this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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I doubt you can judge someone as bad based off that
EDIT: I'm gonna go with better terms here: Not responsible enough and ignorant, I still don't believe someone can be considered bad as a person for this.
There are two main reasons you wouldn't return carts to a cart return location:
Fuck them people
My time is worth more than this
At the very least the person is inconsiderate, and worst a complete psychopath. Both are not great signs, and all the ones between are also not positive aspects.
You'd think something that small wouldn't be much of an indication on a person's overall nature, but it's nearly always the little things that add up to the whole thing.
Yes. How one thinks of/treats hired help is a big clue.
I understand where you are coming from, but most people who do this at times are more likely just ignorant than even "fuck them people". In-fact, the walmart near me has a guy waiting outside along with the security most of the time to collect carts once the store closes, so many people are like "he is going to collect all the leftover carts anyways".
Especially for those who have parked their cars a bit away, I really doubt such people are going to return all the way just to put a cart on the cart return location, rather than just putting the car on the side and just take off with their car.
To make things worse, there are staff on stores often these days that organize and collect leftover carts, so it's been a while since I have seen a good chunk of people return their carts to their return location, especially from parking lots, unless they are close to that return spot.
Most if not all big box stores have cart corrals out in their parking lots where you are meant to return the carts so that they can be collected more efficiently without having some employee run all over collecting carts. Andtheres the matter of run away carts especially if it's a windy day. Those carts can really get moving and cause some damage to cars parked out in the lot. No one is saying to take them back to the entrance of the store, simply to put them in the collection point so they don't wander.
I stand corrected especially on one area, I just remembered that there are indeed cart corrals out there in the parking lots, unfortunately my walmart has like 1 on a huge parking lot which is really not enough, but it is true that most stores do have a lot of them, if they are nearby a car and that person still doesn't return the cart, then that's a problem.
Maybe that's why I see staff collecting carts, due to the lack of cart corrals, maybe stores that lack enough of them do this instead, but I am also debating within myself about the fact that there are tons of people that still do this mistake with enough cart corrals.
So I personally think the right conclusion would be, such people are not bad, but not responsible and are ignorant. When possible, returning would make life easier for staff that do collect carts too, they don't have to go all the way to collect all of them. And of course, avoiding the risks of the carts hitting other cars in-case of natural wind, great points that didn't come to my mind at first.
I think this one wouldn't go under bad though as I said, it has to be a lot more than not returning cart back to the car corrals to be a bad person....right??
Yeah, I can see it being an issue when there's a massive parking lot and no return locations. I'm sure some stores did the studies on how much time and workforce it saved to put those corrals out in the lot as most people are inclined to do a bit to help out others.
The newer built stores especially have no problem with this, but the older not so well planned ones are the ones with these issues.
For reasons that I can't quite fathom, they've been taking them away in California. Stores that used to have them, don't any more.
Often there isn't even a safe place outside. You could put them up on to the sidewalk in front of the store, but is that the best place? It's convenient for the workers but it also gets in the way.
I view not returning carts as inconsiderate or lazy, but most employees I've heard discuss this say they don't mind going out to get carts, because they get the chance to be out of the store for a while.
This mentality is just selfishness and self-centeredness. This is the same mentality of people who cause a huge mess at restaurants or movie theatres because "it's their job, I'm giving them work to do." It shows an extreme lack of empathy, and it's very much a "they're beneath me, I'm helping them" disgusting mentality.
OP doesn’t put his cart back! Shame!
Wow, arguing another perspective (with a valid arguement) made me a victim, RIP
It's actually a great indicator as to their view of the social contract and obligations to others.
I find the people who judge others based on cart return status are the real assholes.
Just put your cart back already.
I had this discussion on here a week or so ago. I guess I'm just lucky enough to live somewhere where the summers are mid 80s and the winters are high 50s. My three friends who got jobs at the local Target all said that the best part of their day was collecting carts.
They still collect carts if you put them where they’re supposed to be, it’s just a safer job, because they are where cars expect them to be instead of all over the parking lot fishing lone carts out of bushes and off medians
And they get to get home to family, or relax, or bed faster without getting yelled at or written up for going over budgeted hours.
