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Post by WindSister on Aug 7, 2017 8:28:02 GMT -5
I too am guilty of letting this bother me way more than it should. The one that really "gets me" is seeing these "ladies" in their late 30's early 40's wearing their yoga pants/spandex/sports bra they park as close to the front door as possible. Normally they are right next to, or one spot away from the cart return. What do they do? They leave their cart in the parking lot, but they make sure it's not going to roll into "their" Lexus SUV! My kids where raised to always bring in an extra cart. That's an example I always set for them. Also to put away 4 or 5 other carts in the parking lot. Especially when they where wearing their scout uniforms. What a great example to set for your kids to care for the other person. I read in the comments on the article people bitching, "Someone gets paid to rally up the carts so if you put them away, you are taking away from their job." LOL Really? No, they are paid to push them from the corral to the store, not round them up all over the parking lot. But some people will justify their ill-actions anyway they can. I suppose it is upsetting because it's like a big "Fuck You" they send out to the world (IMO). Same as those who toss cigarette butts out their car windows. |
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Post by wom360 on Aug 7, 2017 9:48:21 GMT -5
In college I worked at Costco. Often had to pull carts. And often in the rain. Yes I always return the carts. The kids I see in the lot now a days seem more cheerful about it than I ever was.
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Post by greatcoastal on Aug 12, 2017 7:42:28 GMT -5
On this same note of "picking up other peoples slack" and "discipline for not following rules and boundaries". we (me and my spouse) have a large laundry basket in the bathroom. For our entire marriage I have been doing the laundry.
Recently my spouse has been piling her clothes on top of the laundry basket. I put mine in the basket, like we have been doing for years. I have also stopped doing the laundry every weekend. There's rarely even a half of a basket to wash. I do just fine waiting two weeks. (she complained about that during her deposition!) My 51 yr old wife can do her own laundry, if their is something she desperately needs. My teenagers do it all the time. The washer and dryer have settings for small loads.
I have to move her pile just to put something in the basket. I've decided to just drop it on the floor and leave it. Later in the day where do I find it? Back on top of the laundry basket.
As I type this the laundry is being washed. Where is her pile? (one of several in the house) It's going to remain on the floor.
If she dares even communicate to me, she is going to get some very blunt ,factual answers. Along with some of her own, "not my problem" answers.
I am setting boundaries. The same things we taught our children not to do. It's like dealing with a 51 yr old child.
It's only the tip of the iceberg. The stories of the double standards that have been going on in our household....ugh!!!!
Hence the divorce.
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Post by WindSister on Aug 22, 2017 8:12:17 GMT -5
On this same note of "picking up other peoples slack" and "discipline for not following rules and boundaries". we (me and my spouse) have a large laundry basket in the bathroom. For our entire marriage I have been doing the laundry. Recently my spouse has been piling her clothes on top of the laundry basket. I put mine in the basket, like we have been doing for years. I have also stopped doing the laundry every weekend. There's rarely even a half of a basket to wash. I do just fine waiting two weeks. (she complained about that during her deposition!) My 51 yr old wife can do her own laundry, if their is something she desperately needs. My teenagers do it all the time. The washer and dryer have settings for small loads. I have to move her pile just to put something in the basket. I've decided to just drop it on the floor and leave it. Later in the day where do I find it? Back on top of the laundry basket. As I type this the laundry is being washed. Where is her pile? (one of several in the house) It's going to remain on the floor. If she dares even communicate to me, she is going to get some very blunt ,factual answers. Along with some of her own, "not my problem" answers. I am setting boundaries. The same things we taught our children not to do. It's like dealing with a 51 yr old child. It's only the tip of the iceberg. The stories of the double standards that have been going on in our household....ugh!!!! Hence the divorce. Yes, that reads like some kind of power struggle on her part (though I am no psychology expert). I remember those kinds of games with my ex. (shudders) It's nice when you have your own place and you can live like you want to, especially without passive aggressive power struggles. I would yell, "WHY??? WHY can't you just open the lid and drop them in there, for the LOVE OF GOD???" My ex would leave, literally, every cupboard or drawer open after getting what he needed from it. All the time. How damn hard is it to... oh, I don't know... SHUT something after retrieving what you need? Weird. It's nice now being with someone who shuts cupboards and drawers (among other things.. lol). |
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Post by ironhamster on Aug 22, 2017 16:19:00 GMT -5
Cart returner, here.
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Post by greatcoastal on Aug 22, 2017 16:28:50 GMT -5
I taught my kids to return carts by racing them, and using them as smash derby carts! part of the fun of bringing four kids, brothers and sisters to the store with you!
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Post by northstarmom on Aug 22, 2017 17:11:35 GMT -5
From the article: "When you take the time to return your cart to its receptacle, you’re showing that you care about the employees of the grocery store. You acknowledge that if you don’t put the cart away, someone else will have to do it for you. Basically it shows that you’re not a selfish person. Why not take it a step further? If you see a disabled person with a cart, offer to return it for them. It's all about helping our neighbor. "
While I have empathy with the poster who says that someone emptied their cart and left it right in front of her while she was in line, I think that in most cases not returning the cart isn't a big deal. Everywhere I shop has places where you can leave your cart in the parking lot. I do usually bypass them and bring the cart to the store, but that's just so I can get a little exercise in. Still trying hard to lose 15 pounds so every step counts.
