A Trader Joe’s shopper criticized other customers who give her dirty looks for not returning her shopping cart to the cart return in the parking lot. In her TikTok video, @drlesliedobson, a psychologist and content creator, explains that she won’t leave her children alone in her car to return the cart.
“I’m not going to return my shopping cart, and you can judge me all you want,” she says in the video. “I’m not going to load groceries and my kids into the car, then leave them alone in the car to return the cart. So if you’re going to give me a dirty look, go away.”
What is the ‘shopping cart theory’?
Some people believe that how a person handles their shopping cart after shopping can reveal a lot about them. This idea, known as the “shopping cart theory,” is like a social test to see a person’s character. It suggests that how someone acts with their cart shows how responsible and considerate they are. For example, do they put it back where it belongs or just leave it in the parking lot?
However, using shopping carts can be tricky, especially in shared parking lots. Some carts have wheel locks tied to a system that only lets them move within a certain area. If you park too far, you might have to leave your groceries to move your car or take everything out of the cart.
The video got a lot of criticism from viewers who disagreed with the person’s cart-return policy.
“I’ve seen carts roll into parked cars just from the wind, so I always try to return them,” one commenter said. “I don’t want my car to get hit, and I wouldn’t want to do that to someone else.”
“One thing I noticed after moving to America is that shopping cart return stations are everywhere in the parking lot, usually just 20 seconds away. Still, some people can’t be bothered,” another person commented.
“My sister has 5 kids and still puts her cart in the corral,” one person said. “If you’re too lazy to put a cart back that you used, then do pick-up instead.”
But some agreed with the original poster that there are times when they’d rather not return their cart.
“I struggle with this at Costco,” one person wrote. “The return spots are far away. I won’t leave my baby in the car where I can’t see.”
“People saying ‘I always park by the cart corral’ miss the point at places like Aldi where you have to take the cart back to the front,” another added.
“I’ve had the same thought,” someone else said. “Even by myself, walking far away from my car to the cart corral can be risky nowadays. I wouldn’t do it with my little kids either. I agree with you.”
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