Do you put the shopping carts back in the corral?

[The Walrus]

Cmon guys, this is just shopping carts. You are going on about it as if it was a matter of life and death. Why not found a new religion for the people who put the carts back in the corral and for those who don't? 

You don't really know a person until you discover their stance on shopping cart placement.

For as mad as that comment made me I don't honestly care what bosk does with the shopping cart. But in the context of this specific subject, for the sake of conversation (as was the original intent, anyway) I would like to give him a noogie, or possibly threaten a swirly. Purple nurple? 

[Phoenix87x]

Where does everyone stand on putting a lunch tray on the trash can top after being done with it?





Is it cool to leave it on the table or is it better to bring it to the spot that's located on the top of the trashcan?

[bosk1]

Depends on the restaurant.  In most cases, if they have those, it is the type of place where they expect you to bus your own table.  But I have been in a couple where I have started to put mine away, only to have staff say not to and that they would do it.  But those are the odd exception.  As with the shopping cart issue, I'd say best rule is to know your environment and what is expected, and act accordingly.

[cramx3]

Wait, you don't just throw the trays out? 

[Adami]

Where does everyone stand on putting a lunch tray on the trash can top after being done with it?





Is it cool to leave it on the table or is it better to bring it to the spot that's located on the top of the trashcan?

I put them in the parking lot, preferably behind a car or in the middle of an empty parking space.

[cramx3]

In Germany do you need to insert a coin to get a tray?

[bosk1]

In Germany, you need to insert a coin for EVERYTHING.

[pg1067]

This is about returning a cart to a corral to prevent it from possibly damaging other cars, taking up space, making the employee waste time gathering them etc.

I leave my cart where the possibility of damaging a car (not just "other cars") is negligible and where it will not get in anyone's way.  That leaves "making [an] employee waste time gathering" the carts as the only reason to use the corral.  What else is that employee going to do?  Retrieving carts from the parking lot is pretty much the only thing that employee has to do.  Why should I do that employee's job?  Moreover, since I'm not even close to the only person who doesn't generally use the corrals, I don't think changing my behavior is going to have a significant impact on how the cart retrieval employee spends his/her day.

You getting in and efficiently grabbing your food without going into other aisles isn't even the same kind of situation and has nothing to do with laziness because you get nothing out of going into every aisle.

Likewise, I get nothing out of returning carts to he corral.  On the other hand, I do lose time.  Granted, it's not any significant amount of time, but I view my time as valuable and not to be wasted on things I don't enjoy or which serve no useful purpose.

For each situation:
1) cart in the corral; best option.
2) cart not in corral, left somewhere else; makes employee waste more time gathering them, cart potentially could become loose or even stolen, which is lost property for the store
3) cart blocks a parking space; we agree that is not okay.

So best option? Put it back... be a courteous individual... take a few extra seconds...

I understand your opinion.  However, I don't agree with the negatives associated with #2, so I don't see how using the corral is any better.

Who else can be impacted?  Courtesy clerks:  They don't care and expect as part of their job to get the carts.  So courtesy clerks:  not negatively impacted.

Not only that, if I do their job for them, they may find themselves out of jobs.  Using the cart corral costs people their jobs, damnit!

Wow. Okay, so, the excuse is simply laziness, if it's really not a big deal then. Cool, we agree on that. 

Two things here:  (1) If it's "lazy" not to use the cart corral, then it's equally lazy to use the cart corral instead of taking the cart back where you got it in the first place; and (2) not doing something that serves no useful purpose and refraining from which causes no harm is not "lazy."

I literally work at a body shop where people's cars come in and get fixed for damage like that. If you're arguing that nobody here is impacted by you leaving a cart out, yes, that is correct, but what is the point then? That doesn't refute the argument that it's not courteous to others around you.

No one here is saying that folks who let carts roam free to maim and kill innocent cars isn't a problem.

And since you seem to be bothered by the Mexican analogy, although I can't fathom why, here's maybe a better one, although fictitious:
Person A takes meticulous care of his lawn, and doesn't like anyone on it, period.  He makes that known, and everybody who lives near him knows it.  He's a good guy.  He just doesn't like people on his lawn.
Person B takes meticulous care of his lawn because he likes the way it looks when he does, but he doesn't really care one way or the other whether people walk on it or not, as long as they are reasonably careful not to tear it up.  Yeah, there usually isn't a reason to walk on it, other than taking a shortcut of about 10 steps if you are going around the corner (he lives on a corner lot), and of course, ANY time you walk on it at all, it obviously does SOME miniscule damage, as opposed to not walking on it at all.  But he really doesn't care.
Person C takes meticulous care of his lawn to have it be a play area for the neighborhood kids.  Given the time and expense he puts into it for that purpose, he is kind of bothered when the kids DON'T come use it.

