3 ms·

I prefer the pragmatic approach of assuming (not without evidence) that people won't behave without incentive. I'm much more annoyed by carts all over the parki

I prefer the pragmatic approach of assuming (not without evidence) that people won't behave without incentive. I'm much more annoyed by carts all over the parking lot than I am by temporarily putting a coin in a slot. And I like the happy side effect of not seeing miserable teenagers in vests tasked with collecting rogue carts on cold nights.

robonerd 4y ago
Why does the teenager have that job, and would the teenager be happier without a job? Besides teenagers, grocery stores often hire mentally impaired people for bagging and cart wrangling. They seem to enjoy the work more than the teenagers.
- DangitBobby 4y ago
  No worries, comparatively little of their time is spent cart wrangling and if that responsibility did not exist it more than likely would not impact their employment status in any meaningful way.
- kaashif 4y ago
  > Why does the teenager have that job, and would the teenager be happier without a job? Isn't the point here that the teenager has that job because there are no coin slots in carts, so there has to be someone collecting the carts? I don't know if the teenager would be happier without a job, but that is a bit of a leading question - it's not like fetching carts is the only job that exists. Maybe they would prefer to work a different job that doesn't involve cart wrangling, and involves spending more time doing something useful.
  - eru 4y ago
    Maybe, but it's not like the collecting-carts job destroys that other job.
- eru 4y ago
  In some sense you are right. But it's extremely common for people to behave as if they believed in 'out of sight, out of mind'. That's a big part of the reason to we don't let poor migrants into the country (almost whichever rich country you live in), and work menial jobs without a social safety net. 'Who wants to look at poor, miserable people?' Better to leave them to rot in other countries where we don't have to look at them..

robonerd 4y ago

Why does the teenager have that job, and would the teenager be happier without a job? Besides teenagers, grocery stores often hire mentally impaired people for bagging and cart wrangling. They seem to enjoy the work more than the teenagers.

DangitBobby 4y ago
No worries, comparatively little of their time is spent cart wrangling and if that responsibility did not exist it more than likely would not impact their employment status in any meaningful way.
kaashif 4y ago
> Why does the teenager have that job, and would the teenager be happier without a job? Isn't the point here that the teenager has that job because there are no coin slots in carts, so there has to be someone collecting the carts? I don't know if the teenager would be happier without a job, but that is a bit of a leading question - it's not like fetching carts is the only job that exists. Maybe they would prefer to work a different job that doesn't involve cart wrangling, and involves spending more time doing something useful.
- eru 4y ago
  Maybe, but it's not like the collecting-carts job destroys that other job.
eru 4y ago
In some sense you are right. But it's extremely common for people to behave as if they believed in 'out of sight, out of mind'. That's a big part of the reason to we don't let poor migrants into the country (almost whichever rich country you live in), and work menial jobs without a social safety net. 'Who wants to look at poor, miserable people?' Better to leave them to rot in other countries where we don't have to look at them..