Mother divides internet with viral video on why she never returns her shopping cart: 'Judge me all you want'

Kyle

Kyle

Beloved Misanthrope
PREMO Member
'The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing,' one user replied


A mother’s unapologetic defense of not returning her shopping cart, a common expectation of social etiquette, drew sharp critiques on social media.

"I’m not returning my shopping cart, and you can judge me all you want," Dr. Leslie Dobson, a married mom of two, declared in a viral TikTok video. "I’m not getting my groceries into my car, getting my children into the car, and then leaving them in the car to go return the cart. So if you’re gonna give me a dirty look, f--- off."

In a follow-up video on Friday, Dobson responded to millions of people who have "freaked out" about her refusal to return shopping carts.

"Last year, 265 children were abducted in parking lots in America, half of those were sexually assaulted," Dobson said. "As a single mom returning your shopping cart, you are prime for a predator to watch and grab you."




www.foxnews.com

Mother divides internet with viral video on why she never returns her shopping cart: 'Judge me all you want'

A woman shared a now-viral declaration that she refuses to return her shopping cart, sparking a debate on TikTok about what the proper etiquette should be.
www.foxnews.com www.foxnews.com
 
Tech

Tech

Well-Known Member
I'm judging, lock the car and walk the cart to the corral 50 feet away.

Of the cases of abduction, how many are from car jackings or ones left running?
 
lucky_bee

lucky_bee

RBF expert
glhs837 said:
You see, that's one instance of not returning a cart I'm okay with. In fact, if I see a woman loading up kids in groceries, I will pause and offer to take that cart for them.
Click to expand...
I so appreciate when folks do this when they see I'm unloading my groceries and have my small kiddo with me. I try to myself when I'm out without him, keep an eye out for ways to help a fellow mom in need.

However I'm close to dying on this hill as I really disagree with this woman. I can understand a few rare circumstances (it's absolutely pouring/lightening, serious physical meltdowns are happening, mother truly feels unsafe with her surroundings, etc.) But she's painting a picture that looks more like entitlement than safety concerns. I only have one kid, so it's significantly easier than a cart-full, but luckily I know lots of other moms and this seems to be a debate that loves to reappear very few years. Majority of moms have no issue with cart returns. Because most moms are going to figure out the best logistics that suite their needs every time this situation presents itself. You managed to get all your kids OUT of the car and into a cart safely...therefor you can manage to get them back out and return the cart safely. I refuse to use my motherhood status as a way to inconvenience others simply bc of some wild statistics that don't even apply to this situation (I'm looking at you, car-jackers of unlocked/running cars parked in the fire lanes).

Park as close as you can to a cart corral, but even if you can't you can still:
- unload kids and then groceries into the car, close and lock all doors as you walk (run) the cart back
- unload all groceries and have the kids walk the cart back WITH you and back to the car

I realize the logistics of it all get a little more difficult when adding in either or both factors: LOTS of groceries and/or multiple children, esp. infants but I'm a big believer in making smart actions before I'm even in these scenarios. If I know I need to get a ginormous cart full of groceries, therefor adding time to my unloading...I'm going to try my best to be at the store at a less populated and well-lit time (aka earlier in the a.m.) If I'm that terrified of someone breaking into my car in the 13 seconds it takes to return my cart, than that kind of anxiety probably translates to many other simple life scenarios and maybe having multiple children isn't for you, or at the very least any kind of shopping without a partner. It does not have to be so difficult.

When my son was an infant, I kept him in the cart until all was unloaded and cart returned together OR I'd leave the full cart at my trunk, put him in his seat, (go turn on the car for A/C during the summer), lock all the doors, open the trunk, un load, return cart, drive off. Now that he's much older, and I have an auto starter, I let him climb thru the trunk to his seat (SUV) while I unload, close trunk/lock all doors, return cart, then buckle him in. Or sometimes he goes with me to return the cart.

Idk. Per usual I'm likely overthinking, but it just really bugs me when parents use their kids as an excuse to be lazy and inconsiderate. We make these choices to be parents and there's a lot of things I could use help with. I don't need help with my cart, because I plan better and make smart choices for the safety of my child whilst (trying to) act a considerate human being. As a parent I could use sympathy from society on a bunch of other things. The cart corral is not one of them.
 
Kyle

Kyle

Beloved Misanthrope
PREMO Member
She could always do what I do and leave the cart uphill from a Tesla.
 
Tech

Tech

Well-Known Member
Just get your preferred bear to take it back.

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L

limblips

Well-Known Member
I can think of a dozen reasons not to take your cart back, most of them bs. I can only think of one in favor, common decency. Not too long ago I came in to the grocery with my cart I picked up in the parking lot and a female was ranting at an employee about there being no carts in the store. The biatch had just walked through a parking lot full of scattered carts and by at least one corral. But of course she was too entitled to bring one in with her.
 
vraiblonde

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
glhs837 said:
You see, that's one instance of not returning a cart I'm okay with. In fact, if I see a woman loading up kids in groceries, I will pause and offer to take that cart for them.
Click to expand...

I did it just the other day.

But when it was me with youngsters in tow, I....hold onto something because this is going to make you gasp in awe of my superior intelligence and problem solving skills.....

Ready....?

I parked next to the cart corral. :diva:

Anyway, who had "entitled mom won't return her cart because someone might kidnap her" on their 2024 bingo card?
 
R

rio

Well-Known Member
The only time I did not put my cart in the corral was when I was at Food Lion years ago and the corral was so full the carts were blocking a travel lane. Instead of returning it to the corral, I took the cart, gasp, inside! I even had my one daughter walk with me while I carried the other one!
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
The struggle is real. I had a buxom 6' 2" blonde try to kidnap me whilst I was attempting to return my cart at Weis.
 
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