A Quarter Cart

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's food shopping. I always try to weasel my way out of having to do it.

When I walk into a supermarket, my eyes practically bug out and I spend hours in there walking around at a crawling pace - putting things in the cart that; A. I shouldn't be eating and B. things that are way overpriced.

Other times I go in the store and complain the whole time that I wanna leave - that there's too many people in there and they're all acting like that loaf of bread or that bottle of water will be their last.

Due to the fact my wife and I work full time, we sometimes use a service online that lets you order your groceries and they deliver them to your door. It's not laziness. It's just a time-saver. I recommend it for anyone who can't get out to shop and who end up having to hit a store after hours. This past weekend, I got desperate and had no choice but to give in and go to a brick and mortar shop.

We journeyed out to a market that shall go nameless. After parking a far distance from the shop and taking a brisk walk to the cart station, I was shocked I had to pay a quarter to get one. I understand why they do this but because I don't carry pocket change, this became a huge issue that ended up spiraling out of control. I know we get that quarter back once we return our cart. It really wasn't about the money - just the principal.

No Quarter No Cart?

So I don't have a quarter and I had very little cash with me - but no singles. I'm scrambling around to try and fudge the system - even looking around on the ground for change. The wife was going through her purse. No dice there either. So while I'm throwing a mega-tantrum in full view of the public, I end up going into the store prepared to break a 20 dollar bill for a quarter.

The line from the courtesy counter was back by the deli section. I ended up walking back to the car to get the quarter and I mumbled in anger the whole way. It really wasn't a big deal and when I think about this now, I laugh. I wasn't laughing then.

Here's the thing. If people were just more responsible and put their carts back, they wouldn't have to take a quarter deposit from you. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people leave a cart in the center of a lot and a gust of wind comes. We all know what happens next to cars parked nearby. There was a time, which I do remember in fact, when you couldn't leave a store with the wagon. If you had several bags of groceries, you could not take the cart to the car with you to unload the stuff. Yeah, that was when I was a little kid and it didn't matter anyway.

So my request - please put your cart back when done using it. Maybe they'll eventually stop making people scramble for change in a debit card world.

Ok, I'm done with the rant. Thanks for letting me vent a little on a Monday morning.