Obviously, stepping all over person A's lawn is a jerk move.  He doesn't like it.  Everyone knows that.  So stepping all over his lawn is rude and inconsiderate.  At the other extreme, stepping on person C's lawn is not only fine, it is expected.  Definitively NOT rude to step on his lawn.  What about person B?  Really, no difference to person C in terms of being decidedly NOT rude (provided that one exercises reasonable care).  CAN you just go around and take 10 more steps?  Sure.  Is it rude or lazy not to?  Nope.  Because person B (the person in charge of said lawn) doesn't care. 

That being said, is it rude and pretentious for Person A to impose their morals on people who step on Person B's lawn, when it doesn't impact Person A in the slightest?  Yeah, it pretty much is because it doesn't impact him at all, and the only person it does impact doesn't care, so it isn't a negative impact.

This is an excellent analogy, but I'll simplify it even further.  In front of my house is a lawn.  If you are in the street facing my house, the driveway is to the left, and the lawn is to the right.  If you are walking to my house from right side and want to walk to the front door, you can either cut across the lawn or you can walk an extra 50-60 feet around the lawn and up the driveway (about the same number of feet I might have to walk to take my cart to a corral).  I'm no lawn care expert, but I assume that walking on the grass does some negligible amount of damage to the grass (analogous to the negligible chance that a cart I leave will damage a car).  However, I don't think I've ever not cut across the lawn.  Does that make me lazy?  Of course not.

Cmon guys, this is just shopping carts. You are going on about it as if it was a matter of life and death. Why not found a new religion for the people who put the carts back in the corral and for those who don't? 

That's kinda why I decided to chime in.  I find it baffling that anyone gets worked up about this such that this thread is as long as it is!

[The Walrus]

[King Postwhore]

In Germany, you need to insert a coin for EVERYTHING.

I know your viewing habits now.

[chknptpie]

As someone who gathered carts - people that propped them up on curbs pissed me off. It's a pain in the ass to get off the curb and its right next to the damn corral!

Again, if that's the expectation/custom where you are, cool.  People should be aware of and sensitive to that when shopping there.  All I'm saying is, again, that doesn't give anyone the right to pass judgment on people who think differently in places where it is not the expectation/custom.

I have the expectation and custom, therefore I can pass judgement on people who think differently... isn't that the world we live in now?

Nope.  We aren't talking about carts being put in a place where they can damage cars.  We are talking about situations where the drivers/customers aren't impacted in any meaningful way whatsoever.  So that is off the table.  So drivers/customers:  not negatively impacted.

Who else can be impacted?  Courtesy clerks:  They don't care and expect as part of their job to get the carts.  So courtesy clerks:  not negatively impacted.

So, who is left that can be negatively impacted?  Nobody.

Lets think about this economically though. My job when I gathered carts was bagger and cart getter. I would have to go gather carts between bagging for customers - during a lull in check out. If the carts are all in the corral, it takes me 5 minutes to gather the carts and then back to bagging or reshelving, etc. Now lets say I have to go around and gather all the carts that are not in a corral. Now it takes me 15-20 minutes to gather carts. Leaving no bagger. So now the company must hire more people because the customers don't want to put the carts in the corral helping to expedite the cart gathering process. Thus increasing the prices of goods. Now you've impacted yourself.

[bosk1]

As someone who gathered carts - people that propped them up on curbs pissed me off. It's a pain in the ass to get off the curb and its right next to the damn corral!

Again, if that's the expectation/custom where you are, cool.  People should be aware of and sensitive to that when shopping there.  All I'm saying is, again, that doesn't give anyone the right to pass judgment on people who think differently in places where it is not the expectation/custom.

I have the expectation and custom, therefore I can pass judgement on people who think differently... isn't that the world we live in now?

  Unfortunately, yes.

[Cool Chris]

Lets think about this economically though. My job when I gathered carts was bagger and cart getter.

Do grocery stores still have a position dedicated to "bagger?" I can't remember the last time the person doing the check-out didn't bag the groceries as well. Not commenting on your job, that just jumped out at me.

And I am not going to try and find it to quote it, but "Shopping Cart Sanctuary" was a good one.

[King Postwhore]

A bagger is required to bag groceries and collect the carts.  As a front end manager, I would set up a rotation so all baggers would spend time getting carts.

