Carts go in the "Cart Corral,"

[Scurvy]

I used to be one of the people who couldn't imagine a scenario where a cart couldn't either be returned to the store or put in a corral. Since then, however, a few of lovetoscrap's excuses befell me. I found myself with two terrific children, now 14 months and two months.

Recently, I was at the grocery store with my kids, pushing their stroller as I pulled the cart. When I checked out, there wee no baggers, only checkers, so I helped bag my own groceries and then pulled them out to the car. It was freezing cold, so I first put the kids in the car and then the stroller and groceries.

Now I had a problem. I found myself with with the kids in the car and the store and corrals way too far away for me to comfortably leave my kids. Luckily, a stranger was walking by and agreed to take my cart. Had she not wandered by, I would have left the cart next to a nearby lamppole and gone on my way.

Giving the cart to a passing stranger who doesn't mind taking it is a great idea for people who "can't" go back to the cart return. I suspect most people wouldn't mind at all doing something like that, especially if there are small kids involved. I know I don't. You did have other options besides just leaving it if no one was there to take it, though. You could have put the kids in the car long enough to unload the groceries and then put them back in the stoller long enough to run the cart back. Or you could have kept the kids out long enough to toss the groceries in, take the cart back and then come back to put the kids and stroller in and rearrange the groceries. I assume it wasn't so dangerously cold that another minute or two out in the cold would have endangered the kids, since you likely wouldn't have had them out in that kind of weather to begin with. Then you wouldn't have been leaving the cart where it could damage someone else's car (or hit a person) and it wouldn't have been a huge inconvenience to you.

 

[2binak]

Now I had a problem. I found myself with with the kids in the car and the store and corrals way too far away for me to comfortably leave my kids. Luckily, a stranger was walking by and agreed to take my cart. Had she not wandered by, I would have left the cart next to a nearby lamppole and gone on my way.

Why not lock the car doors, return the cart & unlock the car doors when you return to your car? I've done this when it was just me and my DD.

 

[DizBelle]

Why not lock the car doors, return the cart & unlock the car doors when you return to your car? I've done this when it was just me and my DD.

OR, I'm sure you knew you had your 2 kids with you when you arrived at the store. Why didn't you just park closer to the cart well in the first place?

 

[jodifla]

I find the lengths that some people want parents with small children to go to pretty ludicrous. I am not putting an infant into a car in -20 weather, unloading the groceries, then dragging the child out into the cold again.

Also, I'd NEVER leave a child in a locked car in Florida in the summer even for 30 seconds to return the cart. It's immediately like an oven in there.

Guess what! You are not entitled to have everyone else put the cart back in the well, just because you want it that way. If stores want a high percentage of their carts returned, they have the power to make it so: Just put lots of cart wells out.

In my Publix in South Florida, I never returned my cart, because there were no corrals, and everyone left their carts out if they hadn't been escorted out. But Publix baggers were very often in the habit of having bag boys take your groceries to the car. They started to phase that out a bit around the time my son was born. But they were out there all the time, and you could normally just hand the cart to them. If not, everyone just put the carts partially on th the little islands, so they wouldn't move and hit anyone's car.

In Michigan, there are a lot of corrals, my son is a lot older, so I return my cart 99.9 percent of the time.

But kids come before carts, people.

 

[jrmasm]

I was at a Publix in Orlando the end of November (I live in the north) and I did notice that there were no places to put the cart in the parking lot. That's is beyond stupid.

But guess what I did with the cart? I took it back to the store! And it wasn't that hard.

 

[Ember]

What if, on the way to your car you thought of something funny and wet yourself because you were laughing so hard? Would that be a good reason?

*Note* I have NOT done this. But it does seems like a good reason to me.

 

[disney1990]

This is one of the reasons that you need to put a quarter in to get a cart at Aldi. They don't have to have an employee go out and get them.

I personally wish every single store that has carts would do this.

I don't buy the I have children excuse -- been done there -- and I have always returned the carts.

 

[jodifla]

I was at a Publix in Orlando the end of November (I live in the north) and I did notice that there were no places to put the cart in the parking lot. That's is beyond stupid.

But guess what I did with the cart? I took it back to the store! And it wasn't that hard.

And I'll tell you where I lived, it wasn't the norm. NOBODY took their carts back. I never knew it was an issue until I read about how "lazy" all my Florida neighbors were on the all-knowing, always right DISboards.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I only read the first page, but the immediate thought that popped into my head when I read the title was... "the OP must be sick of the registry drama and wants to turn the attention to something else"

 

[Scurvy]

I find the lengths that some people want parents with small children to go to pretty ludicrous. I am not putting an infant into a car in -20 weather, unloading the groceries, then dragging the child out into the cold again.

Also, I'd NEVER leave a child in a locked car in Florida in the summer even for 30 seconds to return the cart. It's immediately like an oven in there.

Guess what! You are not entitled to have everyone else put the cart back in the well, just because you want it that way. If stores want a high percentage of their carts returned, they have the power to make it so: Just put lots of cart wells out.

