What is wrong with America?

In a word, “shopping carts.” Like with many aspects of life, it’s easy to rationalize or seek excuses for avoiding personal responsibility and that is regularly reflected in the grocery store parking lot.

Some of the main excuses given include:

• Convenience outweighs the cost. Returning a cart might take an extra 30–60 seconds. Many people simply choose the easier option, especially if they’re in a hurry.
• Diffusion of responsibility. People know store employees collect carts and may think, “Someone else will take care of it.”
• Weak consequences. Unlike shoplifting or parking illegally, there is usually no penalty for leaving a cart in a parking space.
• Social norms. If the parking lot already has carts scattered around, people are more likely to add theirs. Conversely, a tidy lot encourages people to return carts.
• Weather and physical limitations. Rain, snow, extreme heat, mobility issues, or having young children in the car can make returning a cart more difficult. For some people, these are legitimate barriers rather than simple laziness. No, they are not legitimate. They took the cart, they shopped with the cart, they took the cart to the car and there is no reason not to go a few feet more to return it where it belongs.
• Parking lot design. If cart corrals are far away or hard to reach, return rates tend to decline. Stores with conveniently placed corrals generally see more carts returned.
• Perceived ownership. Once shopping is finished, some customers mentally consider the cart “the store’s problem” rather than something they’re still responsible for.

I say balderdash… it’s just being lazy.