Leaving your grocery cart in parking stalls?

[pondwater]

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.

Holy overreaction Batman. Damn son, stop being so emotional. The point is that no one that leaves their cart laying around gives a shit what you or anyone else thinks. Therefore, you and others are just complaining to complain. And about something that absolutely no one can do anything about. What's the end game?

I don't care what they do and it's not my problem. Nor is it your problem. Nor is it a problem in general. Mind your business and do better...

[masterfins]

I think not returning your cart to the store, or a collection point, is just pure laziness.  I mean it would take one or two minutes.  The only thing worse is people that park in the fire lane right in front of the store when there are parking spots not more than 20 yards away.

[pondwater]

The only thing worse is people that park in the fire lane right in front of the store when there are parking spots not more than 20 yards away.

That I can agree with. I see that all the time, usually dudes in jacked up trucks blaring their Bro Country. They should be towed away

[AQNOR]

The only thing worse is people that park in the fire lane right in front of the store when there are parking spots not more than 20 yards away.

I've used the fire lane to drop off someone who is going into the store.  But then I will circle the parking lot until they come out. 

[Dave Gray]

It started to rain while I was leaving the grocery store and I intentionally left my daughter in the car to wheel the buggy to the front, while thinking about this thread.

[Pappy13]

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.

I live in Grand Prairie Texas which is a suburb of Dallas. I do most of my shopping at Target super center which has grocery as well as other stuff and it's right around the corner from us. My wife goes "big" grocery shopping, not sure what type of carts they have, but I agree with Spider here, I don't really feel the cart is something to worry about.

[Downunder Dolphan]

This poll is about leaving your grocery cart in a parking space after you're done with it (which includes hooking two wheels over a curb).
What do you think of it?

Honestly, I think it's a dog act. I wouldn't shoot anyone for it, but it's selfish and pathetic - and it deserves to be called out.

Seriously, you wheel a cart all the way out to your car, and then you can't be bothered to take it back to the return station? It's lazy and it's selfish. It may not exactly change the world, but it will make someone else's life a hell of a lot easier if you use a little self motivation to make the effort to do it.

[Dave Gray]

I live in Grand Prairie Texas which is a suburb of Dallas. I do most of my shopping at Target super center which has grocery as well as other stuff and it's right around the corner from us. My wife goes "big" grocery shopping, not sure what type of carts they have, but I agree with Spider here, I don't really feel the cart is something to worry about.

OK, I mean...this might seem pedantic, but I do think there's a difference.  We have major lightning storms on a somewhat regular basis and our leading grocery store, Publix, has metal shopping carts.  You just can't be pushing around metal carts in a lightning storm.  It's not to excuse bad behavior and you can wait to go back out to your car, some people will go to the car and load it from the curb...there are options.

But.. I just don't think that people in California or Dallas can view that particular issue with any sort of perspective.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think not returning your cart to the store, or a collection point, is just pure laziness.  I mean it would take one or two minutes.  The only thing worse is people that park in the fire lane right in front of the store when there are parking spots not more than 20 yards away.

Not comparable.  One is rude and inconsiderate but legal, the other is illegal and potentially could cost someone their life.

[Spider-Dan]

We have major lightning storms on a somewhat regular basis and our leading grocery store, Publix, has metal shopping carts.  You just can't be pushing around metal carts in a lightning storm.

It sounds like you pushed this metal cart out to your car 5 minutes earlier during the same lightning storm, so you didn't think it was that risky.
If your kid was sitting in the cart at the time, you have zero argument here.

[Dave Gray]

It sounds like you pushed this metal cart out to your car 5 minutes earlier during the same lightning storm, so you didn't think it was that risky.
If your kid was sitting in the cart at the time, you have zero argument here.

The lightning storm wouldn't have been there when you pushed the cart out earlier.  Also, I don't put my kid in the cart.  But the kid thing is a different issue.

That's not really how it works.

In general, when things are storming, you gotta minimize your time around metal and your time out in it.  Also, the weather changes fast.  I'm not trying to be dramatic; it's just how it is living here.  You have to run to you car quick, wait for a slight break in the storm and go quickly where it's raining but not a deluge, etc.

Again, there are options to avoid it, I'm just giving a situation where you might find someone ditch a cart for their safety.

[Spider-Dan]

I mean, I suppose if you're referring to a lightning storm that just started the moment you got to your car or whatever, then I guess?  But I feel like the majority of carts that are left behind are not because of this, and I'd even go so far as to say that the majority of carts that you have left behind were not because of an instant lightning storm that sprang up right as you got to your car.

This just seems like a "Well what if it's nighttime and my wife is shopping alone and there's a sketchy guy hanging around the corral?" contrived situation.  Sure, if it will put your life in danger to do so, then don't return the cart to the corral.  You have your pardon.  

BTW, I was at Wal-Mart earlier today, saw this, and thought of y'all:



Two of the people who left carts here definitely thought they were putting them "out of the way," and the third probably also thought they weren't really blocking any parking.

I personally tried to pull into this spot and had to back out to find another one.

[Dave Gray]

But I feel like the majority of carts that are left behind are not because of this, and I'd even go so far as to say that the majority of carts that you have left behind were not because of an instant lightning storm that sprang up right as you got to your car.

I don’t leave my cart.  Outside of special circumstances, I always wheel it somewhere appropriate.  I was just giving cover to a reason that people here might abandon a cart

[Pappy13]

But.. I just don't think that people in California or Dallas can view that particular issue with any sort of perspective.

We don't have lightning storms in Dallas? I mean OK, maybe we don't have them as often as Florida or anyplace else, but that's not really the point because we do have lightning storms in Dallas when it's raining and I've returned the cart to the stall when it was both lightning and raining regardless of what the cart was made of.

Does the grocery store prevent you from using the carts when it's storming out? If they don't it's obviously not THAT big of a problem. You're reaching.

https://www.iii.org/article/lightning-safety-10-myths-and-the-facts

You're not really any more likely to be struck by lightning pushing a metal cart in a parking lot than you are walking up your driveway. If lightning happens to be in an area, you are at risk the rest is pretty much dumb luck so unless you stay home when it's lightning out, then it's not really an excuse.

[masterfins]

I've used the fire lane to drop off someone who is going into the store.  But then I will circle the parking lot until they come out. 

Yeah and I think that's fine, when my mother was still alive I'd pull up, help her out and into the store to get a cart, then immediately go and move the car.  Same thing when she was leaving I'd bring her out and have her wait by the door while I go and get the cart and pull up to pick her up.

It's the young people that pull up and park in the fire lane because "they're only going to get two things"; and the boyfriend who may drop off the girl and just sit there blocking the entrance so everyone has to go around them - just pull into a spot while you wait.