Grocery store vent!

[Marseeya]

I just got back from the store and there were TWO CARTS resting against my car -- that I just bought in September.


I still want to know from those of you who admit to doing this, whether or not you do the responsible thing and notify the owner of the car that you damaged it? Or stick around to make sure your cart doesn't damage someone's car?

 

[bigolive9]

I hate it when people don't put the carts back!! I do not have a new car (it is a 97 skylark) but that does not mean that I have a bunch of money to repair dents or scratches. There is a reason why I have an old car and not a new one! I do think it is pure laziness not to walk a few feet to put the cart away. One day my friend and I were at Target, parked directly across the aisle from the cart corral. We were coming back out to my car, and the lady parked directly next to me left her cart behind my car and got in her van. I looked her straight in the eye, pushed the cart over in front of her car so that she couldn't go anywhere, then nested my cart into hers and walked them both over to the corral.
I understand not wanting to leave your kids in the car. But, honestly, most of the people I have seen leave carts have not been mothers with children. They have been middle age women (and men) who just don't want to walk a few extra steps.

 

[CEDmom]

I just got back from the store and there were TWO CARTS resting against my car -- that I just bought in September.


I still want to know from those of you who admit to doing this, whether or not you do the responsible thing and notify the owner of the car that you damaged it? Or stick around to make sure your cart doesn't damage someone's car?

I'm sure I could make a list a mile long of things people do that I find extremely rude, offensive and destructive. That's life. I just try to believe people don't do these things to deliberately bother me just like I don't, on a rare occasion, leave a cart in the lot so it can ding someone's car.

Sorry your car got dinged. Cars just aren't my thing - they get dinged eventually no matter how careful I am. Maybe try parking far far away from the store and you'll be less likely to have these issues.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I try to do most of my shopping at Aldi, because they use the pay carts. People are much more likely to return their cart to get their quarter back. I just keep a few quarters in my car at all times in case I decide to go to the grocery store, so one will be available.

 

[princess pooh]

I just got back from the store and there were TWO CARTS resting against my car -- that I just bought in September.


I still want to know from those of you who admit to doing this, whether or not you do the responsible thing and notify the owner of the car that you damaged it? Or stick around to make sure your cart doesn't damage someone's car?

That is so frustrating! I'd be really hissy if that happened to me. I hate it when people don't bring back their carts. The grocery store I go to has a whole bunch of corrals but a lot of people don't use them. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to pull into a parking spot only to find a cart sitting in the middle of it. There's no curb to secure them to so those things can go flying! I end up parking near the back of the lot and close to the corral to avoid dealing with errant carts.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Yep. Or, you could be one of those bad moms, like me. No matter where I park in the grocery store lot, I'm no more than 150 feet from a cart corral. When my kids were little, I would secure them in the van, put the groceries away, then, and get ready to call the mom police on me, *GASP* push the cart back to the corral, leaving the kids in the locked car.

If they are going to call the MOM POLICE on you, I best be ready for a visit from Dysfus and maybe even the FBI, my kids have been known to.... oh never mind

 

[BuckNaked]

MOMTOMOOTOO, shhhhh.....we're hiding out now.

 

[Marseeya]

That is so frustrating! I'd be really hissy if that happened to me. I hate it when people don't bring back their carts. The grocery store I go to has a whole bunch of corrals but a lot of people don't use them. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to pull into a parking spot only to find a cart sitting in the middle of it. There's no curb to secure them to so those things can go flying! I end up parking near the back of the lot and close to the corral to avoid dealing with errant carts.

I don't think there's any safe place to park where your car won't get banged up. Except maybe next to the corral since so few people actually put their carts there.

I wouldn't want to park near the ends of the lots, because it seems the carts can really build up speed by the time they go rolling through the parking lot.

 

[N.Bailey]

We had a store by me that had the quarter thing. It was great. I would go shopping and my DH would walk around the parking lot rounding up the carts that people were too lazy to get their quarters back. He usually made about 2.00 a trip.
Killed 2 birds with one stone. Carts got put back and DH was entertained!

