I don’t see many “cart slackers” around here. Generally I try to put my cart away, but I’m not walking 100 yards to do it. So. . .
If someone complained to me about my cart handling. . . I’d probably just ignore them.
I agree with this.
I definitely think able-bodied people should return carts to a cart corral, and nobody, able-bodied or not, should leave a cart in such a way that it rolls into cars or blocks a parking space. If I see a loose cart as I’m walking toward the store, I return it to the corral. If I see someone who seems infirm unloading groceries, I’ll take the cart to the corral for them.
Maybe I’m too forgiving of those who use carts as walkers, but I just can’t seem to work up much anger toward them. (Able-bodied people are another story.)
If you shop regularly at Aldi (a German-owned chain, BTW), you keep a few quarters in your car just in case so you can get your cart.
Put me in with those who are annoyed at carts in the middle of the parking lot. The smaller stores by me have… smaller parking lots - easier to bring the cart back to the store. The larger stores (eg - Wal*Mart) have cart corrals all over the place - it ain’t that far to get to a cart corral. And, if you can’t walk back from the corral to your car, you probably shouldn’t be driving to begin with. I understand the cart as a walker in the store because it gets heavy. My wife (basically) uses the cart as a walker to relieve strain on her hip.
I really really really feel sorry for the workers who have to walk all over the lot getting carts off the grass at the far end of the lot, or the ones pushed down the deep ditch because someone thought it would be funny. Yeah, it might be funny once, but several times EVERY DAY gets un-funny very quickly.
Some people who can’t walk at all can drive; their cars are specifically adapted to allow them to do so.
And a fair number of people who can’t walk far can drive – though I take your point that it usually isn’t far to a suitable place to leave the cart.
I certainly agree that leaving the cart in the wrong place is an obnoxious thing if done by someone who can easily leave it in the right place. But ‘if you can’t walk that far you shouldn’t drive’ seems much too harsh.