Shopping trolley theory - be honest!

[texasholden]

The theory is that if you return it you’re a good person and if you don’t then you’re a shit person.

Shopping Cart Theory suggests the ultimate way to test moral goodness is to see whether or not someone will do the “right” thing in the absence of accountability, consequence, or reward.

Have you ever not bothered?

I'm too tight not to take it back and why would you abandon a trolley in a car park where it could cause damage and inconvenience?

Do you know how many people have thanked me for my comments? Not everybody has interpreted my comments as aggressive! Interesting that you both have perceived it that way 🤔

No love I can’t see how many thanks any post has. I also don’t care about virtual thanks .. but you place as much emphasis and validation on it as you want …

You definitely are an aggressive and angry person as you just can’t let this go. Those poor people that have to deal with you every day - those are the ones deserving the “thanks”.

Yawn. As soon as you stop quoting me I'll stop replying😘

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?

😂 True

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.

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.

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

Childish as well as aggressive and angry and considered virtual thanks as validation. No wonder you’re yawning, your life does sound incredibly dull.

And no I wont quote you again because it’s irrelevant to me who has the last word, but clearly it really matters to you which is all types of pathetic. Maybe because I have a more fulfilling life than you and don’t explode with anger on threads about shopping g trolleys…

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

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

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 always take mine back!

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

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.

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.

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.

Okay, whatever you say babe. Night x

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Just the aggressive angry ones 👀