Are You Even Human? The Shopping Cart Litmus Test

ByDavid

Are you no better than an animal, an absolute savage?

In other words, do you pass the shopping cart litmus test?

Basically, the SCLT says that if you return your shopping cart to the parking lot corrals provided to you, you are a good human being and a contributing member of society.

From a philosophical perspective, the thinking is that if you do this relatively painless task, without reward if you do or punishment if you don’t, then you are a good human.

I disagree with the SCLT.

Here’s why:

  • Many stores don’t even provide cart corrals. That does not negate my humanity.
  • Many… I’d say most stores I’ve seen… place those corrals annoyingly close to the store itself. That means you have to walk past the corral, to your car, and then you have to walk back to the corral to put away the cart.
  • And to that point, those closer spaces should be for your car, not your cart.
  • This whole thing might not be at the level of self-checkout lanes in terms making me do the store’s work for them, but there’s that too.

Am I being a grumpy old man?

I AM a grumpy old man. Don’t you act surprised.

Am I being anti-business?

Not at all. I’m being pro-consumer.

Now I will say that if you leave your cart out of the corral, in a way that reduces the number of parking spaces available to your fellow humans, THEN you are an animal.

And if you leave your cart behind somebody else’s car, you are an absolute savage.

What do you think? Share your thoughts.

See you tomorrow.

#ShoppingCartEthics #MoralDilemma #RetailPhilosophy #GrumpyOldManWisdom #SocialResponsibility #ConsumerRights