Why do people leave their carts out in the parking lot?

[Davidj]

Treat shopping carts like litter...

I agree with those who resent seeing carts left in parking lots.

I don't drive a car, so I have to walk to stores and shopping centres, and through parking lots.

What I do is treat shopping carts like litter. If I see litter, I stop and pick it up and put it in my litter bag, and dispose of the litter at a trash bin. When I walk through a store parking lot, and I see a stray cart, I grab it and push it all the way to the storefront, or to a collection center.

Encouraging people to do this would help solve the problem.
-- Davidj

 

[kathryn]

If both boys were shopping with me I would park near the cart return. Sometimes it is a couple of spaces over so I buckle my kids in, lock the door and quickly put my cart in the return area. Even if I have to drive to the farther cart return so I can park closely with my children I will do that and hike it to the store rather than leave a cart out that could possibly damage someone else's property.

Thank you for being so considerate! Your technique takes into account both the safety of your children and the courtesy to other shoppers.


Yesterday, when I was at the grocery store, there was a loose cart about 20 feet from the cart return.

20 feet? You mean someone was so lazy or inconsiderate, they couldn't walk the 20 feet (40 feet 'round trip') to put the cart where it belongs?

 

[marnold]

As I was leaving the grocery store last night I find a cart rammed into the side of my car. Are these people inconsiderate or just stupid? Those enclosures are there for a reason!!

One word: LAZY!

I am sorry this happened to you. Just know that you are NOT alone.

 

[punkydoodah]

For Annette!

Annette: how are you doing? I have been thinking about and praying for you.

 

[earlyexerciser39]

When my kids were little (car seat little), I would leave the cart, but with the promise (to myself) that I would always return my cart if I was alone and even get one or two extra along the way.

When they were little, there was a news story (or two) about kids being abducted from grocery store parking lots, so I wouldn't leave them at all! I didn't even like buckling them in and then unloading the groceries in the back.

I am sure that the rest of the story was an ex-spouse or other family member abducting the child, as is sometimes the case, but I wasn't willing to take the chance with my kids. Was I being a little paranoid? Probably, but I did feel better and made up for it (still do) when I could by grabbing extra carts.

Jenn

 

[Aquajock]

Annette: how are you doing? I have been thinking about and praying for you.

Jennifer, I sent you a PM. Thanks!

A-Jock

 

[mabdoo]

OMG I can't believe this is on here. I always take my cart back, except for the other day. The other day I had my little ones in the car and met my mom and sis at the grocery store. I happened to pull in right next to them without thinking about where they had parked. When I went out I was alone because they stayed to shop around more. I had to leave the cart right next to my sister's car because there was no return in our row and I am not leaving my kids alone in the car. When I got home my sister called me and told me she returned my cart. At the time I felt terrible that I was leaving it as that is one of my biggest pet peeves. However, I drove around the parking lot for a minute and realized that there are 2 cart returns in every other row!?! So if you happen to be in a row without a return you either have to bring the cart back to the store or go through a row of parked cars and try and not hit them to return the cart. Who thought that was a good idea when configuring the lot? Just my two cents.

 

[dorothyrd]

Getting the store to pay for the damages...that's a great idea! Did it do much damage?

I was raised in a city in Texas going to a chain of grocery stores (still there and thriving) where EVERY person is escorted out with their very own lovely sacker, who sacks their groceries and takes them to the car (and they aren't allowed to take tips). And the sacker brings the cart back immediately. I am not exaggerating when I say I never saw a single shopping cart in a parking lot until I moved to L.A. I think it is 70% southern hospitality and 30% they don't want to be responsible for damage to cars.

Keep us posted...I despise car damage! And always wonder the same thing? Are they mean? Just don't care? What?

Jonezie

My small town grocery store does carry out, no carts brought out. They do well, as they recently expanded and the store is as nice as any of the big ones in town. With the price of gas, everyone stays here to shop!

 

[RapidBreath]

doms from butts/guts. can barely walk at all.

 

[lov2bfit]

I know that many of you have stated that you don't return your carts when you have your children with you. I guess my question is, aren't you able to take your children with you to the cart return and then walk or carry them back with you to your car? I agree with not wanting to leave your kids in the car, but I always just brought my daughter with me to drop off the cart and then we walked to the car together, or I kept her baby carrier in the cart until we got to the return and then carried her back to the car with me. If you run into a situation where you may have several children who aren't yet walking and don't have enough arms to carry them back, you can always have one of the people bagging help you out to your car and they will bring the cart back with them.

I too find this to be a huge pet peeve, and have to say that most of the time I see people leaving carts in the parking lot they don't have children with them, and they are usually pretty close to a return, but refuse to walk that far. Not only does it increase the chance of a cart damaging someone's car, but it also makes it difficult to park in the spaces that are full of carts. I just feel it's completely inconsiderate.

Katie

 

[kathryn]

I know that many of you have stated that you don't return your carts when you have your children with you. I guess my question is, aren't you able to take your children with you to the cart return and then walk or carry them back with you to your car? ...

Not only does it increase the chance of a cart damaging someone's car, but it also makes it difficult to park in the spaces that are full of carts. I just feel it's completely inconsiderate.

ITA!

And returning the carts when children are along teaches them a mini-lesson about personal responsibility and courtesy towards others, as well.

 

[kathryn]

My small town grocery store does carry out, no carts brought out. They do well, as they recently expanded and the store is as nice as any of the big ones in town. With the price of gas, everyone stays here to shop!

That's a really cool idea (and until I read it, I forgot that this was the norm years ago!). And I'll bet it's not much more inconventient for them than having someone round up carts, or replacing carts that have 'disappeared.' (I've on rare occasions seen people pushing store carts around town---and this is a small town, not a big city!)

 

[earlyexerciser39]

When I was talking about not returning my cart because of my kids, it was when they were a baby and a toddler. It was too hard to unload the groceries into the vehicle with a toddler at my feet (who could run off at any moment in a parking lot), so I would buckle them in to the vehicle first and then unload. It would have been an even longer process to then unbuckle them to return the cart with them in tow. Maybe I was lazy, but I chose to leave the cart if I couldn't return it quickly with my children in my view.

Now that the children are older, I teach them to return the cart for me and they even grab the stray ones along the way! It is a fun job for them now!
Jenn