People who steal shopping carts piss me off

[ScrappyB]

I live in an apartment complex with around 100 units. The trash pickup is from dumpsters in the parking lot, and people sometimes leave items that are too heavy to lift next to the dumpsters. I threw away some trash and went to the gas station a couple of blocks away, then came right back. Took maybe 15 minutes.

The path to my parking spot takes me past one of the dumpsters, and as I passed I saw someone had left a shopping cart next to it. It wasn't there when I dropped off my trash. The cart wasn't even from a grocery store, it was from a gift shop about four blocks away. Some asshole used it to wheel their stuff back home, then was too lazy to take it back to the store. So they left it to get picked up by the trash company.

I called the store and they said they would send someone over to get it. I just want to slap whoever did it. Those carts are not cheap, and the cost for replacing them gets passed on to the customers.

[nickiknack]

That's the reason why a lot of the stores near where I live charge you a quarter in order to use the shopping carts, you only get the quarter back if you return the cart. You don't see that many stolen carts like you used to see.

[dpareja]

That's the reason why a lot of the stores near where I live charge you a quarter in order to use the shopping carts, you only get the quarter back if you return the cart. You don't see that many stolen carts like you used to see.

Others I've seen used long poles (so they couldn't leave the store, but this of course proved unpopular), or had a device on one wheel that locked it if it went beyond a certain point (generally the boundary of the parking lot). As I recall the latter was often used in conjunction with the quarter deposit.

[Moltar]

They could at least bring the cart back when they go shopping again.

[nickiknack]

That's the reason why a lot of the stores near where I live charge you a quarter in order to use the shopping carts, you only get the quarter back if you return the cart. You don't see that many stolen carts like you used to see.

Others I've seen used long poles (so they couldn't leave the store, but this of course proved unpopular), or had a device on one wheel that locked it if it went beyond a certain point (generally the boundary of the parking lot). As I recall the latter was often used in conjunction with the quarter deposit.

I've seen both the pole and the wheel locking thing too.

[Sleepy]

I hate it when people are lazy with carts in general. Walk the extra few yards and put it in the cart return, jackhole. Don't leave it in the middle of the adjacent parking spot.

[Captain Jack Harkness]

I can't say I'm wild about people doing this - I used to wrangle carts - but I do think I can kinda speak in there defense, at least to the claims made in this thread.  Yeah, some people are lazy.  However, everyone who ditches a cart isn't necessarily lazy.  Have you guys ever considered that they might be in a time crunch?  I mean, some people don't just have the leisure to just go and pick something up whenever, and may have lost significant time to go do something important waiting in line when the store is busy.

I'm not saying that what they do is any less annoying, but to peg everyone who just abandons a cart as a lazy slob seems a little much.

[Sleepy]

It takes a minute or two at most to push the cart to the return area. If you don't have that time to spare in your entire day, then you need to do some rescheduling.

[Art Vandelay]

I can't say I'm wild about people doing this - I used to wrangle carts - but I do think I can kinda speak in there defense, at least to the claims made in this thread.  Yeah, some people are lazy.  However, everyone who ditches a cart isn't necessarily lazy.  Have you guys ever considered that they might be in a time crunch?  I mean, some people don't just have the leisure to just go and pick something up whenever, and may have lost significant time to go do something important waiting in line when the store is busy.

I'm not saying that what they do is any less annoying, but to peg everyone who just abandons a cart as a lazy slob seems a little much.

None of which even comes close to justifying stealing a shopping cart.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Here in Oz it costs you $1-$2 to use one for this very reason.

[RavynousHunter]

Why does this thread remind me of Trailer Park Boys?

[nickiknack]

Why does this thread remind me of Trailer Park Boys?

Umm, Stereotyping??

[Captain Jack Harkness]

I can't say I'm wild about people doing this - I used to wrangle carts - but I do think I can kinda speak in there defense, at least to the claims made in this thread.  Yeah, some people are lazy.  However, everyone who ditches a cart isn't necessarily lazy.  Have you guys ever considered that they might be in a time crunch?  I mean, some people don't just have the leisure to just go and pick something up whenever, and may have lost significant time to go do something important waiting in line when the store is busy.

I'm not saying that what they do is any less annoying, but to peg everyone who just abandons a cart as a lazy slob seems a little much.

None of which even comes close to justifying stealing a shopping cart.

Stealing is a pretty strong word.  It's not like they're taking the fucking thing to some kind of "cart chop shop" to break down and sell for parts or something.

[Art Vandelay]

Stealing is a pretty strong word.  It's not like they're taking the fucking thing to some kind of "cart chop shop" to break down and sell for parts or something.

Righto then. I'm just going to go hotwire a car. I'm not going to strip it down or anything, its just for my own personal use, so it's totally ok.

[nickiknack]

There's a difference between taking and leaving the shopping cart on the other side of the parking lot, and taking the cart home with you. I've seen people using shopping carts to certain stores that are 5 miles away to the nearest one. And yes, I would consider that to be "stealing", I doubt the store told them it's ok for them to take it home with them.