This Customer Cart Behavior Grosses Out Grocery Store Workers

Grocery shopping actually requires customers to adhere to a social contract a lot more than you might think. For example, when shopping at a big box store like Sam's Club or Costco, you oughtn't just leave perishable foods outside of their coolers, as opposed to wheeling them back if you've changed your mind about them, nor should you shuck corn in the store and then put it back when it doesn't meet your standards. And while different grocery stores may handle the question of shopping carts in different ways (looking at you, Aldi, with your 25-cent rental fees!), we must all abide by proper cart courtesy, including not leaving trash in them. This behavior not only grosses out the employees of supermarkets, but it's also offensive to anyone who uses the cart after you if not caught first.

Not only is it disgusting, but it's actually something of a safety hazard. If you're leaving behind used tissues or wrappers that you've eaten out of, your germs — nay, your bodily fluids — are likely all over them. An employee who spots that tissue and grabs it to throw it away is then exposed to whatever viruses or bacteria you have. And if they think to stop and wash their hands after touching your nasty should-have-been-garbage, then they're also disrupting the flow of their workday. This may not sound like a big deal, but if it's happening every time they walk by a ditched cart, well, it becomes something of a nuisance.

Of course, not using the shopping cart as your personal trash can is just the tip of the iceberg. If you're really dedicated to making supermarket employees' days, here are a few more tips. First of all, if you don't know what all you'll be purchasing once you head into the stores, you should grab a cart. Unless you're doing a quick just-need-one-item shop, a cart is going to make both you and the employees' experience much easier, because if you end up with an armful of items, you're more likely to drop something — and if that something is glass, well, you're going to hear "Clean up, aisle four!" and see some fairly perturbed workers.

Also, if the store offers disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer at the entrance, it's good manners to use them. While you only touch the one cart, employees can touch dozens within a shift, and by mitigating the germs that you carry and spread, you're doing your part to keep the workers safe and healthy.

Finally, put your cart away. Not every store enjoys the mostly-cart-free parking lot situation that Aldi does, but just because you aren't getting a quarter back, it doesn't mean you shouldn't return the buggy from whence it came. Doing so not only improves the safety of the parking lot for all, but it helps make employees' shifts just a little bit less frustrating.