Cart Narcs ... I mean, I get it, but when did this become a thing?

[Donald13]

Judge away - everybody judges everything according to their own sensibilities. But for gawd sake roll your eyes or shake your head while keeping your trap shut and minding your own business. Maybe even retrieve and return the next abandoned cart you see and claim a selfless moral victory, at least in your own imagination. Be the change, right?

This idea of shoppers being accosted and harassed by a vlog crew is outlandish. Anybody that takes pleasure in seeing other people “get theirs” in such a humiliating way ought to do a little introspection as to the root of their mean-streak.

yes yes yes! For all the things in life that can make you a trash human, not returning a shopping cart is the least of it. And to make it your life’s mission to “expose” them makes you a terrible human.

 

[MIGrandma]

I always return my cart, no matter how far away it is, even if it’s raining. It’s the right thing to do and I have definitely been tempted to call someone out for not returning theirs but so far I have bitten my tongue. So far.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you return your cart (as you should) just make sure to lock your car if you're not parked right next to the corral. There were some cases in my town of people swiping purses out of cars while the owner was returning their cart.

Yup I do this when I'm alone, kinda always have. Just seemed like a good idea to do. Crimes of opportunity take place all over.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Seriously 4 pages on grocery carts ?!?!! Is this what life has come to?

why can’t we discuss something more important? TP over or under, now that is way more important. I am an over in a house of unders.

I see you're relatively new. Unless you've been lurking for a while the Community Board is where we discuss, in great length and normally in circles, the random, sometimes seriously, often pointless, "it must be regional" and oh so many more things. Take it as a win that the Community Board is finding different things to talk about (like more normal topics for the Community Board) than what it's been about for the last 3-3 1/2 months

As for the toilet paper comment you'd have to go back to this thread for the most recent discussion of that : https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-i-want-to-argue-thread.3797874/

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I return the carts to the corral, sometimes to the front of the store when that's closer, I've been known to also at times return a cart or two to the corral when they are blocking parking spots or are next to parking spots. It is what it is that sometimes carts don't make it to corrals. Generally speaking I'm not trying to figure out why though. My mom did find that it was harder to do this after her knee surgery at certain stores because the cart corrals weren't close to handicap spots and the length to get to the front of the store was a bit hard on her really in the beginning when she was able to drive herself (off prescription meds) but still needing the cane and at times walker when at the grocery store.

Would it be nice for everyone who can to return the carts? Sure. But making social media videos making big scenes for people who don't is silly, eye rolling and seems like the better usage of the time (and crux of the issue) would be to just put the stray carts in the corral and move on with your day--no need for some big social media video logs tracking such behaviors it just makes you look attention needy IMO.

 

[galaxygirl76]

I've seen way too many people just giving their cart a shove towards the place the carts are supposed to be returned to. I've seen a lady doing that at my grocery store, where you can bring the carts back to the side of the building as well, she gave it a good shove from the parking lot and the cart ended up in the middle of the road. I moved it all the way because it was dangerous.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

Would it be nice for everyone who can to return the carts? Sure. But making social media videos making big scenes for people who don't is silly, eye rolling and seems like the better usage of the time (and crux of the issue) would be to just put the stray carts in the corral and move on with your day--no need for some big social media video logs tracking such behaviors it just makes you look attention needy IMO.

You do understand how ratings work, right? Yes, this particular radio show does this because they get a reaction out of people and their listeners tune in to hear it. They don't do this bit solely as a public service.

What I think is really amusing is that in so many of these bits, the cart corral is maybe 20-30 feet away. In one that I watched last night, the customer put the cart over a curb that was farther away than the cart corral...moron.

 

[mousefan73]

I see returning the cart as a courtesy to people who don't want their cars dented from runaway carts.

Agree. Saw a cart take out a tail light with full force. Looked like a fender bender. Love the European system. Never any carts standing around. All are returned to cart garage. ( covered stations where they are kept dry)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You do understand how ratings work, right? Yes, this particular radio show does this because they get a reaction out of people and their listeners tune in to hear it. They don't do this bit solely as a public service.

Yes I'm fully aware of how ratings work...

Of course they aren't doing it as a public service. Still think the better usage of their time would be to put the carts back themselves

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

Yes I'm fully aware of how ratings work...

Of course they aren't doing it as a public service. Still think the better usage of their time would be to put the carts back themselves

They do put carts back when people drive off.

 

[tex1989]

Maybe from the same show and maybe not a real thing but, I have read (and not trying to make anything out of it) that in surveys they have conducted about who returns shopping carts to the corrals (why they do this kind of survey is a completely different topic) and what they found was the highest percentage group to do it were college educated. Why this occurs is anyone's guess.

 

[KristinU]

Funny thing is that when DS was little I would purposely park near a random un-corraled cart so I could more easily get him and his accoutrements into said cart (especially when I was using one of those cart cover things for him to sit in. Sometimes an un-corraled cart serves a purpose!

