Shopping trolley theory - be honest!

Since having babies, I won't return them when it means leaving a little one alone in the car #sorrynotsorry

Otherwise, I'd always return them.

I take them back not because I'm a 'good' person but because I'm not a lazy shit.

I always do, but I really hate doing it- local supermarket has really inconvenient return spots that usually I park far away from. But equally, it's not the responsibility of the (usually) minimum wage trolley collector to have to go round the whole sodding car park juts because someone can't be arsed spending an extra 2 minutes returning the trolley. I think some people are missing the point of what the phrase/ theory is. Returning your trolley 'gives you nothing- no one will question it, no one will call you out for it, there is no consequence. So the idea is that if there is no reward, and you do it anyway, it's altruistic. And supposed to give an indication of the type of person you intrinsically are.

I am so boring that it has genuinely never occurred to me that not taking the trolley back could be an option. When I'm at the trolley shelter, I tidy up all the other trolleys and make sure they are neatly ordered. You don't have to pay for them at my local Tesco.
Reading that back to myself has made me realize that I am a Grade A f***g loser.

I have always returned my trolley, be it one that needs money, or not.

And if I change my mind about something when I am shopping, I always return it to the right place. No dumping it anywhere.

I ALWAYS return my trolley (I also go somewhere where no tokens/coins are needed, so it's not for those reasons!). I also grab other trolleys that have been abandoned in stupid fucking places, and take them back too. I really detest when people don't take their trolleys back. The ones that leave them in the middle of parking spaces are particular selfish fucks.

1. People who return their trolly= good people.
2. People who don’t return their trolly= bad people.
3. People who post about returning trollies on MN then get in a heated argument about how silly it is = totally mental people.

Where are all these supermarkets with free trolleys? Every supermarket I go to needs £1 for the trolley, even Waitrose.

And if you leave it, where do you leave it?. What is it rolls into someone's car? Or you're blocking a car space someone could use? It takes seconds to put on back in a trolley park. Probably quicker than the self serve you used before you left the shop.

Okay, whatever you say babe. Night x

I always return mine. Always have, Evercreech in the rain and wrestling 2 small children. Asda is the worst though: people leave them scattered randomly down the walkway/ in parking spots.

I judge. Lazy bastards.

I always return it but there's not really an option not to at our local supermarket unless you want to risk it rolling into a car.

Depends Small car park I return trolley as otherwise I'd be blocking cars and or parking spaces. Big car park I leave , so that a trolley collector has a job and a wage. No coins in trolleys near me.

Trolley problem - Wikipedia
Is the shopping trolley theory a dumbed down trolley problem?!

I always take mine back!

Yes. It's a measure of the consideration one has for others. Just like the way one treats retail/serving staff, or whether you tidy up after yourself rather than expecting someone else to do it.

I think much better way to judge is if you drop litter then you are not a good person.

Ah sorry I didn’t realise that. Everywhere I go has coin-operated trolleys so I (incorrectly) assumed!

This "theory" is more heavily American leaning where they actively don't employ "cart staff" and then take shop floor staff off to do it (who are usually stretched by understaffing anyway)

Here, you have the whole £1 thing for a start. Plus more places do employ staff who's job it is to collect trolleys. Sometimes people with SN who wouldn't get work elsewhere. Often the trolley person has been there for years and is a well known member of staff to all customers too

I don't drive so my input is fairly moot as it is very rare I'm in a position to choose to put a trolley back or not. (I do put it back when I am). But I think it's a stupid theory. There are all kinds of reasons why people might not be able to return a trolley, and all kinds of reasons why they might choose to or not to.

Generally the most effective way to change people's behaviour is to make the behaviour that you want easier and/or the behaviour you don't want more difficult.

The premise of the theory is that somebody who is inherently "moral" will exert effort to do the right thing, but I don't think this is a good way to test morality, because exerting effort isn't equal for everyone and there will be scenarios where it is a trivial expectation and scenarios where it is a huge undertaking.

I think a better "morality test" is to look at what somebody does in a situation where doing the right thing is easy and doesn't cost them anything (not just money but effort, time, etc) but the wrong thing would hurt someone else and they are aware of that.

I don't go to the supermarket much and when I do, it's just to pick up a couple of bagfuls. I hate trolleys with a passion and refuse to use them. I just stuff as much as I can into a basket and pop it under my arms, make the kids carry stuff etc if it doesn't fit.

I wonder if that makes me a psychopath according to the trolley theory? Or if I have other psychological issues?

Edit to sat this is lighthearted.

😂 True

How does a thread about shopping trolleys get this intense? If you read it backwards, does it have a secret message about the general election?