I do when I can! (although lately I have been doing a lot of grocery shopping online)
Yeah I mean, I have seen people do that countless times at the walmart near my house for example, I feel like that's just calling a very high portion of the population to be bad people unfairly.
Okay but....
There's really no reason not to unless you just give zero shits about the damage a loose cart can do.
That's exactly the kind of sign you want: it's a person who thinks "it won't affect me because I'm leaving, so it's not my problem."
Actually as I was explaining to another person, unfortunately, there is a reason.
I am living in Tampa, Florida, the nearby walmart to my house, has a huge parking lot, but a car corral near the entrance and ONE on a huge damn parking lot.
The thing is, while I am not against returning carts when possible in anyway, what can I do if I park my car all the way on the other side on the parking lot and not near the cart corrosal? And the reason I park there is because it's one of the few parking spots available in a busy day? I am sorry but in such cases, people will just leave the carts on the side and leave with their car.
Not to mention, the damn sun here, it gets absolutely hot here at times, even I don't see myself walking halfway to the other part of the parking lot just to leave a cart when I already walked all the way from the entrance carrying all of my groceries, I don't see myself returning in that case.
Again we need to think in practical real-life scenario, so not only should people start returning carts, stores that don't have enough cart returning points in parking lots especially, should increase them.
I am not saying I don't return carts because that actually doesn't apply to me, atleast lately, as I have been mainly ordering stuff online mostly.
I do also want to make it clear, I am in no way giving justifications for those who make these basic mistakes without a genuine reason, I don't ever see myself not returning a cart when there is indeed a fairly nearby cart corrosal, and unfortunately, there are people who won't return their cars even if they have a nearby car corral, and i'm not arguing for them!
Yeah... this sounds like someone who is making excuses for their bad behavior instead of owning their mistake and correcting it.
Yeah I already made myself clear, I don't even do groccery shoppings in-person anymore, but Im leaving this there now 🤷
Lost me here, nope, nooooope nope nope nope. The weather is the least justifiable excuse -- Someone has to walk all that way to return that cart in the hot sun if you don't. If anything, making someone else do it is worse because of that weather.
I also saw you throwing out "but they have employees who do that" in another part of the thread. You wouldn't throw trash on the ground instead of walking it to a can just because a place has a janitor, I'm sure. It's exactly the same logic, and the reason you wouldn't ruin a janitor's day is the same reason you shouldn't ruin a cart collector's day.
I get that your local shop sucks for only having one corral. I really, truly do. But you know what I do when my closest store has practices I can't deal with? I don't make someone else clean up after me, I take my money elsewhere.
Interesting, you do realize the employee who collects the carts get them when the store closes, hence at night? It would make 0 sense to do that in the morning because customers will keep coming.
This is a very bad example and a comparison, why? If I have trash, even if there is not a garbage bin nearby, I can keep it with me until I find one or just take it with me to home and throw it there.
Now with carts, that's a whole different story, I wish there was a machine where it could carry it for me until I reach to the whole other side of the parking lot, in a very busy moving parking lot with cars, but such magical machine doesn't exist.
Companies like Walmart earn millions and billions of dollars, maybe they should be installing more cart return points as the customers are the people who are keeping them in business.
I already countered the point that I am making someone else do that for me, because first of all, they are just doing their job, and I am not being disrespectful here, but even if you may be okay dealing with the inconvenience the lack of cart return points, I am not, you can't expect everyone to be okay with something just because you are.
Regarding taking my money elsewhere, that'd be travelling twice as much, which is dooable, I have a car, but that just makes 0 sense, i'm wasting double the time of mine, and there is no guarantee walmart has enough cart return points there too, considering another person said walmart has been removing them on california, if they are doing that there, then I don't expect it to be any better.
Also, asking me to do that for a damn cart, seriously? And the employee is just doing their job, they will do it anyways even if I go or not, and please, don't compare that again with trash, it's a whole different story, because you make it sound like I am the type of person who throws trash on the ground wantedly near a place where there is a garbage can, so I can watch the janitor pick it, that is crazy.
I really don't have the desire to deal with this level of unhinge over carts, especially when most of it is self-contradictory, begging the question, and/or straight up incorrect.
If I was willing to meet you halfway with "just irresponsible, not bad" before, this response right here eliminated all that.