[Cool Chris]

Required by what? State law? Store policy? Is this a regional thing?

[Zook]

I guess in ghetto Phoenix it's customary to be a douche and park carts behind cars. I've only ever seen this done while living in Phoenix. Throughout the years carts have been on islands, in between cars, in empty spaces, on the sidewalk, pushed all the way to the end of the lot where the wheel would lock up, and of course behind cars. I'm guilty of doing all but two, and I can fully admit it's lazy to not walk to the corral and place the cart there, because I don't want to walk half a football field to the nearest cart return. This is the thought process of everyone else as well. It's not customary. It's not a cultural thing. It's being lazy. The cart return is way the fuck in BFE, I don't want to walk over there, I'll just put it out of the way over here. I don't know how putting them behind cars started or how it caught on and became the norm over in the ghetto, but Phoenix is a cesspool and full of assholes. I've worked for Fry's for just about 10 years, and without talking to any of them, I know the 16/17 year old courtesy clerks are not going to want to walk the entire parking lot searching for carts. I know this because I've seen plenty of times the job not getting done. Hell, even when the carts are in the corrals filled to the brim, the job doesn't get done. I've seen this at Walmart too. You can try justifying all you want, and making excuses, but at the end of the day, if you don't want to push the cart to the cart return, you're being lazy, and if said cart return is two spaces over and you still put it in the H Zone, you're being a lazy asshole. Carts in the H Zone still have the potential to roll and hit cars, even if there won't be any damage. I don't want a shopping cart touching my car. Even if you don't care, the next person might.

[Anguyen92]

A bagger is required to bag groceries and collect the carts.  As a front end manager, I would set up a rotation so all baggers would spend time getting carts.

I don't think there are that much baggers here in California nowadays ever since 2016 where that thing got passed where convenience stores are not allowed to use plastic bags for groceries.  Shoppers either spend 10 cents for a reusable bag or they bring their own bags.

[King Postwhore]

Required by what? State law? Store policy? Is this a regional thing?

Job requirement.

[King Postwhore]

A bagger is required to bag groceries and collect the carts.  As a front end manager, I would set up a rotation so all baggers would spend time getting carts.

I don't think there are that much baggers here in California nowadays ever since 2016 where that thing got passed where convenience stores are not allowed to use plastic bags for groceries.  Shoppers either spend 10 cents for a reusable bag or they bring their own bags.

A lot of grocery stores here in the northeast used to recycle bags. H*** I do to. They're easier to carry. There is one store called Aldi's that are like what you said.  You bag your own. 


Every other grocery store has baggers who get carts as well.

[Cool Chris]

So, store policy, but if "every other store has baggers" is that regional? No store I have been to in 10 years has had a dedicated bagger position.

[King Postwhore]

There's baggers in every grocery store where I live except in Aldi's.

[ChuckSteak]

There's baggers in every grocery store where I live except in Aldi's.

Cause Aldi is German. 

[King Postwhore]

For bad service?

Actually, as a bagger myself 3 decades ago the kids today are not trained correctly.  Putting cans with vegetables is one example of a no no.

[AngelBack]

I love how on DTF you can go in Political/Religion threads and civilly discuss racism, abortion, evolution, etc....but in a thread on shopping carts it's pure carnage.

[MirrorMask]

I love how on DTF you can go in Political/Religion threads and civilly discuss racism, abortion, evolution, etc....but in a thread on shopping carts it's pure carnage.

[King Postwhore]

 

[jingle.boy]

Depends on the restaurant.  In most cases, if they have those, it is the type of place where they expect you to bus your own table.  But I have been in a couple where I have started to put mine away, only to have staff say not to and that they would do it.  But those are the odd exception.  As with the shopping cart issue, I'd say best rule is to know your environment and what is expected, and act accordingly.

Seriously!?!? Depends on the restaurant?  C'mon now... you're fitting your response to validate your position on carts.  For any of us who worked as teenagers (or who still might) in fast-food, there is 100% expectation that people will throw out their own trash.  Any employee/staff who's said "I'll do it" is doing it as a courtesy to you, not because it's the cultural norm at that establishment.  Waiter-served restaurants - different story.  For you to imply that QSR employees expect to do it for you comes feels like you're only saying so because you refuse to budge on your position regarding carts.

