Why do people leave shopping carts in the parking lot?

[VickiVM]

Wow 16 pages and no one has blamed Obama yet for unreturned carts? Amazing.

 

[2girlsmom]

Sorry, but this law isn't targetting taking 30 seconds to put your cart back. Nice try though. That is why you park near the cart corral so you aren't leaving the kids for an extended period of time.

And I agree that if it takes you longer than 30 seconds to put your cart back and it causes you immense pain, it's time to find another plan. Grocery delivery perhaps.

Actually it is illegal in most states depending on the age of the children, even for 30 seconds and even if your car is in your sight the ENTIRE TIME. Or do you not know that they have arrested people for standing in front of their cars with a baby sleeping inside while an older child is selling something or picking something up, etc. It was also illegal on the military base in japan when we were stationed there, I know of at least once when a mother pulled her car up in front of the library in the rain to return books to the book return box, leaving her sleeping infant in the car for 10-15 steps to the box, and she got arrested for that too.

My kids are now 8 and 11, I will leave them in the car to take the cart back, and I usually did take the cart back to the corrals when they were little, unloaded the groceries or whatever, took the cart back, then unloaded my children, but in inclement weather I am sure there were times when I left the cart on the median planter area or whatever instead.

 

[Vixen]

where i live you dont even have to go put the cart back cuz the bag boy takes your stuf to the car and put it in your trunk and takes the cart back ! thats for EVERYONE!

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

NOW I have heard everything! Some people don't return their carts because they are afraid that their children will be kidnapped? In the 30 seconds it takes to return the cart? Wow. That takes "Better safe than sorry!" to a whole new level.

Normally, I would agree with you robinb. But I've seen a few cases now that tell me not to judge a parent who won't leave the kiddos in the car. There are a number of cars stolen every year in Chicago with the kids in them. A few years ago, a minivan was stolen from the parking lot of a local Dominicks that happens to be next to Cabrini Green -- the mom's kids were in the back. They were found a while later, safe and sound, but I can't imagine the anguish that mom went through.

On the other extreme, a friend ended up sitting in handcuffs on a bench awaiting arrest when she left her infant twin girls locked in her running car while she walked her older daughter to the front door of the school. It was the middle of winter and it was only going to take "30 seconds" to walk the girl to the door and sign her in at the security desk, which was just inside the doors to the school. The car was never out of her sight. An off-duty cop pulled up behind her car, got out of his car, and saw the twins in the back. He put her in handcuffs and threatened to arrest her for leaving the twins unattended. Although he didn't arrest her, he did report her to DCFS.

So are we at page 17 yet?

 

[rparmfamily]

Next time park by the corral. There's usually a whole bunch there and would make it easy to return.

I was joking LOL. There aren't many spaces around those cart corrals, LOL. This whole thread is hilarious anyway to me.

The irony is I JUST got back from the store. It was the commissary, so a bagger took their own cart out to my car. I didn't have to return anything, though I did have to tip them.

 

[VickiVM]

where i live you dont even have to go put the cart back cuz the bag boy takes your stuf to the car and put it in your trunk and takes the cart back ! thats for EVERYONE!

They do here also which I mentioned, but apparently that's very uncommon.

 

[Muushka]

I apologize if someone else has already said this

When I get out of my car I look for those who are just finishing up with their carts. I ask if they want me to return it when I go into the store. Usually they are grateful, but there are those who act like they are doing me a favor. I just ignore them!

 

[Magic Mom]

I was joking LOL. There aren't many spaces around those cart corrals, LOL. This whole thread is hilarious anyway to me.

The irony is I JUST got back from the store. It was the commissary, so a bagger took their own cart out to my car. I didn't have to return anything, though I did have to tip them.

I love the commissary!