I know someone (in California, for added context) who works as a shopping cart collector at Target during open hours, so this isn’t the case everywhere.
I've crossed a parking lot and a street in the snow to return it before. If I pushed it there I'm getting it back. Simple as.
Do you think it's fair to think that just because you are able to, others can too? I've been living in Canada before moving to florida, opposite weather here, extremely hot, I try to stay cool as much as possible, it's good that you "crossed a parking lot at a street" (assuming that is long distance, don't extactly understand the meaning here), but I am not you man, different people, scenarios, circumstances.
I know people are going to downvote this for me lol, again I ain't justifying for those who actually don't return when there is actually a cart corral nearby, but I am not trying to justify my own actions or argue for those who make this mistake without a genuine reason wantedly, in-fact as I''ve mentioned in several other comments in this thread, I do online shopping mostly these days, so this does not even apply to me.
I am simply trying to discuss from another not so popular perspective here in this thread.
I am also wondering if people have different definitions of what "bad" could be, because to me, this is more about lack of responsibility and ignorance when you are able to return a cart, but you still don't. If I saw someone doing this without a genuine reason like I have stated before, I don't think that'd still make them a bad as a person, I'd consider them not so responsible and kindly ask them to return it.
If they're physically able to push the cart somewhere they should be able to return it. Bar some edge cases I don't see why someone wouldn't return the cart.
I think you have stricter definition of bad and a looser definition of acceptable reasons. For me "not responsible" is bad, like a minute amount but still in the bad zone, and tough weather and distance isn't enough of a reason to not return the cart.
The thing is, pushing the cart to take groceries to a car is a must for a person isn't it? The same can't be said for returning it, and while I respect a lot that you seem to have returned the cart every single time even if there is no nearby return spot, I don't see everyone being that way, especially when some stores barely have enough cart return spots on parking lots with PAID staff who are there to collect leftover carts.
If I am being honest, when I do physically grocery shop, in most cases since I mostly order online, when I really only have to, I do physical visit and I don't buy much, I just carry them with my hands to the car, I never had this issue lol.
I think a lot of people, me included, have been cart pushers or other similar minimum wage jobs so it's a bit emotionally charged. For me even if there are staff it's still not nice to pile work on them, you know? Like others in the thread said, I don't value my time more than theirs.
Just accept that this thing that you do is bad. Then be better.
Aldi has entered the chat.
I actually took the five minutes to look at all 10 Walmart stores in Tampa on Google Earth, and I can see more than one cart corral from space... How are you missing them in person?
So if the cart corral was in you immediate vicinity you would bother to return it?
You could just carry the groceries through the store and not even use the cart at all..
Or maybe it's because I have a special needs child and I can't always leave them alone, even for a minute or two?
When you make snap judgments based on initial appearance, that's precisely the kind of error you can make.
What error, exactly? If someone makes a choice and doesn't take responsibility for that choice, there's no error in judgment calling that person irresponsible. Mitigating circumstances like a person's childcare situation are only mitigating circumstances because there was irresponsibility in the first place to mitigate. It's still irresponsibility. There was no error.
I took the cart into the store to shop with my cognitively disabled child. This was a responsible decision.
Due to my child's medical disability and changing circumstances resulting in a behavior meltdown, I had to take him back to the car and stay with him, to prevent elopement that could put him and others at risk. This was a responsible decision. Due to the changing circumstances, I can't return the shopping cart to a particular location.
At no point do I abdicate responsibility. My first responsibility is to the safety of my child, and others who might suffer if he elopes. If you think I'm a bad person who "gives zero shits" because I put that first, then I call that error.
If you want to live in you self-righteous bubble and judge people from afar without knowing jack squat about their circumstances, I call that error. I'm sure my situation is not unique; issues must come up all the time with children, pets, the elderly that necessitate putting a shopping cart aside and attending to the needs of others, and it's not always possible to return the shopping cart.
I can't stop you from making an error, of course, but I'd hope than when the error is explained to you, you'd commit to avoiding it.
I rarely see that and I definitely judge people when I do see it. Maybe you just live somewhere where anti-social behaviour is normalised?
There's two possible scenarios
Cart Narcs demonstrates that you can lol
Someone sounds like they are projecting...