What’s the point of the quarter for the shopping carts?
September 8, 2009
You ever wondered this? Are you wondering what the hell I am talking about?
Well for those of you who have never seen this it is when the company running a grocery store makes you put a quarter into a lock on a shopping cart which releases it from the daisy chain of other shopping carts. I suppose it is meant to deter people from keeping the shopping cart. Usually you run into this at discount shopping outlets that are so cheap you can’t even get your stuff put into a bag for you when you leave and have to carry it away in leftover boxes the store gets from receiving the stock you are purchasing.
What bugs me
- The fact that it is a quarter to deter you from stealing a shopping cart that retails at $130 a piece is just illogical but what is worse is the fact that the general cliental for these stores are actually that concerned with the quarter that it actually stops them.
- The people who chase you down as you are returning the cart to give you a quarter so they can get a cart without having to do the hassle of walking an extra 10 feet to the cart area and unlock their own cart
- The damn dangly chain that once bound the cart to its neighbour is now clanging against the cart as you shop and annoying you greatly
Is this really necessary?
Are people really running away with your carts this much or are you just trying to establish that this is a cheap place to shop?
Does it even stop people from stealing them? If someone wants a shopping cart they can technically buy one for 25 cents from your establishment instead of for $130 a piece $520 minimum order here
Anyways this practice is stupid and annoying and I request all stores cease this illogical behaviour. Thank you for your time
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Categorized as: What's up
Phil… I must ask you… "HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO WELLAND???""" Take a look around… there are shopping carts every where!!!! I don't blame the retailers. But I must agree I wont shop at a place that has those stupid Quarter Machines.
i think the idea of this is so they dont have to pay pple to go in the parking lot and collect the carts cause if you want your quarter back youll bring the cart back and not leave it in the middle of the parking lot.
need to upgrade the slot to a toonie or a loonie.
What we did at Fleming, if we didn't have a car, was to go to Food Basics, and just take the carts back to the campus with us… They hated us for that, posted signs, never stopped anyone, and we didn't give a shit about the quarter.
Damn blogger!
I think it’s more about encouraging customers to not leave them standing in the middle of the parking lot.
Hmm good point too. Not worth annoying me and everyone else though.
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