I don't think it's a big deal when people leave their carts in the lot unless they leave them some place where they could roll into someone's car. Fetching the carts is part of people's jobs, and without carts to fetch, stores probably would get by with hiring fewer people. One of my first jobs was being a store clerk. I didn't mind fetching carts. it gave me a chance to get outside and stretch my legs. Given a choice between having no job and fetching carts, I'd choose the latter.
As for the people who leave the carts in the lot, who am I to judge? They may be infirm, in a hurry for having to rush home to a sick child or parent. They may have had their worst day ever. Given the many truly evil and selfish things people do, I'm not going to cast aspersions on those who don't bother to bring carts back. Nor am I going to take pride in gathering others' stray carts and returning them to the store. People really are paid for doing that. I can see helping an obviously infirm person who's struggling, but becoming the rescuer of stray carts seems like the kind of thing that some people do who feel overly responsible for making life easier for others at their own expense. You know, people like some of the refused.
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Post by Handy on Dec 29, 2018 0:09:24 GMT -5
I always find several (4 to 6) carts and push them into the store when I shop. I can actually walk faster if it is only 4 carts and when it is icy, pushing a cart or 2 there is less chance I will slip and fall.
A downtown store has a device to keep the shopping cart wheels from turning if the cart is taken off of the store's parking lot, which "street people" do. Those grocery carts/trolleys cost about $185 US.
I notice Walmart customers are the most likely to not return the carts to the staging area and carts are all over the place. At Costco, most carts are returned to the various staging areas in the parking lot / car park.
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Post by h on Dec 29, 2018 6:55:17 GMT -5
There's a solution to this: Aldi's has carts that require a quarter to unlock from the row of carts. You get your quarter back when you return the cart and lock it up. I always return my cart at other stores. Also, if there's a loose cart in the lot near where I park, I'll bring it in when I go shopping.
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Post by isthisit on Dec 29, 2018 7:04:36 GMT -5
Aldi is in the US too? I didn’t know that, I must be due another trip. I cannot possibly be behind the curve in this way!
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Post by Handy on Dec 29, 2018 15:41:11 GMT -5
A quarter .25 cents USD, or 1.00 AU deposit on a grocery cart is cheap considering what they really cost when bought. I remember putting a $500 deposit on the first VCR player I borrowed along with renting 3 movies for about $3 or $5 each when I saw my first VCR movie. The store held the deposit receipt for the VCR and just tore it up when the VCR was returned. Back then every credit purchase receipt went to a local bank every couple of days. People taking grocery carts off the store's property and not returning them and having to hire people to return them to the store just adds to the price we pay for items we buy, just like shop-lifting and employee pilfering does. Maybe I think too much like a store owner and what it cost to operate a business because I operate my own business. I don't make that much money so every unnecessary expense eats into what I earn at the end of the year. I reuse a lot of things over the course of a year so if I didn't, that would cut into my yearly profits.
Being thrifty allows me to keep my prices low. I look out for my loyal customers sometimes at my expense. I did the same thing (managing expenses very tightly) as treasurer of our investment club I managed for 10 years. We only had one in and out guy that lost $5 in 2008 and if he stayed he would have made some money.
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Post by solodriver on Dec 29, 2018 19:04:01 GMT -5
What can I say - the people who don't bother returning their shopping cart are running the world at the moment. Much to the detriment of everybody who is caring and responsible. I agree.
After reading this question this morning, I went grocery shopping and noticed how many carts were loose in the parking lot. Of course I felt good about putting mine in the receptacle, which I always do. I actually growled at my wife one time to take the cart back to the cart return, which she didn't want to do because it too far away. She just stuck it in the median area. Sorry but that's just a sign of laziness, disrespect and not giving a damn. I got out of the car and put it where it belonged.
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Post by Handy on Dec 29, 2018 19:15:05 GMT -5
Does anyone think there is a correlation between not returning the grocery carts to a proper location to some personal trait with a refuser such as just taking the easy way out of what seems normal and expected in relationships? Maybe the correlation is only medium to low but I am guessing taking the easy way out is a common trait of a refuser.
My W rarely does things that take effort. She doesn't even shop any longer. Square dance? No too difficult.
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Post by northstarmom on Dec 30, 2018 11:35:17 GMT -5
“People taking grocery carts off the store's property and not returning them and having to hire people to return them to the store just adds to the price we pay for items we buy, just like shop-lifting and employee pilfering does.”
I return my carts for the exercise. But people’s not returning them doesn’t bother me because I’m glad that people get jobs. This perspective is why I try not to use self checkout. I don’t put not returning carts in the same category as shoplifting.
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Post by Handy on Dec 30, 2018 22:18:49 GMT -5
I went to the store today and pushed 6 carts from the parking lot to inside of the store. There were very few carts inside the store. Sunday is a busy shopping day in my town. I did it because I know grocery carts are in short supple and hope some shopper got some benefit from my little chore. It was slushy in the parking lot so pushing in a few extra carts means I reduce my chance of slipping on the snow.
Sunday shopping = 10% of the things I want to buy are missing from the shelves. Someone else already bought the items and not that many restocking clerks work during the day. I could go at midnight or later or before 10 AM but there would still be empty spots on the shelves.
I like the idea of people being employed BUT I do self-service when ever I can in any place that has self-service. That goes for eating out, pulling my own used car parts or sorting lumber. I just never felt comfortable having people do work for me unless I know I don't know what I am doing. If I am sick, just leave me alone, I don't want to bother anyone unless I really have to.
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