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Oct 16, 2024

Why Won't People Return Their Shopping Carts?

Shopping carts often litter store parking lots, and apparently, those ditching the cart corral seem to think they have good reasons. READ MORE: Evansville Favorite Among Top 10 Best Shopping Malls in

Shopping carts often litter store parking lots, and apparently, those ditching the cart corral seem to think they have good reasons.

READ MORE: Evansville Favorite Among Top 10 Best Shopping Malls in Indiana

My biggest pet peeve in the entire world is people who refuse to return their shopping cart to the store corral at the end of their shopping venture. I can't even count the times I've had to move a shopping cart out of a parking space so I could park my vehicle. Also, those shopping carts tend to take off during strong gusts of wind, causing damage to surrounding vehicles. It takes just a few seconds to be a good human being and return your shopping cart, so why is it so hard for some people?

While researching this topic, I found an article that shed light on why people don't want to go the extra mile (or rather yard) after loading up their vehicle. Scientific American reports there are actually quite a few different reasons people don't return their shopping cart. I'll admit, some of them sound fairly solid, but others are just plain lazy. You can see them below.

Perhaps the worst reason for not returning your shopping cart after you're done using it came from Reddit. While on a particular thred, there was a person who wrote out a long narrative about how they purposefully do not return their shopping cart. The primary reason behind their actions is definitely something I had never considered. See more below.

Many people feel that it is their duty as a shopper to return the shopping cart that they just used at the supermarket to the shopping cart area, and consider it rude to leave the cart in the middle of the parking lot next to your car. However, I believe that not only is it more convenient for the shopper to leave the cart he or she just used next to his or her car, but it also creates demand for "Courtesy Clerk" jobs at the supermarket.

I will be the first to admit that the above reasoning is ultimately absurd. It's like saying, "I commit crimes to give police officers and prosecutors jobs." It makes no sense. If you have the capability, I highly recommend you return your shopping cart. It is definitely more convenient for those around you and shows people you are not a total shopping cart litter monster.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

Gallery Credit: Kyle Matthews

Gallery Credit: Tara Holley