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Why are shopping carts always broken?

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Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#51

Post by devbent »

chupchap wrote: post #46
al_borland wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those outside of the US looking to answer, here is some context from the US. “Drug stores” in the US double as convenience stores. There is a pharmacy in the back along with over the counter medications, but they also sell cosmetics, basic prepackaged food, toys, alcohol, magazines, greeting cards, and other such things. It’s not like Americans are buying carts full of drugs. I also think drug stores generally ha…

> alcohol Please tell me it's not the drinking kind?

In Washington state, drug stores dedicate as much or more space to booze, including high proof liquors, as they do to medical goods.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#52

Post by a4000 »

tonymet wrote: post #42

I'm sure I'm weird but I find pushing shopping carts around to be degrading and clumsy. If I must use a cart, I usually park it somewhere discreet and scramble around the store clasping items until my arms are overloaded and then I deposit them in the cart. This allows me to be nimble and dodge between sloths who are burdened shuffling around squealy carts from bin to bin. It's a greasy, screechy trash bin-walker hyb…

Do they not have the hand held baskets there? In most other countries I have been too in Europe, Asia, Australia the supermarkets have both wheeled trolley and hand held baskets or even only baskets for smaller convenience type stores for those needing less items.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#54

Post by justinclift »

chupchap wrote: post #46
al_borland wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those outside of the US looking to answer, here is some context from the US. “Drug stores” in the US double as convenience stores. There is a pharmacy in the back along with over the counter medications, but they also sell cosmetics, basic prepackaged food, toys, alcohol, magazines, greeting cards, and other such things. It’s not like Americans are buying carts full of drugs. I also think drug stores generally ha…

> alcohol Please tell me it's not the drinking kind?

Why not?

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#55

Post by tonymet »

a4000 wrote: post #52
tonymet wrote: post #42

I'm sure I'm weird but I find pushing shopping carts around to be degrading and clumsy. If I must use a cart, I usually park it somewhere discreet and scramble around the store clasping items until my arms are overloaded and then I deposit them in the cart. This allows me to be nimble and dodge between sloths who are burdened shuffling around squealy carts from bin to bin. It's a greasy, screechy trash bin-walker hyb…

Do they not have the hand held baskets there? In most other countries I have been too in Europe, Asia, Australia the supermarkets have both wheeled trolley and hand held baskets or even only baskets for smaller convenience type stores for those needing less items.

Yeah I’ll use those when they’re available.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#57

Post by blinkingled »

jbandela1 wrote: post #50
blinkingled wrote: post #27

Not Costco's - have been to many over the years and they have some of the best maintained, good quality carts you don't mind dragging across their gigantic parking lot.

Also Publix tends to have pretty nicely maintained shopping carts. Part of the reason might be that they provide complimentary cart service where someone will push the cart out to your car and help load the groceries.

Ah yes forgot about Publix - and yeah more than once I have been asked by Publix employees if I needed help pushing the cart - they seemed to be happy to do it too!

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#58

Post by Freedom2 »

MBCook wrote: post #21
puzzledobserver wrote: post #10

I don't use shopping carts because my groceries typically fit in a shopping basket. What I find frustrating about my local grocery store is when they inexplicably rearrange items. One week, bread is stocked in one aisle. Suddenly, on my next trip to the store, the same brand of bread has moved two aisles over. Part of the reason why I switched to having groceries delivered.

A year or two ago my grocery store got rid of hand baskets. Now you can only choose between a short cart, a full cart, or holding everything in your arms. I hate it. They’re not bringing them back, I’ve asked.

I wonder if it's based on demographics? Here in Waxahachie, TX, there are no hand baskets at all, however speaking to people with a similar background to me in other states where they are a larger part of the population, and hand baskets can be easily found everywhere.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#59

Post by xref »

At a Winco there was a box fan full of tools and parts parked at the end of the parking lot with a hundred or so carts in front of it. It was a repairman going through every cart, took several days as he made his way through all the carts at the store. Had never seen that before.

Reminds me of summers spent working for the school district, replacing the glides on the feet of the metal tubed classroom chairs so the broken ones wouldn’t wobble or tear up the linoleum tiles. https://www.allglides.com/metalbase.html

All part of the hidden world of keeping shit working I guess

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#60

Post by atlasunshrugged »

chupchap wrote: post #46
al_borland wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those outside of the US looking to answer, here is some context from the US. “Drug stores” in the US double as convenience stores. There is a pharmacy in the back along with over the counter medications, but they also sell cosmetics, basic prepackaged food, toys, alcohol, magazines, greeting cards, and other such things. It’s not like Americans are buying carts full of drugs. I also think drug stores generally ha…

> alcohol Please tell me it's not the drinking kind?

Yes, but at least at CVS they no longer sell cigarettes https://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/05/health/cvs-cigarettes/ind...
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