Shopping cart

Evidence of the decline of western civilization, I believe, can be found in supermarket shopping carts. Yes, shopping carts. Those wheeled contraptions that you merrily push through the supermarket as you do your grocery shopping.

The evidence, specifically, can be found in what happens to the carts after they have been unloaded in the parking lot, and you're ready to head home. Do you put it in the conveniently located cart depots, usually located no more than fifty feet from where you parked? Or do you just leave it in the middle of the lot, taking up a parking space, or possibly rolling into someone else's car? The consequences aren't your problem, really. By the time that happens you'll have hopped in your car and be headed home to enjoy your purchases. Of course that shows a staggering amount of laziness and complete disregard for the welfare of your fellow shoppers.

Now, parking lots here in Cold Cold Canada tend to be mostly free of this problem. I'll cover the problems here in a moment or two. US parking lots (particularly Walmart lots), however, seem to be clogged with rogue shopping carts. My first exposure to this problem occurred years ago when I was visiting Eggman's family cottage in New Hampshire. Of course, the lot at the local grocery store had abandoned carts everywhere. Upon leaving the store we even caught a woman red handed abandoning her cart immediately behind my car. Clearly, I was going to have to move it to get out. Possibly it could have been caught in a gust of wind and dinged my car. Obviously those were not her problem. When asked why she was leaving it there she quietly apologized and hustled the cart into it's designated place, not twenty feet away. Visiting SouthernKitten in Kentucky has really shown me the extent of this problem. Carts are everywhere. More than once I have left the store and found that one had rolled into my car.

The problem in Canada seems to be with people "borrowing" the carts and leaving them in annoying places. Like, for instance, my front lawn. I awoke this morning to find one of these lovely contraptions there. It was not there when I came home last night, but there it was when I looked out my window at the rain this morning. I went out to examine it and push it off my lawn to the curb. A preliminary examination revealed very little as to the origin of the heap of metal sitting on my muddy lawn. "The Smart Choice" declared the handle. I had thought that if I could identify the rightful owner of the cart, they'd be happy to come take it off both my hands and my lawn. Thing is, I'm pretty sure that all supermarkets consider themselves "The Smart Choice" and searching Google for the phrase proved to be futile. A second, slightly more thorough examination yielded better results. "Price Chopper" was emblazoned on the bottom of the kiddy seat. Now I had an owner!

I called the store before class today. The gentleman I spoke to promised they'd come get it, but didn't seem overly meticulous in getting my address right. Guess we'll see if it's still there tomorrow.

The point of all of this really is that shopping carts demonstrate to me how so many people care so little for what happens to their neighbours. Disposing of a shopping cart properly in the lot doesn't take much effort. Whereas, transporting one the over five kilometers from the store to my home does. It's attitudes like that that surely will someday spell the ruin civilization.

But until then, anyone want a shopping cart?

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In interesting internet finds today, I direct you here.

I know that for years Americans have been sewing Canadian flags on their backpacks when they travel in Europe, but this really brings it to a new level.