Every time I shop any store where shopping carts are available for their customer’s convenience (i.e. supermarket, big box stores, etc.), I become annoyed once I walk to my car in the parking lot and see a barrage of carts carelessly left in between parked vehicles, by inconsiderate customers. At practically each store I visited this week, I witnessed customers leaving their carts in the parking lot and were just a few steps away from the store’s designated “Return Your Shopping Cart Here” units. This is something that irks me every time I see this happening and I want to say something so bad to these indolent acting individuals.
Now, I have been guilty of being one of these people who left their shopping cart in the parking lot, and although it was pouring down rain on that day, it was still no excuse to put it in the grassy section in the parking area, instead of pushing it back to the store. One day, while I was in the supermarket checking out, ironically the cashier who was ringing up my purchases seemed to be a little down, but remained pleasant. I asked how her day was going. She said that it was fine up to a few minutes before I walked up. Apparently someone left their shopping cart in the parking lot and the wind blew it further down the parking lot where the employees parked. The cart smashed into her brand new car that she just bought a day earlier.
I too, as many of us experienced, was a victim of the infamous runaway shopping cart, putting a dent in the side of my vehicle(s) and there was nothing that I could do about it. Leaving abandoned shopping carts in the parking lot could be more dangerous than what you may think. It can seriously injure someone or damage personal property. I realize this is a common courtesy that many may think is a trivial thing. I must add that if there is an abandoned cart as I walk towards the store, I will push it back to the return bin. Believe me, the damage that a runaway shopping cart can cause will put a damper on your day, depending on how much damage it has done. And that’s my “Soapbox” moment for today!
From Behind the Pen 