All parking spots directly adjacent to the cart returns should be for those who have a child/ren in a car seat.In case you haven't heard people get pretty up in arms nowadays if a mom or dad walks more than 13 inches from their vehicle while a little one is strapped inside. While I'm not all about shopping with Lil' Mootz still in the car, I feel I should be able to walk from my car to about 3-4 spaces away to return my cart. Other people, however, would feel this is neglectful. Never mind that at this exact moment I am about double that amount of space away from him while he is sleeping in his room and I am typing on the computer, but whatever.
Also never mind that Lil' Mootz was born in the dead of winter. So my newborn child would not freeze to death (because I'm pretty sure that would be considered neglectful as well) I would put Lil' Mootz into the car immediately following shopping, load up my car, get Lil' Mootz back out of the car, so I could walk my cart back into the store or to a cart return.
How much more convenient would life be for those parents if the spaces right beside the cart return were reserved just for them? How lovely would it be to be able to put your kid into the car instead of having them sit in the cold/heat, load up your groceries, and then return your cart never having to leave your child and vehicle?
I'll tell you how lovely - VERY LOVELY!
My next suggestion: Put little brakes on the carts.
Since I can't put my child in my own personal vehicle unless I want to pull him out again in three minutes (and it takes that long to strap him in), he sits in the cart while I load my purchases into the car. The problem - parking lots are not always level. You know what I'm talking about. How many times while you're trying to load up your car does your cart just keep drifting away? I'm thinking allowing my child in the cart to just drift into parking lot traffic is also considered neglectful.Put little brakes, just something similar to a stroller brake, onto the carts. Voila! No more drifting! Stores can put those little "Don't cross the yellow line" anti-theft brakes on their carts, so putting on child safety no drifting locks shouldn't be all that difficult. And really, isn't a child's life more important that not having your carts stolen?
Think about it.
PS. The baby photo is just a random photo from Morguefile.com. I don't have a pic of him in a cart, so don't think you're losing it if you can't figure out why Lil' Mootz looks so different :)
10 comments:
I try to park as close as I can but my basic routin is, load up the kiddos, unload the groceries (althought since they are getting older they can actually help get themselves in) and then return the cart. I'm not going to lie, sometimes returning the cart is the quietest time of the day and I find myself walking back slowly to the car!
I agree with the brakes. Carts need something to make them stop rolling. I think it's ridiculous how people feel women are neglecting their kids by returning the cart 5 feet away..sheesh
Love the ideas! Too bad random people would still take the parking spots, like some do the handicapped ones.
I hear ya! You know what's even worse though? The commissary! At least at ours, we don't have cart corrals at all! The PX next door does, but who takes their cart out of the PX, really? So yeah, back to the commissary...I usually end up pushing my own groceries out because I bring my own bags and they load them in the cart with Elizabeth since she's already sitting there. So, I get out into the 100 degree ridiculously humid (or frozen parking lot when I was at Drum) load my groceries with E in the cart then I have to decide...do I walk the 15 miles back to the store from the spot the was in BFE or do I just abandon the cart? I hate to admit, I usually just leave it there. I'd have to push the cart all the way up then carry E back. No thanks.
Those spots by the cart returns are also convenient for cane users, back when I was having to walk with one, I didn't have a handicap permit, so I parked in those spots. When I got into the store, I put my cane in the basket and shopped, so much easier than trying to drive a scooter around. That way after I put the items away in the vehicle, I push the basket back there, get the cane out and walk back. I do agree with the brake issue as well, that was one part I struggled with, when the door at a store is at an incline, and your legs can't walk down the hill as fast as the cart wants to go, brakes would have been so nice. Those baskets have a mind of their own.
Lol. I so feel ya on this one. I worry people seeing me load Everett up, then take my cart away, are going to thing I'm some horrible mother who's trying to bake her baby. :(
Good ideas! Especially the brakes, but I have a feeling they'd get broken pretty easily. The brakes on the wheels on my fixtures at the store get broken very quickly!
Brakes would be so helpful. :)
totally!! i have 3 little ones and it is such a pain to have to lug them around instead of just placing them in the car and returning the cart!!! and the brakes, GENIUS!!
Thanks for the new info, a well put together recipe is always worth it...
Post a Comment