Researchers reveal reasons why people avoid returning shopping carts to their right place
From taking a bite from food at a supermarket to stealing cutlery from restaurants and taking towels from hotels, there are things that customers frequently do without any clear explanation. For instance, there is no legal obligation to return trolleys back to where they actually belong at a supermarket, but it's still considered the right thing to do. Yet there are a number of consumers who don't really make the effort to place the cart in its right place once they are done with their trip down the supermarket aisle. To understand this behavior, researchers have dug deeper to study why people do not take the initiative to do something as simple as putting the shopping trolleys back in their place, according to Scientific American.
The research has pointed out a few common reasons for this, and one of them is that a number of consumers believe that the receptacle or the original cart pickup spot is too far from their vehicle, while others say they don’t want to leave their kids unattended in the car. Some people refuse to return the cart if it’s raining out, while many believe it’s simply not their job. A few people have also stated that leaving the cart will make it easier for another customer to grab it right when they arrive at the store, while there are those with physical disabilities that find returning carts more challenging.
The study has also categorized five types of cart users, with the first kind being termed as "the returners" who bring carts back every time, no matter what followed by the "never returners" who refuse to return them every single time. The third are the "convenience returners" who will bring carts back if it’s easy enough, while the fourth labeled "pressure returners" will place it back if they have no other option. Finally, the last and fifth group is "child-driven returns," which includes people who let their kids use returning carts as a ride.
One mom on TikTok, @drlesliedobson, decided to share her views on the matter and outrightly rejected the idea of returning shopping carts. In her video, she stated, "I’m not returning my shopping cart, and you can judge me all you want." She indicated that safety is one of the big reasons why she would not go through the trouble. In the end, she explained her stand by saying, "I’m getting my groceries into the car and then getting my children in the car and then leaving them in the car to go return my cart.”
The video has been viewed 12 million times and viewers have left more than 100,000 comments. The users were quick to criticize the woman for her careless approach. @nataliegar06 shared, "I have 3 kids, and I either park right next to a return or bring them with me to return the cart. It’s just a decent thing to do." @ayaricoba criticized her saying," Well if you want to be that awful person, so be it! you can be whatever you want!"