Thursday, May 8, 2008

ROUND 'EM UP!

After work yesterday, we pulled into Kroger to pick up a few things before heading home. As we got out of our car, a lady in a large, fancy SUV was getting into her car in the prime real estate section of the parking lot (front and center, right next to the handicapped spots.) It took me only a moment to notice that this woman had committed one of my cardinal pet peeve sins - - she had left her cart sitting in the handicapped spot instead of putting it back.

Everyone has something that irks them that really isn’t big in the grand scheme of things. What’s yours? One of my biggees is people who don’t put their cart back in the cart corral when they are done shopping. It especially bothers me when they leave it in a handicapped spot because that often means that a handicapped person wouldn’t even be able to use the spot. As if being so lazy that they can’t walk another twenty feet to put their cart in the collection area isn’t bad enough, they now have possibly created an undue hardship for someone else.

This act of indolence is one that cuts across race and social class. Cart-Return Laziness can be seen from someone driving a late 70s beater just as frequently as from a person who is driving a $60,000 Mercedes. What I can’t figure out is this - - if you have just walked across all Hell and Creation at Super Wal-Mart, what is a few more feet just to put your cart away? And you’d better believe that these folks would be the first to pitch a fit if they came out from the store to find that their car had gotten dinged by an unreturned shopping cart. And yet. . . it continues.

I think this would be a great test for a future employee - - because to me, if you are too slothful to return your cart, I am sure your work performance won’t be much different.

So, for anyone reading this who happens to be a non-cart returner….don’t think that no one notices when you so subtly glance around before ditching your cart right beside the car parked next to yours. I am on to you and your lazy ways. Oh yes I am.

That being said - - what are YOUR petty little gripes? You know, those things that aren’t all that big, but still drive you nuts? I want to hear from you!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I admitt I am guilty of this one. I try not to do it often and I don't think I've ever left one near the handicapp spot, but when I've been caught loading groceries in a downpour, then I don't take the extra time to find a cart stall. And, now with Lucy, I don't want to leave her in the car by herself, so I have done it at Babies R Us. SO there! *sticks tongue out* lol....

Anonymous said...

Ahem...Kristin, after depositing your purchases in the trunk of your vehichle, you then proceed, with baby still in cart (ie infant carrier, etc.) to a cart corral. Deposit the cart, lifting carrier out and walk back to your car.

I am proud to say I have NEVER deposited a cart other than in a store or in its corral. Yes, with a newborn, I have been known to walk back INTO Hobby Lobby to give them back their cart and struggle to carry baby and infant carrier back to my car. This is no small feat, considering my physical stature.

/steps off of soapbox.

Anonymous said...

first, obviously, my previous post is rampant with spelling errors. For that, I apologize profusely. This one is already brimming with punctuation and capitalization errors. Blame it on the saki. Hey, it was a rough day at work.

People that use apostrophes for no apparent reason where they obviously do not belong. It irritates me enough to see them used generally improperly (it's versus its) but to have an apostrophe in a banner in a word that would is actually plural, is beyond reproach.

My BIGGEST pet peeve is people that improperly use "less" and "fewer". It should read "10 items or fewer" at the grocery check out lane, not "10 items or less". If you can count the individual parts, use a version of "fewer". argh.

this could have nearly been a blog of its own. (notice the use of its, not "it's")

"D

Anonymous said...

Not only unreturned carts, but the carts that are somewhat in the corral area but not really and they block anyone else's efforts to use the corral. I usually straighten them out and push them into place so it can be utilized to its max!

Other pet peeves are those who are oblivious to the number of items in their cart and head to the "10 items or fewer lane" (okay Karen r?)with an amount obviously over that. I can give grace for a few items but a half-full cart? Please!
I've thought adding a surcharge for each item over the limit would help the express lines really be express!

The misuse of bring vs. take (bring is for objects traveling toward you, take is for away) One would TAKE things to work, not bring! Hearing "irregardless" is like fingernails on a chalkboard. It's "regardless". Then there are the parents who are correcting their children, doing a pretty good job of it and then end their discussion with "okay?" Example: I understand you're frustrated with your brother, Becky, but destroying his collection of ________ (fill in the blank)is wrong. Don't destroy any of his belongings again, OKAY? You just gave the child a choice and unintentionally permission to tell you no, it's not okay, Mommy!

There's no word "heighth" - it's height. Affect vs. Effect, It's vs. Its, Led vs. Lead, and don't get me started on empty cereal boxes and juice cartons returned to the shelf. Did I mention toothpaste globs not rinsed down the sink?

Hmmmm, I'm glad Karen R stepped off the soapbox, otherwise she would've been pushed off with this ranting and raving!

Anonymous said...

I don't know who Susan is, but I think we are twins separated at birth!

Becky said...

Who would have ever thought that this particular blog would generate so much interest??!?!

Anonymous said...

Is it interest or is it seizing the opportunity to vent? Cheap therapy! Thank you, Dr. Hale!

(I showed restraint and didn't mention milk that's dried in the bottom of glasses or oatmeal remnants cemented to cereal bowls. Could it be I live with a non-rinser?)

Karen R, it does sound as if we need to conduct some geneology research. Twins do run in the family....