I think we all get it; the norm in your stretch of CA is that most people don't give a fuck to return carts.  However, the corals were built for a purpose - for customers to put their cart there.  They serve no other function.  NorCal (and I'm only stating NorCal because I don't want to 'out' where you live - can't remember if it's actually in your profile) has found a different 'norm', which to most of the people here in this thread would identify as lazy.  You don't, because everyone in your area does it.  Deny it all you want, justify it all you want (because it's your norm), but it's lazy - you can't (or won't) accept it because you don't see it for anything other than your norm.  Generally speaking, you (royal you) not returning the cart isn't for the convenience of your fellow shopper; it isn't for the convenience of store employees.... it's for YOUR (again, royal you) convenience.

Embrace the laziness bosk.  Embrace and own it.   

[cramx3]

I've seen one example to support Bosk on the trays.  The Boston Markets near me changed their trash cans and don't have a spot for your to return the tray, the reason is, they want you to leave the garbage and they clean it for you.  That's a relatively new thing and the only spot I've seen personally that was expected of you to not return the tray.  It's funny because you always see people looking where to put it, and eventually they ask and the servers say to just leave it.

I love how on DTF you can go in Political/Religion threads and civilly discuss racism, abortion, evolution, etc....but in a thread on shopping carts it's pure carnage.

[bosk1]

Seriously!?!? Depends on the restaurant?  C'mon now... you're fitting your response to validate your position on carts.  For any of us who worked as teenagers (or who still might) in fast-food, there is 100% expectation that people will throw out their own trash.

I'm not talking about your typical "fast-food" restaurant.  But, yeah, I've been to plenty of places where I or others have literally stopped at the end of the meal and asked one another whether we are supposed to bus our own tables because we legitimately weren't sure.  At a fast food restaurant, yeah, you bus your own and put the tray away.  But the lines get blurred at, say, counter service restaurants where you order at the counter, and they have wait staff that come out and bring you your food.  Sometimes, it's hard to tell.  Most often, if they have the tray rack, it's because you are expected to bus your own.  But sometimes, no, they bus the tables and will tell you that.  And, although that wasn't the question, if they DO bus the tables, it's appropriate to leave a couple of bucks on the table or in the tip jar for the extra service. 

But none of that has anything to do with shopping carts.  Except maybe in the roundabout way of looking at the general rule of:  do what is expected at the establishment you are at.  I guess, in that way, yeah, I do have kind of a common thinking. 

Deny it all you want, justify it all you want (because it's your norm), but it's lazy - you can't (or won't) accept it because you don't see it for anything other than your norm.  Generally speaking, you (royal you) not returning the cart isn't for the convenience of your fellow shopper; it isn't for the convenience of store employees.... it's for YOUR (again, royal you) convenience.

Of course putting the Costco shopping cart at the four corners on occasion is for MY convenience (is there a "royal my"?).  But that doesn't necessarily equate to "laziness."  It equates to "that's what we do here.  Sometimes.  When it is appropriate."

[Zook]

Bosk: Shopping Cart Apologist

[bosk1]

Sure, why not? 

[ozzy554]

From someone who currently works at a grocery store I will put them back in the corral for the rest of my life. Having to search the entire parking lot for them is a bit annoying. Especially on busy days where you have to keep moving to keep at least some amounts of carts in the store.

Though thankfully I haven't had a full shift outside since like September.

[The Walrus]

I asked this exact same question on another forum and got 20 replies all responding (with varying degrees of frustration) "yes," half of which reference the laziness of not putting carts back. Between that and the posters here who have worked those stores (had store employees in the other thread, too) I feel vindicated. Eat my shorts and put the carts back, in that order.

[JayOctavarium]

I'm not talking about your typical "fast-food" restaurant.  But, yeah, I've been to plenty of places where I or others have literally stopped at the end of the meal and asked one another whether we are supposed to bus our own tables because we legitimately weren't sure.  At a fast food restaurant, yeah, you bus your own and put the tray away.  But the lines get blurred at, say, counter service restaurants where you order at the counter, and they have wait staff that come out and bring you your food.  Sometimes, it's hard to tell.

Presto Pasta comes to mind here. Drives me insane.

[YtseBitsySpider]

Jingle.
Americans and Canadians are vastly different  - cultural norms - expectations of service etc etc.

as another example "taking the bus" . Many MANY American's think it's completely beneath them or a sign of "lower class citizenry" to ride the bus. We have people from large transit authorities coming to Ottawa all the time trying to figure out how we get the rider numbers we get. Perfectly good AMG Mercedes owning people take the bus religiously rather than drive their cars. Aint got nothing to do with class....

I notice in our city many of the shopping cart corale fetcher people are mentally handicapped folks who are happy doing it - and happy to have a meaningful form of employment. I still bring the cart to the corale and I'm happy to do so