The other funny thing is that when we relocated to New England 20 years ago we quickly learned that carts are often called carriages. Therefore you have a...carriage return. Funny for folks of a certain age who remember using typewriters.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

They do put carts back when people drive off.

That's good to know

 

[FigmentSpark]

So you're ok with people judging if you're doing something "good", but they shouldn't judge if you're doing something "bad"?

Seriously? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone! "Judging" someone for something you do that's nice isn't judging. It's affirming. Who doesn't have a bad day? How do you (not you, but these "cart narcs") know that person isn't having a bad day or their arthritis is flaring up or any other reason people make a decision, which might even be lazy because they were up all night with a sick child or a parent in the hospital or pain or any other reason. Or maybe it's -40 and the snow is crunching under the wheels making them hard to roll and just getting your stuff to your car in that weather was miserable enough, so you make a one time decision. It happens. It's not worth judging the whole person on something like that.

Yes, banged up cars from derelict carts is an issue, but seriously, how often do you ever see carts rolling free like that? I don't. Most people do put them away or the store has collected them in a timely manner or they are wedged in a way they won't roll. And if you are that person who doesn't care and is always leaving their carts, well, you probably don't care if someone tries to shame you, either.

This "cart narc" is essentially becoming Big Brother or worse, the Stasi. Do we have to fear that someone's watching and judging and will destroy our reputations based on one choice, now? We are not talking about things that society needs to keep in check (like abuse, for example) We are talking about whether someone has bent a social rule, for which there could be many good reasons. We denegrate people who are "grammar police" and celebrate people who shame others for fun and profit. How is this a good thing?

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Do we have to fear that someone's watching and judging and will destroy our reputations based on one choice, now?

I was once told by a former employer that we should not do or say anything in our day to day duties that we wouldn't be proud to have on the front page of the newspaper. Pretty good general rule for life.

 

[sam_gordon]

Do we have to fear that someone's watching and judging and will destroy our reputations based on one choice, now?

Someone is ALWAYS watching and judging. And no, this shouldn't destroy someone's reputation. In the grand scheme of things, leaving your cart out is a very small problem.

But, I don't see anyone "celebrating" this radio show. And I still say there are few GOOD reasons for leaving a cart out in the open.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I was once told by a former employer that we should not do or say anything in our day to day duties that we wouldn't be proud to have on the front page of the newspaper. Pretty good general rule for life.

Absolutely great advice, along with, "never be in a photo you wouldn't want your grandmother to see". But this is the other perspective. Did your boss tell you to call out everyone not doing what they should be doing?

Someone is ALWAYS watching and judging. And no, this shouldn't destroy someone's reputation. In the grand scheme of things, leaving your cart out is a very small problem.

But, I don't see anyone "celebrating" this radio show. And I still say there are few GOOD reasons for leaving a cart out in the open.

Yes, there are only a few good reasons to leave the cart. But we shouldn't all have to explain and vet our reasons with the world before getting approval to do something like leave a cart out. Most bystanders have no idea what's going on for others to make that judgement.

 

[teller80]

How do you ... know that person isn't having a bad day or their arthritis is flaring up or any other reason people make a decision, which might even be lazy because they were up all night with a sick child or a parent in the hospital or pain or any other reason. Or maybe it's -40 and the snow is crunching under the wheels making them hard to roll and just getting your stuff to your car in that weather was miserable enough, so you make a one time decision.

How many threads have there been on people not giving their seat up on a bus because they have hidden disabilities? You might not be disabled enough (or even want to) use the handicapped spot, but you're right, we've probably all had days where returning the cart was just a little too much. I try to make up for it by taking a cart with me when I walk from the parking lot to the store (at least I did, before the plague), but I'll admit I have occasionally not returned mine. I hope I never get shamed by some radio show for it.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, there are only a few good reasons to leave the cart. But we shouldn't all have to explain and vet our reasons with the world before getting approval to do something like leave a cart out. Most bystanders have no idea what's going on for others to make that judgement.

You do you. If you've justified in your mind leaving the cart out, why does it matter what others think? It's not going to ruin your reputation, cost you your job, or anything serious. It MIGHT (and the odds are very low) make you look bad on the internet for a little bit, but that's only if you react strongly to being called out (if you even are).

 

[fla4fun]

Publix has always had the bagger offer to take your cart to your car and help you load the car, and then they take the cart with them. Our Publix only has one cart corral, kind of central in the lot. The few times they have been really busy and I declined the assistance to the car, I have returned the cart to the corral. I have also offered to take someone’s cart back to the store to use if I see someone just finishing loading their car.

I would be very afraid if someone was yelling at me in a parking lot and not allowing me to leave. They may do that to the wrong person one day and pay some serious consequences for something they see as a prankish thing to do. I agree that there could be some very valid reasons why on that particular day a person (who maybe normally takes the cart to the corral) leaves the cart in the lot. If that person is already upset or distracted about something serious, confronting them about a shopping cart might not be the best thing to do.