 

[DisneyDayTripper]

On the other extreme, a friend ended up sitting in handcuffs on a bench awaiting arrest when she left her infant twin girls locked in her running car while she walked her older daughter to the front door of the school. It was the middle of winter and it was only going to take "30 seconds" to walk the girl to the door and sign her in at the security desk, which was just inside the doors to the school. The car was never out of her sight. An off-duty cop pulled up behind her car, got out of his car, and saw the twins in the back. He put her in handcuffs and threatened to arrest her for leaving the twins unattended. Although he didn't arrest her, he did report her to DCFS.

So are we at page 17 yet?

I can understand this...but really...who did more damage to the child...the cop or the parent? I have full respect for cops and have several friends and family members that are cops, but when cops do something like this it's almost like they want to flex their ego or something. I could imagine the parent would have got the point by simply giving her a warning and the cop saying "listen this is serious blah blah blah...don't let it happen again." I heard once that if you have DCFS called on you that you are NEVER able to adopt a child for the rest of your life...even if it's as a result of a disgruntled neighbor simply calling to get back at you for your dog crapping in the yard. So calling DCFS is pretty serious.

I am sure each of us are on here can remember a time where our parents ran into the store to grab something and had us wait in the car. I know, I know..times are different now.

 

[Mom2Nick]

Actually it is illegal in most states depending on the age of the children, even for 30 seconds and even if your car is in your sight the ENTIRE TIME. Or do you not know that they have arrested people for standing in front of their cars with a baby sleeping inside while an older child is selling something or picking something up, etc. It was also illegal on the military base in japan when we were stationed there, I know of at least once when a mother pulled her car up in front of the library in the rain to return books to the book return box, leaving her sleeping infant in the car for 10-15 steps to the box, and she got arrested for that too.

Then I guess it's also illegal to buckle your child in, shut the door and walk around to the driver's door to get in.

 

[robinb]

I think that returning carts to cart corrals appears to be a regional thing. I don't think a lot of people in FL or CA do it and some places don't even have cart corrals. I admit that even I left a cart up on the grass along the side of the parking lot at a Tampa Wal*Mart. There was not a cart corral in the entire parking lot. I think maybe the Wal*Mart just gave up on cart corrals because no one uses them. Other places in Tampa and Orlando have cart corrals but it was about 50-50% between carts in the corral and those abandoned in parking spaces.

ETA: I don't mean to imply that people in FL and CA are rude. I just don't think it's considered rude there to leave your cart out and about in FL and Southern CA.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Wow 16 pages and no one has blamed Obama yet for unreturned carts? Amazing.

Of course not. This has been a problem for well over two months.

You know what's coming next, right?


It's all Bush's fault!

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

bumping it to page 18...

 

[kaytieeldr]

Then I guess it's also illegal to buckle your child in, shut the door and walk around to the driver's door to get in.

Ooh - good catch! Yes, apparently, a police officer following the letter of the law COULD arrest a parent (or other adult) in that exact situation!

 

[VickiVM]

So in conclusion, people leave carts in the parking lot because either for child safety reasons, laziness (not DIS'ers, of course), or for recreational purposes.

 

[robinb]

So in conclusion, people leave carts in the parking lot because either for child safety reasons, laziness (not DIS'ers, of course), or for recreational purposes.

You forgot about physical disabilities.

 

[Magic Mom]

So in conclusion, people leave carts in the parking lot because either for child safety reasons, laziness (not DIS'ers, of course), or for recreational purposes.

I think someone mentioned bad weather too.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

You forgot "to ensure employment and help the economy"...
I'd hate to be responsible for some buggy pusher to lose his means of supporting his family.

 

[VickiVM]

You forgot about physical disabilities.

Oops sorry, you're right.

Bad weather I'm just going to lop into the laziness aspect - it's not safety or recreational related.

Job stealing from cart collectors...well, I guess then theortically (sp??) there shouldn't be a rogue cart problem to begin with.

 

[DisneyDayTripper]

Using the "helping the employment" excuse is like saying that I'm just going to throw my thrash onto the ground when I'm in a store because they hire janitors to clean it up...I'm going to break into a persons house to keep the police employed...Break my leg so that way the ER doctors stay employed...have lots of children to keep day cares in business....need more?