteous person because there's absolutely nothing that forces you to return the cart. You are not going to be arrested. You are not going to be banned from the store. Basically whether you return it to the stall is totally about being curteous to the next person trying to use the cart, parking spot, the folks that work for the store that have to round them up, etc.

I pretty much think this is spot on. If you return them to the stall you generally are a curteous and thoughtful person. If not, not so much. Mind you, I'm not saying you're not a good person if you don't return them, but you're not as curteous and thoughtful as those that do. That's just my opinion.

I voted I don't think it's a big deal, but I've never done it myself. I always return the cart to the stall. 100% of the time.

Anyone ever grabbed another cart that was on your way to the stall and pushed it to the stall as well? I've done this on numerous occasions.

That's the "shopping cart theory" I was talking about earlier that proposes an individual's moral character is determined by whether or not they return their cart. It's total bullshit and I disagree with it 100%. People just want to be offended over and complain about silly nonsense. If you want to take your cart back or not, I don't care. It has nothing to do with me.

I've had this discussion with people that I know and they all said that returning your cart reflects on your individual character somehow. However, one of them is a drunk that wants to fight and argue after a few drinks, another one habitually lies about mundane shit that doesn't need to be lied about, and another one has cheated on his wife with several random ugly hambeasts and sluts.

Imagine trying to judge someone's character on something that doesn't matter whatsoever. While simultaneously cheating on your wife with some of the worst looking slam pigs you can find, just to get your dink wet. Just LOL

[Sunstroke]

Imagine trying to judge someone's character on something that doesn't matter whatsoever. While simultaneously cheating on your wife with some of the worst looking slam pigs you can find, just to get your dink wet. Just LOL

I agree that you really can't tell much from shopping carts. However, the way you talk about others sure can...

[pondwater]

I agree that you really can't tell much from shopping carts. However, the way you talk about others sure can...

Cry more

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

While cart return is not 100%, it is a very good predictor of whether the individual is selfish and self centered or if the person cares about others.  Other indicators are how they treat low paid service workers, if they willingly follow health guidance during a global health crisis, willingness to be inconvenienced for others safety, etc.

[pondwater]

While cart return is not 100%, it is a very good predictor of whether the individual is selfish and self centered or if the person cares about others.  Other indicators are how they treat low paid service workers, if they willingly follow health guidance during a global health crisis, willingness to be inconvenienced for others safety, etc.

Nonsense

[Dave Gray]

While simultaneously cheating on your wife with some of the worst looking slam pigs you can find, just to get your dink wet. Just LOL

Anyone gonna tell me what this is a reference to?

[pondwater]

Anyone gonna tell me what this is a reference to?

As I said a few posts above. I've had this conversation with quite a few people about if you can judge someone's character or how good of a person they are if they return their shopping cart or not. Almost all of them had something negative to say about people who don't return their carts.

Meanwhile, they all engage in negative harmful behavior toward others. The quote you referenced, while it is the most extreme example, is about one of those people. He cheats on his wife with some of the nastiest looking women I've ever seen. People aren't very congruent in their views and spout bullshit for moral superiority.

There is no reasonable metric that you can judge someone for simply not returning their cart. It's simply bullshit.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Person who engages in multiple acts of anti-social behavior, denies that anti-social behavior is anti-social behavior. 

[pondwater]

Person who engages in multiple acts of anti-social behavior, denies that anti-social behavior is anti-social behavior. 

Not returning your cart is anti-social? LMFAO

[Pappy13]

Those who say that they put their cart away 100% of the time, do you deal with inclement weather?

Yeah. Rain or shine, I put the cart back in the stall.

I think that's the big thing here.  We have sudden lightning storms where I'm just not keen on pushing a metal cart around.

Meh. Chances of getting struck by lightning are pretty small. Don't think they are really raised much by me pushing around a cart, especially the one cart that I'm pushing when there are hundreds of other cars and carts around? Most of the carts these days are mostly plastic anyway. Not worried about it.

I can see what other people have said about leaving a child in the car unattended and that I could see, but I honestly don't think I've ever been in that situation with just me and a small child. If that was the case, I might be inclined to leave the cart in that case, but that's about the only case I can see.

[Dave Gray]

Hey Pappy, where do you live?

Here, we have regular lightning storms and metal carts for our main grocer.  We have plastic cards at places like Target and Walmart, though.

[Spider-Dan]

I think metal carts are still prevalent in the vast majority of grocery stores.  And I doubt that a metal cart with plastic/rubber wheels is at significantly more risk of being struck by lightning.

As I said, I can understand if you have a small child and it's inconvenient to manage securing the child in a carseat and then leaving them there to return the cart.  I would probably be trying to park close to a cart return if I felt that way, but I'm not a parent and I understand that even 20 feet might be worrying.  But "it's raining" is not what I would call a valid excuse, especially since you are making more work for someone else to go get this cart in the rain. (And if you think that a metal cart presents extra risk during a lightning storm, you damn sure better not be putting your small child in this cart when going to or from your car.)

[pondwater]

I think metal carts are still prevalent in the vast majority of grocery stores.  And I doubt that a metal cart with plastic/rubber wheels is at significantly more risk of being struck by lightning.

As I said, I can understand if you have a small child and it's inconvenient to manage securing the child in a carseat and then leaving them there to return the cart.  I would probably be trying to park close to a cart return if I felt that way, but I'm not a parent and I understand that even 20 feet might be worrying.  But "it's raining" is not what I would call a valid excuse, especially since you are making more work for someone else to go get this cart in the rain. (And if you think that a metal cart presents extra risk during a lightning storm, you damn sure better not be putting your small child in this cart when going to or from your car.)

I park next to or within a few spaces of the cart return area almost every time I go shopping. Therefore my cart is returned easily with no fuss. But on another note, since when did anyone need a "valid excuse" to not return their cart? I mean, there are no laws or punishments for not returning your cart. And most people who don't return their carts probably don't give a fuck what anyone thinks. So I don't get the "valid excuse" angle.

[Spider-Dan]

pondwater, you've made it crystal clear that You Don't Think It's A Big Deal where people leave their carts.
Others disagree.

You're not really advancing a position by filling up the page with "How dare you judge someone else?!" posts.  We all recognize that grocery cart returns are not the ultimate measure of our society.  You say there is "no law or punishment" for not returning your cart, but if I want to judge someone else as inconsiderate and anti-social for not doing so, there is also no law or punishment for me denouncing them.  Freedom works both ways; you have the freedom to make your own choices, and I have the freedom to criticize your choices.

P.S. Just to avoid the "And I have the freedom to criticize people who are being judgmental" vortex: if you want to make an argument for leaving your cart wherever you want, then make that argument.  But arguing that we shouldn't judge people for not returning their carts Because Freedom is a waste of time.  Yes, we all recognize that people have the Freedom to leave their carts laying around, and other people have the Freedom to criticize them for not returning their carts, and yet even more have the Freedom to criticize the critics, etc.  This is obvious and conveys no information worth discussing.

People are being criticized for leaving carts laying around because it's selfish and unnecessary.  Their "freedom" to do so is not in dispute, and is beside the point.