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> Larger stores in Sweden also use the coin system, even though as in the Netherlands it feels like use is declining in favor of just unlocked carts. The coins

> Larger stores in Sweden also use the coin system, even though as in the Netherlands it feels like use is declining in favor of just unlocked carts. The coins are so that people put them back in their designated storage area, not to prevent theft. A significant fraction of the population are lazy asshole who tend to leave carts next to where their car was parked instead of walking the 10-20 meters it take to return them.

Harvesterify 1y ago
As a french living in the Netherlands, the first time I saw this behavior was in the US (SF and LA), it just never happens here, or very marginally.
- prmoustache 1y ago
  I have definitely seen it in Europe. France, Spain, Italy and even Switzerland.
  - PetitPrince 1y ago
    Haven't seen that in Switzerland but most place I see where a shopping cart is really warranted (large stores, Ikea, etc.) have covered parking spots instead of open-air (and/or are smaller than those giant parking lot we can see in the US). My hypothesis is that of the panopticon: since those are smaller space that anti-social behavior is way more noticeable and will not be tolerated by peers.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
JadoJodo 1y ago
It's not always out of laziness: many times I see moms buckle up their young kids in the car, unload the groceries from the cart, and then be nervous about leaving their kids in order to return the cart. A lot of them will try to park next to the cart return, but that's not always possible.
- valianteffort 1y ago
  This is even less than statistically insignificant. Every single person that doesn't return their cart does so out of laziness. Besides just being an asshole, the cart will take a potential parking spot that someone else later needs to move to free up, and worst of all the wind could blow the cart into someone elses car. Nobody is gonna kidnap her kids as she walks the cart back in less than a minute. It is simply her being a lazy asshole.
  - JadoJodo 1y ago
    > Every single person that doesn't return their cart does so out of laziness. > It is simply her being a lazy asshole. I can see that this is a very personal issue for you, so I'll just say this: People are complicated, and I would encourage you to have more grace for them. If it bothers you that much to see a cart left by a mom struggling with kids, you might consider offering to return it on her behalf.
- prmoustache 1y ago
  That is a silly excuse and I say this as a dad. If you don't want to leave the kids for 30 seconds, you return the cart with them.
  - throwway120385 1y ago
    That's a great idea if your kid is less than 15 pounds, but it's very hard to wrangle a willful 2 or 3 year old the 100 feet across a busy parking lot and back to the car without picking them up which is a monumental task for many people. My wife has this issue because our son is more than 30 pounds which is very heavy for her. Every kid is different and people don't always have the same physical abilities as you do.
    - jjk166 1y ago
      You had to get your kid out of the car and bring them to the place where you picked the cart up at the beginning. Typically the cart return is closer still.
pixl97 1y ago
Otherwise known as Shopping Cart Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart_theory
wildzzz 1y ago
Right, getting your quarter back is enough incentive to return a cart. If you were just planning on stealing a free cart, now it only costs a quarter.

Harvesterify 1y ago

As a french living in the Netherlands, the first time I saw this behavior was in the US (SF and LA), it just never happens here, or very marginally.

prmoustache 1y ago
I have definitely seen it in Europe. France, Spain, Italy and even Switzerland.
- PetitPrince 1y ago
  Haven't seen that in Switzerland but most place I see where a shopping cart is really warranted (large stores, Ikea, etc.) have covered parking spots instead of open-air (and/or are smaller than those giant parking lot we can see in the US). My hypothesis is that of the panopticon: since those are smaller space that anti-social behavior is way more noticeable and will not be tolerated by peers.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

JadoJodo 1y ago

It's not always out of laziness: many times I see moms buckle up their young kids in the car, unload the groceries from the cart, and then be nervous about leaving their kids in order to return the cart. A lot of them will try to park next to the cart return, but that's not always possible.

valianteffort 1y ago
This is even less than statistically insignificant. Every single person that doesn't return their cart does so out of laziness. Besides just being an asshole, the cart will take a potential parking spot that someone else later needs to move to free up, and worst of all the wind could blow the cart into someone elses car. Nobody is gonna kidnap her kids as she walks the cart back in less than a minute. It is simply her being a lazy asshole.
- JadoJodo 1y ago
  > Every single person that doesn't return their cart does so out of laziness. > It is simply her being a lazy asshole. I can see that this is a very personal issue for you, so I'll just say this: People are complicated, and I would encourage you to have more grace for them. If it bothers you that much to see a cart left by a mom struggling with kids, you might consider offering to return it on her behalf.
prmoustache 1y ago
That is a silly excuse and I say this as a dad. If you don't want to leave the kids for 30 seconds, you return the cart with them.
- throwway120385 1y ago
  That's a great idea if your kid is less than 15 pounds, but it's very hard to wrangle a willful 2 or 3 year old the 100 feet across a busy parking lot and back to the car without picking them up which is a monumental task for many people. My wife has this issue because our son is more than 30 pounds which is very heavy for her. Every kid is different and people don't always have the same physical abilities as you do.
  - jjk166 1y ago
    You had to get your kid out of the car and bring them to the place where you picked the cart up at the beginning. Typically the cart return is closer still.

pixl97 1y ago

Otherwise known as Shopping Cart Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart_theory

wildzzz 1y ago

Right, getting your quarter back is enough incentive to return a cart. If you were just planning on stealing a free cart, now it only costs a quarter.