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One of my pet peeves is pulling into a parking spot at Costco, Walmart, grocery store, etc. and seeing a shopping cart sitting in part of the space. At Costco, people leave their carts all over the parking lot. They will pop the front wheels over the curb or just leave them in the space next to their car. All the while, the cart return is just yards away from their spot. On more than one occasion I have seen individuals leave their cart in the spot next to them and have approached them. I'll usually say "are you just going to leave the cart there?" One woman told me that a loose cart hit her cart once, so her revenge is to just leave her cart. I'll usually point out where the cart return is and offer to return it for them. "The cart return is right there, I'll return it for you if its too far away."
I consider these people lazy, but is there some other reason why they would just leave a cart in the space next to them when the cart return is just a short distance away? They are above such tasks? It seems inconsiderate to me. I was always raised to have common courtesy, as most people are, but this habit seems to go against that belief.
I always return my cart to the corral, and sometimes I'll grab a loose cart and bring it into the store, to save the employees some work. Just being a good citizen and paying it forward.
Can't say as I've ever scolded anyone, except one time at a Costco in Arizona where I came back to my vehicle to discover 3-4 carts piled up behind my car, blocking it from leaving. It's one thing to leave a cart in an empty space, but to block someone's car... boggles the mind!
To add to the situation, a woman proceeded to add her cart to the collection even as I was standing there saying "That's my car!" and then just walked away, whether obliviously or maliciously, I couldn't really tell. Apparently she thought "well some other people did it, so it must be okay!"
Now, Arizona is a place where thousands of people carry concealed. You really don't want to mess with some of these people. I wasn't carrying, nor would I get too worked up over this kind of thing. In fact, I just pushed all the carts to an empty space, got in my vehicle and went on with my day.
As another commenter here pointed out, karma does tend to bite us in the butt. Some of these inconsiderate people will eventually get ding'ed by a runaway cart and that's just tough luck for them.
In my childhood I remember when grocery stores employed people not only to bag your groceries but to accompany you out to the car and help you load your stuff into the trunk. Once in a rare while you still see it at some of the better run stores, where a bagger will take an older person to their car, but it's definitely exceptional and not the norm. A shame, really.
Stores used to (and some still do) employ "bag boys" to bag groceries, offer to take the groceries to your car, and to return the carts. When that service was phased out, it doesn't mean that all customers decided to absorb the store's costs.
There should be no expectation by stores that customers are going to go out of their way to return carts - especially if the cart return is not close by, if the customer is ill, disabled, or has screaming small children to tend to (and would be remiss in leaving them in the car).
This problem has been mistakenly been allocated to customers, when it really is the problem of the store. If you don't like how the store is handling the problem, complain to them - tell them to hire more people to round up THEIR carts.
This is an interesting perspective on the problem that I had not considered. I, too, thought people were being inconsiderate in not returning their carts but, after reading your comment, I saw a different perspective. After thinking about it, stores are giving less customer service these days and expecting more from their customers. (ex: self-checkouts, no employees to be found if a customer needs help, expecting customers to fill out surveys telling everyone how wonderful a store/employees are with nothing less than a 5-star rating, AND returning their own shopping carts, etc. ! I'm sure there's even more I haven't though of.) I, personally, return my shopping carts but, unless the wind is blowing and carts are flying around the parking lot banging into cars, (which I try to catch if I'm close by) that's the only time I really think about how inconsiderate people are in not returning their carts. Otherwise, I don't think about it.
This reminds me of another thread about people who cannot shut cabinet doors. Why do cabinet manufacturers put doors on cabinets if they are not meant to be opened AND closed? Same here. Why do they put cart corals in parking lots if they are not meant to be RETURNED. Open-close-in-out-off-on....basic functions, but some refuse to learn.
So you would not be bothered when pulling into a space you thought was available only to find that someone left a cart in the middle of that space? That would not bother you? And you wouldn't care if you did that to someone else? Interesting.
False equivalency. And sometimes not returning carts has nothing to do with other customers, but is an indirect passive aggressive message to the company itself. I don't return mine to Walmart's carrels on purpose. Why? Because the employees don't ever round them up.
You really think the company takes a message from that? How about instead of taking a passive aggressive stance that only affects other customers and whatever employees, wouldn't it make more sense and get your point across in a much more concise manner to call, email, or take a survey and address the problem directly?
This reminds me of another thread about people who cannot shut cabinet doors. Why do cabinet manufacturers put doors on cabinets if they are not meant to be opened AND closed? Same here. Why do they put cart corals in parking lots if they are not meant to be RETURNED. Open-close-in-out-off-on....basic functions, but some refuse to learn.
Well if they are meant to be returned... great, but I am not doing it. The store needs to do that.
This thread is getting a bit off track. There is a difference between putting your cart in a place where you block a space or keep someone from getting out and just not put the cart back. I always leave my cart in an area it won't block anyone but I don't put it back in the corral.
Well if they are meant to be returned... great, but I am not doing it. The store needs to do that.
This thread is getting a bit off track. There is a difference between putting your cart in a place where you block a space or keep someone from getting out and just not put the cart back. I always leave my cart in an area it won't block anyone but I don't put it back in the corral.
because they have enough employees to follow every customer outside to chase down carts as they are left strewn about, okay....
So you would not be bothered when pulling into a space you thought was available only to find that someone left a cart in the middle of that space? That would not bother you? And you wouldn't care if you did that to someone else? Interesting.
I would get out and move the cart and then return to my car and park it there.
Now, would I then take THAT cart and bring it up if I'm not going to the supermarket?
Hmm. That's a tough one, huh. Maybe I would, but I could see myself not doing it if I was in a rush.
At the end of the day, I do think some of the people who have responded that they leave carts are kind of @ssholes.
But at the end of the day, if somebody is one of those people who thinks every one is an @sshole for causing then a minor inconvenience , then that kind of makes them an @sshole too. There's literally so many infractions that are on par with this one. And getting steamed over all of them is a fast way to turn yourself into a miserable curmudgeon.
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That's a tough one, huh. Maybe I would, but I could see myself not doing it if I was in a rush.