thenelli01 Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) I work at a supermarket and do carts often. When I am outside rounding them all up, I tend to think a lot.. sometimes heavily and sometimes frivolously. My question(s): 1) Do shoppers have an ethical duty to bring back their shopping cart? 2) Do YOU bring back your shopping cart? I am enjoying this forum very much so far. I read Ayn Rand's Virtue of Selfishness and I was hooked. Atlas Shrugged is next! Edited February 19, 2012 by Matt Giannelli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecherry Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 If one chooses to use a shopping cart some place where people are instructed to put them back, then yes, put the dang thing back. Otherwise, don't use a shopping cart there. It's not your property to make the rules on. If you don't like their rules, then go elsewhere, see if you can find a place that doesn't care much where you leave your cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus98876 Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Well, here at least, most places will not explicitly tell you that you are meant to put them back. However it is generally understood that this is what most supermarkets/stores will expect you to do. Assuming you know this, it is probably reasonable to conclude that ignoring this and choosing not to return the trolley is not the most moral thing to do. You would be doing somethign which you know goes against how they wish their property to be used. Even though you might not have agreed to anything contractual or explicitly agreed to obey their wishes in this regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JASKN Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 The whole point of having a "cart boy" is an extension of making the shopping experience better for the customer. Back in the day as a cart boy myself (I can't believe it was 13 years ago), I used to get so angry at customers for not returning the carts to the little holding areas. The way I see it now, however, is that a shopper is usually busy. If they don't have time to return the carts in the most "ideal" way, well, that's why the cart boy is employed. As with anything, I think a base level of civility and thoughtfulness should go for both the shopper and the retailer. As a former cart boy, I usually just try to figure out how I can make the current cart boy's job easier while not putting myself out too much -- but that can't always be guessed, and some cart boys don't care either way, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve D'Ippolito Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 I remember reading a rant somewhere about people who didn't take their carts back, thereby blocking parking spaces, etc. This rant really laid into the people who left them back, calling them rude, inconsiderate, etc. One response was from an irate parent who was downright phobic that her child would be kidnapped while she was off returning the cart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninth Doctor Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 My question(s): 1) Do shoppers have an ethical duty to bring back their shopping cart? 2) Do YOU bring back your shopping cart? Depends on the store, and the practice probably varies from place to place. At the supermarket I go to, there’s someone always going around collecting carts in the parking lot. As a customer I prefer that, I want to get my ice cream home and into the freezer asap before the butterfat has a chance to crystallize. Those extra couple minutes walking the cart back…I mean why not bag your own groceries too? Why do they provide services at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream_weaver Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 I usually grab a cart from the parking lot while heading into the store. I know it does not shave much off the price of grocery shopping, but it is one less cart the 'cart-boy' has to retrieve. As to ethical 'duty' - ha, I recognize no such animal. Sometimes the cart I grab is not in the cart corral. Sometimes I'll take a cart not in the corral, return it to a corral, and take the size cart from the corral I prefer. Often times, if I do not bring a cart in from the parking lot, I do not get the smaller size cart I prefer to use. Returning the cart after shopping to a corral prevents the cart from being blown by the wind into another vehicle. I do it because I know the cart I leave in the corral will not inflict damage on another shoppers vehicle. I would just consider this as common courtesy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Since the question has already been answered, here's a tidbit aside: In some countries the shopping carts are in a holding area just like the carts at the airport. A coin (say a quarter) in the slot frees the cart. You get your quarter back when you return the cart to a similar sort of pen. One sees most customers returning the carts, and a few thinking its worth a quarter not to do so. These tend to be countries where people generally use coins anyway (e.g. the 1 pound is a coin). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Man Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Nine times out of ten I return the cart to the corral, simply because I want to live in a world where shopping carts are in their place. If ever I don't, it's because the weather is downright nasty. Even then I'll shove it up on the median or make sure it's not free to roll around into parking spaces or driving lanes. As to ethical 'duty' - ha, I recognize no such animal. Nice catch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve D'Ippolito Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 My ex-GF used to laugh at me for wanting to actually return clothes I had decided not to buy to their proper places. This in stores that have so many things stocked in the wrong places that she had just expressed her frustration with THAT fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeatherFall Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 I always return the cart, no matter how bad the weather or how far away the corral. I believe people have a moral obligation to keep parking spaces clear of their carts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninth