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shopping rule theory
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this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2024
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I have very young children, meaning very often I can walk away from the car after getting them in their carseats and unloading the groceries or whatever and be gone for about two minutes before one or both of them start losing their minds and getting scared. If the shopping cart return spot is more than two minutes from my car (round trip), then the cart gets left exactly two minutes (round trip) closer to the return spot and in a spot that doesn't inconvenience a) anyone parking, b) anyone leaving, and c) the employee that will eventually have to return it to the store.
Ideally, I catch someone walking inside the store on my way and ask if they'd like the cart, but not always.
That's just how it is, I don't feel bad about it. I don't know if you all live somewhere where these cart return chutes are more available, but most large parking lots here are the size of like two football fields and they have three total return chutes.
What irritates me is how often the "parent parking" spots are filled with people that get into their cars with no kids. They are typically located right next to the chutes, and it is great because you don't have to walk short children through a parking lot, you can put them in a cart, and then walk in where cars backing out can see the little kids.
I seriously rarely see people with kids using those spots. 100% some of the people in this thread are using the parent parking spots without kids, returning their shopping cart right next to where they're parked, and then judging people for not returning their carts.
I'm not judging you, but to offer another perspective to anyone reading this thread: I am a parent of two young children, and have never not returned a shopping cart. I take the kids with me when I return it.
As a parent, I realizes that it's harder to do things with kids than without, but I go out of my way to not pass that burden onto others.
There are many ways our situations could be different that would make it harder for you to do this than me - your reasons are completely your business.
I hear you, but in a busy parking lot, the shopping cart elevates the height of the children, making them visible to cars.
Where I live, the grocery store and target or whatever are primarily SUVs and trucks. The blind spots on vehicles like that are huge, and my children suddenly decide something looks and interesting and will sometimes just bolt off.
They're pretty good in parking lots, and obviously we have to and do walk through them, but, when I can, I try to limit the time my children spend on their feet in a busy parking lot.
My daughter barely comes up to the bumper of some of these trucks! But I do appreciate what you're saying, and I tend to agree with you in most circumstances.
I don't know why you're catching so much flak. Parking lots are not safe places for kids, and you can't leave them alone in the car for long either. I've never had an issue returning a cart, but that's because I've never shopped at a place where the return corrals are that sparse. If it's over a minute's walk to return a cart then that's a failure of the parking lot architects, not you. You're doing what you can, which is good enough.
Hey, thanks for your understanding. It is much appreciated.
I do return the cart when I can!
I have never heard of or seen a 'parent parking spot'. It seems kind of unfair to people who don't have kids. I can see why people don't really care to honor that.
They're usually the two spots directly next to a shopping cart chute. They allow a parent to take a returned cart from the chute and immediately put their children in it so that they don't have to walk through a parking lot where no one can see them in their rearview mirrors. Also, you may not know this, but sometimes small children just... start running when they get out of the car. If you've got more than one child, it can be very difficult to hold them while trying to get your other child or children out their carseat. Those things are like jet seats.
It's much easier to plop then in a cart that makes them visible to surrounding cars and less able to run away while unloading kids. It is also better for getting them into the store. I live in America. The average distance needed to see a 2ft child through the WINDSHIELD is shocking. When multiple cars are backing up and trying to leave a parking lot, it's not fun.
https://x.com/dannyman/status/1661087159082967040?s=20
Yes, it is "unfair" to people that don't have kids, but, given it helps reduce the chance of small children being hurt or killed, they are generally seen as a part of good parking lot design.
If you're less interested in the safety of children, perhaps you might also think about it from a profit perspective. Making accommodations for people who are interested in the safety of their children is more likely to attract people with children, who very often spend money in the store for not only themselves but also those children.
Additionally, it reduces the incidence of tragic accidents involving children in a commercial parking lot, and costs almost nothing, which is generally seen as a positive by most businesses.
Well that works out well. Nobody else usually wants those spots, presumably because you're more likely to get nicked by an errant cart there. Seems like a win-win.
Excellent! Though, you would be surprised how often they're taken just because they're the closest available spot.
And agreed, my car does get bonked by shopping carts fairly regularly when I'm in those spots.
My car has cameras that monitor the exterior when I'm parked, and the amount of times I've come back to watch a video of someone on their phone and just ramming the cart directly into the rear is... more common than you'd think.
But! They were returning the cart, so it is kind of a win-win, I think.
I mean this is all in your head. Your children will be fine if you return the kart.
It's not all in my head, insofar as it then makes the drive home miserable because they're upset. You honestly think that your desire to whine about this ever-recurring meme complaint about shopping carts isn't "just in you head" too?
They're both "in our head": I'm worried about my kids' happiness and comfort, and you're worried about being critical for a meme.
It's a shopping cart. I do what I can, and when I don't have the kids, I return the cart to the chute. I realize it's funny to make this a big deal on the internet, but my real point was that people with small children find it harder to do, and if we all keep spaces near the chutes open for people with children, it's much safer for children going into AND back out of the store.
And you'll get your shopping carts returned more often, as you'd prefer.
If you genuinely believe the sanity of your children rests on the whole 20 seconds it takes to return your shopping cart, you are thoroughly delusional.
Not only that, but you should seriously rethink your parenting skills. If you are so afraid of how your children will react that you can’t even return a shopping cart, then your children have very serious self-control issues, which again stem from your own parenting
Return your shopping cart. It is not that dire, you’re just being lazy and trying to make excuses for it.
It isn't about their "sanity," and you've made quite a few assumptions here.
And you're this mad about people not privileging your interests when it comes to checks notes shopping carts being returned? I take it you still ride inside them rather than push them? 🤣
Blocked.
Edit: I was going to block, but I checked your comment history.
Hey. I love my kids. I do try to take care of them in parking lots. They run around in the woods pretty freely, they travel often, and I'm very proud to be their parent.
Everyone deserves supportive parents, and I'm sorry that your parents can't support who you are. That isn't fair to you. That is THEIR problem. It is THEIR flaw. You didn't do anything wrong. I bet more people than you even realize love you for just who you are. Focus on them! Let them be your support.
Where I'm from, they're also open to expecting mothers.
They are also people who shouldn't have to walk super far, especially later on in their pregnancy. It would really suck know for people to get upset at them just because they don't have kids with them, even though they might literally physically struggle walking. I hope that's not the case here lol
Most of the spots where I live aren't close to the doors. They're not handicapped spots. They're just located next to the shopping cart return chutes, which are usually generally found in the center of the parking lot. That CAN help someone that struggles to walk, because they can use a cart to support them as they walk from the middle of the parking lot, but it's probably less ideal than a closer parking spot (if available).
I'm happy to hear that that wasn't the case :)
If your kids can't be alone for 3 minutes, then take them with you.
But don't blame your laziness on your kids.