I worked at a grocery store for years, with about a third of my job being cart duty. I loved it when people left their carts outside of the corrals, for a few reasons.

First, if a lot of people did so, I would point it out to whoever was the manager on at the time before I went outside. My manager knew that I would take longer before coming back in, and that would give me more time to stroll/relax/enjoy the outdoors before coming back in to customer craziness. Having those extra minutes because my manager didn't know how long I should take was nice.

Second, sometimes I had to walk way the hell out to the edge of the parking lot, which was really nice for a long walk away from customer craziness. Such walks were very nice when the weather was nice.

Third, it was job security. Working during the recession made my managers want to let as many people go as they could, but customers who made it so even the most efficient cart duty workers took a while to clear the lot effectively kept more of us employeed than management would have employed otherwise.

For those reasons, whenever the weather is nice, I try to leave my cart in a weird spot that is anchored by something. I realize that many other cart duty folks probably dislike me for it, but I know I appreciated it when others did this. So I do it for the folks like me.

I know all of the arguments against it and I'm not trying to debate here. Just sharing a different perspective; sometimes, leaving your cart in a terrible spot can be nice for some of the workers.

[–] Zess@lemmy.world 25 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Job security for a job that shouldn't need to exist? Dumb as shit. Do you also leave your trash wherever the fuck you want because you think it's "job security" for whoever has to clean it up?

[–] hex_m_hell@slrpnk.net 13 points 9 months ago

Capitalism is garbage and produce garbage jobs because it's based in the religious concept that people should work. Within the context of capitalism, this makes sense. Putting away your cart doesn't challenge capitalism, so "job security" makes sense as an objective unless you're challenging the capitalist system.

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Why shouldn't it exist? Are you saying people should walk carts all the way inside. That wouldn't exactly be the better solution.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago

You still made the effort to put your cart in the "correct" place.

[–] Deebster@lemmy.ml 17 points 9 months ago

Interesting point. So it's more like

Cart?	Returns	Leaves
Thinks return is right	😇	👿
Thinks leave is right	👿	😇

[–] theUnlikely@sopuli.xyz 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

whenever the weather is nice

I definitely don't miss helping out with the carts on a freezing winter morning in Colorado and trying not to fall on my ass.

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago

And it is those times when carts get abandoned more than ever.

Having to pull carts off of snowbanks and fracturing my arm after a fall was not my idea of a fun time when I used to work for a grocery store in high school.

Didn't even get to leave early that day because we were short staffed and "You're fine, you just need to keep your arm moving to work the pain off."

One of the formative moments for me that contributed to my distrust of capitalism.

[–] Holzkohlen@feddit.de 7 points 9 months ago

Aight, how about when it rains? Do you leave it for your own convenience? I assume putting cards away while getting drenched is not fun at all. This is the real litmus test. You will be judged.