October 4, 2007
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Shopping Cart Ettiquette
When I go to the grocery store and buy enough to carry out my purchases in a cart, I always return my cart to a designated place. It’s never more than a few steps away and I just consider it extra exercise. It’s really not a hard thing to do, is it?
Sometimes I will see an elderly person leave their cart beside their car. Ok, I can kind of see where they might not have as much energy or mobility to walk those extra steps to put it up. And the stores do pay people to come out and retrieve those carts.
One thing I will never understand is when someone who is parked in the handicapped spot and they leave their cart in the spot next to them blocking that entire spot from the next needy person using it. “Do Unto Others”, y’all!!!
But what really bothers me is when I see someone who is completely able bodied come out and empty the cart and then jump into their car and take off, usually leaving the cart partially in the parking place. That’s just lazy. Normal behaviour for a lot of people, but lazy.
Then today, the thing that prompted this rant, was probably the most ridiculous behaviour I’ve seen yet from a grown woman. I had put my groceries in my car and as I was walking a few feet over to return my cart, I noticed this woman shoving her cart aside to get back into her vehicle. I was tempted to walk over and get her cart while she was still there to see it and returning it for her in hopes of her noticing how lazy she was. As I was having that thought, this woman (very nicely dressed and driving a very expensive SUV) came back out of her vehicle with a handful of garbage, mostly fast food bags and drink cups, and dumped those into the cart. Then she just got back into her very expensive SUV and drove off.
Something like that should not shock me, but it did. I guess I still expect certain behaviours from people and i especially expect grown ups to act with some degree of manners and thoughtfulness. And when they are well dressed and driving expensive cars, I guess I have even higher expectations of them. I see now that I’m just going to have to lower those expectations. What a shame.
Comments (7)
The stores these days have security cameras. Wouldn’t it be great if they collected clips such as the scene you describe, and played them on a screen inside the store? Imagine that woman’s face the next time she shops there, and sees herself for the inconsiderate lazy slob that she is, knowing that others have seen it as well.
People are just plain rude, that’s all there is to it. I went in Wal-Mart a few nights ago, and when I came out about 20 minutes later there were 2 carts resting against my car. And I was parked TWO spots away from a cart receptacle-thing. Two. Lazy bums!!
I really like Greg’s idea, but the stores, like all businesses, are afraid of upsetting customers, so they would never do it.
But, if those shopping carts did any damage to your car, Holley, I would demand a check of the cameras to try to determine who did it.
Yep, people are lazy and rude. I just hope I remember these things so someone else doesn’t end up blogging about my rude, thoughtless acts!
I try to make it a habit to bring an empty cart from the lot into the store with me. As a person who once worked as a bag-boy and had duties which included retrieving carts, it’s just second-nature to me.
These sorts of lazy people are the same kinds of people that will leave their dryer sheets all over the floor of the laundromat, despite there being trash cans no more than 10 feet away.
(The ones that REALLY frost me, though, are the neanderthals that consume sunflowers seeds, peanuts, or pistachios, and systematically drop the shells on the floor, even when they are seated NEXT TO a trash can.)
When you start cleaning up after the general public, you realize how lazy and nasty people can be.
I guess that’s why I try to clean up and stack my plates when I’m finished eating in a restaurant….leftover compulsions from waitress days.
See, this is the difference between me and much of the rest of the world – I was raised right! I’m so glad I’ve got parents who had to work the jobs that made you responsible citizens. I’m always amazed/disgusted at what people will do while shopping at Old Navy, and the common consensus among our employees is “my mother would KILL me if I did that!”. So thanks, guys, for making me one of the good ones!!
You’re welcome!