Doctor Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 I always return the cart, no matter how bad the weather or how far away the corral. I believe people have a moral obligation to keep parking spaces clear of their carts. Even if the store has someone out there, whose job is to collect carts? That's where I prefer to shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Even if the store has someone out there, whose job is to collect carts? That's where I prefer to shop. Well, they have people to take carts from the outside cart depository and bring them inside. Ideally, that's all they'd have to do when they go out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Link Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 My ex-GF used to laugh at me for wanting to actually return clothes I had decided not to buy to their proper places. This in stores that have so many things stocked in the wrong places that she had just expressed her frustration with THAT fact. Do you ever stack things in the right places when you see them stacked incorrectly? Anal person that I am, I'm sometimes tempted to do that, but so far I think I've resisted the urge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeatherFall Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Yes, Doc, I think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninth Doctor Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 How about this: I think we can all agree that it is moral to be concerned about whether your cart is safely taken care of. Whether that means you need to walk it back yourself depends on the context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeatherFall Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 I can live with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninth Doctor Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) EDIT: Changed my mind, bad joke. Edited February 21, 2012 by Ninth Doctor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 If they don't have time to return the carts in the most "ideal" way, well, that's why the cart boy is employed. By that logic, we should also keep their cleaning crew busy, by just dumping stuff on the floor instead of a trash can. The cart boy isn't employed to help out people who can't be bothered to return the carts. He's employed to fix the mess their douchebag anti-social behavior causes, before it affects the civilized customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JASKN Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) By that logic, we should also keep their cleaning crew busy, by just dumping stuff on the floor instead of a trash can. The cart boy isn't employed to help out people who can't be bothered to return the carts. He's employed to fix the mess their douchebag anti-social behavior causes, before it affects the civilized customers. I guess you didn't read the rest of what I wrote, where I mentioned basic civility and making the cart boy's job easier. It's just false that cart boys aren't there to help busy customers. What do you think is a store's aim in business, exactly? Edited February 21, 2012 by JASKN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan13 Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Since the question has already been answered, here's a tidbit aside: In some countries the shopping carts are in a holding area just like the carts at the airport. A coin (say a quarter) in the slot frees the cart. You get your quarter back when you return the cart to a similar sort of pen. One sees most customers returning the carts, and a few thinking its worth a quarter not to do so. These tend to be countries where people generally use coins anyway (e.g. the 1 pound is a coin). ALDI stores do that here in the U.S. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve D'Ippolito Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I imagine at some airports, people make a fair amount of cash returning carts left behind by others in too big a rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) I guess you didn't read the rest of what I wrote, where I mentioned basic civility and making the cart boy's job easier. I read it. I didn't respond to that part, because I agree with it. I responded to the part I disagree with. It's just false that cart boys aren't there to help busy customers. First off, a cart boy can't tell which customer is busy and which isn't. So the store is left with only two options, as their official policy: 1. follow everyone to their cars, and take their carts when they're done. 2. encourage busy customers to leave their carts next to their parking space and drive away, because a cart boy will find it and pick it up. The first is impractical, the second is a lawsuit waiting to happen. That's why no store would ever adopt a policy that encourages busy customers to just leave their carts in an area not marked for that purpose. If you leave your cart in an area that isn't clearly designated to hold carts, then you are an asshole. Edited February 22, 2012 by Nicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaroq Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I always return my carts to the nearest place meant for carts to go. And I even sometimes push all of the carts together so they're one neat row of carts. Just because I like to be neat and orderly about that. It makes things more efficient, and also it makes the cart pusher's job a bit easier at pretty much no cost to me. So in that sense, putting the cart where it belongs is kind of like holding the door open for someone behind me as I go through. Just being benevolent. It doesn't hurt me any to be nice to people in everyday situations like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdegges Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 If you leave your cart in an area that isn't clearly designated to hold carts, then you are an asshole. Juding people based on their "shopping cart ethics" is ridiculous. My first high school job was as a cart girl, and I never got angry with customers who left their carts by their cars, or in empty parking slots. As long as I was making $7.25 an hour, I didn't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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