In my Publix in South Florida, I never returned my cart, because there were no corrals, and everyone left their carts out if they hadn't been escorted out. But Publix baggers were very often in the habit of having bag boys take your groceries to the car. They started to phase that out a bit around the time my son was born. But they were out there all the time, and you could normally just hand the cart to them. If not, everyone just put the carts partially on th the little islands, so they wouldn't move and hit anyone's car.

In Michigan, there are a lot of corrals, my son is a lot older, so I return my cart 99.9 percent of the time.

But kids come before carts, people.

I would prefer not to do it, either. (Though I can think of at least a couple times where I did just that.) I'd rather avoid going out when it's too cold for my child or I would just make sure my child was bundled up well enough that an extra couple of minutes outside wouldn't hurt him. But, those who don't want to do either of things do have other options, even if those options are much less convenient.

Now that I think about it, I guess you could leave the children in the car when it's -20 and take them back and forth when it's hot - that way you wouldn't have to worry about them getting dragged through the cold or being left in an oven.

Kids definitely come before carts. I can completely agree with that! If there were some horrific scenerio where my child would be irreparably damaged by my returning the cart, I'd just leave it. But I can't think of a single scenerio where that would be the case. I can think of plenty of scenerios where it might be inconvenient for me to return the cart, but not dangerous. To me, it's worth a little inconvenience so I don't cause damage to someone else's car or hurt someone else because I didn't put my cart where it belongs.

Oh, and I went to Publix last time I was in Orlando and I didn't see a cart return. So . . . I took the cart back up to the store. It was no big deal.

 

[jodifla]

I would prefer not to do it, either. (Though I can think of at least a couple times where I did just that.) I'd rather avoid going out when it's too cold for my child or I would just make sure my child was bundled up well enough that an extra couple of minutes outside wouldn't hurt him. But, those who don't want to do either of things do have other options, even if those options are much less convenient.

Now that I think about it, I guess you could leave the children in the car when it's -20 and take them back and forth when it's hot - that way you wouldn't have to worry about them getting dragged through the cold or being left in an oven.

Kids definitely come before carts. I can completely agree with that! If there were some horrific scenerio where my child would be irreparably damaged by my returning the cart, I'd just leave it. But I can't think of a single scenerio where that would be the case. I can think of plenty of scenerios where it might be inconvenient for me to return the cart, but not dangerous. To me, it's worth a little inconvenience so I don't cause damage to someone else's car or hurt someone else because I didn't put my cart where it belongs.

Oh, and I went to Publix last time I was in Orlando and I didn't see a cart return. So . . . I took the cart back up to the store. It was no big deal.

This is just not on my radar of important things. I can't believe people even care about it.

 

[Scurvy]

This is just not on my radar of important things. I can't believe people even care about it.

Apparently you haven't had to get estimates on what it will cost to replace the bumper of a week old car after someone left their cart loose in a parking lot and you also can't empathize with those who have, or I suspect you would care about it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, I have to confess - I don't always return my cart to the cart corral. I do most of the time, but when I don't its definitely because of one of the reasons in lovetoscrap's great post. I really am a good person though. Sorry!!

As long as that excuse is the "I forgot my pants" one

 

[jrmasm]

And I'll tell you where I lived, it wasn't the norm. NOBODY took their carts back. I never knew it was an issue until I read about how "lazy" all my Florida neighbors were on the all-knowing, always right DISboards.

I didn't say there weren't carts all over the place in the parking lot. There were. I still took the cart back to the store because it's rude not to.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I always put mine in the cart corral, long time ago I got a big dent in my car door from a cart on a windy day.

 

[tvguy]

My cousin refuses to put carts in the car corral. She says she's insuring the job security of the baggers who have to do the cart roundups.

 

[jodifla]

I didn't say there weren't carts all over the place in the parking lot. There were. I still took the cart back to the store because it's rude not to.

No, it's just a different way of doing things.

 

[lovetoscrap]

But kids come before carts, people.

But do you put the cart before the horse?

As long as that excuse is the "I forgot my pants" one

(I still have no idea why you thought I had a snarky side)

My cousin refuses to put carts in the car corral. She says she's insuring the job security of the baggers who have to do the cart roundups.

Third mention. I guess I have to officially add that one now.

 

[kellyg403]

Luvstoscrape......!


I return carts to the corral and have no excuses for my behavior!


Kelly

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Now see, here's why you shouldn't assume:



I'd say six miles counts as a hike. BellePrincessBelle, you must have huge stores if the parking lots are big enough for the cart return to be six miles away from your car.

Lovetoscrap, I think my new catch-all excuse is going to be "I forgot my pants." I just don't see how anyone could argue with that!

You've apparently not been to the Targets near me. Seriously they have a huge freakin parking lot & 2 cart corrals. While I'd like to park close to them it's not always possible & I'm not circling the lot for 20 min to wait for an open spot. As I said 99.9 % of the time I put it back even if it means lugging a kid or 3 with me but in the rain or snow I am not lugging my kids to the 2 cart corrals they have oh so strategically placed at the most horriffic location in the parking lot. I will, however place them up on the curb so that they can not move & damage someone else car. I had some rotten little brats send a cart donw a hilly parking lot into the side of my car causing $3k worth of damage so I make sure if I can't return it to a corral that it is placed where it can not damage anyones car.