Wow, I never even considered this. I'd bet kids would LOVE to take the time to go thru the parking lot to get a little $$$. I don't mean little kids, I'm talking the kids in their early teens. Think of the possibilities!!

 

[N.Bailey]

My goodness aren't some of us so high and mighty!

If I had a newborn, and couldn't get my mother to babysit, there's no way I'd leave them in the car while I returned the cart. Puh-lease, my baby certainly comes before your car.

Goodeats - Who admits to sometimes leaving carts on the grass or between the curbstops

For people such as yourself, I'll ask again, why does it have to be an either or? Why can't you park beside the corral and take care of two birds with one stone?

My kids are 13 months apart, so unless you've had twins, your situation wasn't more difficult than mine and I managed just fine. Trust me too, you're not a more weary parent than I am. My children were about 7 years old before they ever had a baby-sitter AND it was their grandmother that baby-sat at that age!! My kids are now 14 and 15, and have ONLY been left alone for 2 hours while their father and I were shopping this past holiday season. I've always been anal where my kids are concerned (probably too anal) and believe me, it's possible to be both a good mother and get the cart returned to the corral.

 

[elgerber]

This happened to me about a year and a half ago. My car was 4 months old, it was a really windy day and it was Target. I always park my cars way out in the parking lot to avoid door dings, but that didn't help me that day. I think it made it worse. The cart must have blown a ways to get the kind of velocity it had because it put 2 sizeable dents in my bumper. I know it was the cart, because I pulled it off my bumper that. I was sooooooooooooooooooo ticked! I posted a thread about it when it happened, and the thread turned really ugly.

 

[N.Bailey]

If the grocery store I went to charged for the cart, I simply wouldn't shop there, even if it was my favourite store. We do have a store like that in our city and I stay away from it.

SNIP

You would IF they'd all do it!

 

[Ziva]

The day after a hurricane here, I watched a cart roll across a parking lot until it hit a light pole. It really doesn't have much to do with this conversation, but it was a really strange thing to watch. Luckily it did not hit anyones vehicle.

Hehehehe..........That story is making me giggle uncontrollably for some reason. I think I'm officially losing my mind!

 

[Tiffann4k]

My kids are 13 months apart, so unless you've had twins, your situation wasn't more difficult than mine and I managed just fine. Trust me too, you're not a more weary parent than I am.

Well I had 4 children in 3 years and still managed to take the cart back everytime So I hear ya on that one

 

[Planogirl]

I used to leave DS in the car too whenever I returned a cart. If it was really hot, he could stay in the cart and we'd return it together. I don't see the big deal.

 

[Beth76]

I'd like to know where some of live that your children are getting vaporized by sitting in the car alone for 20 seconds. I have 2 small children and have never once been unable (or unwilling) to return the cart.

 

[RitaZ.]

If I ever caught anyone securing their cart near my bumper I am going to securely wedge it up their rear end.

Dang! What would you do if another car collided with yours?

 

[skiwee1]

Dang! What would you do if another car collided with yours?

It's one thing to have an accident but entirely different to be negligent. Leaving a cart in the parking lot is negligent.

 

[Bichon Barb]

I'd like to know where some of live that your children are getting vaporized by sitting in the car alone for 20 seconds. I have 2 small children and have never once been unable (or unwilling) to return the cart.

THANK YOU BETH! I've been reading this thread, and all I keep thinking is what exactly happens to children when you leave them in a locked car for 30 seconds? Really!!?? I've never heard or read anything about something terrible happening to a child left in a locked car for a few seconds. Is there any national data on this phenomena?

I'm going to take a wild bet that it's probably more dangerous to put your child in the car and drive to the grocery store than it is to leave your child in a locked, parked car for less than 30 seconds.

 

[BuckNaked]

Uh-oh Bichon Barb and Beth76 - now the mom police are going to come after you too!

You can hide out with MOMTOMOOTOO and me if you like...but it's only a matter of time until they come to get us all...

Seriously though, ITA. WTH is going to happen in 60 seconds or less? Not to mention the fact that anyone dumb enough to take my kids is going to be hunting me down, begging me to take them back in less than an hour.