# Have you ever seen kids joy riding supermarket motorized scooters for disabled/elderly/obese? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 8, 2017, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049 "2017-04-08T10:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/1 "2017-04-08T10:42:12Z")
According to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=823502), the OP states he sees young kids joy riding around on store scooters more often than those for whom the devices are intended. He even speculates that some parents might use the possibility of scooter play time in order to coax their kids into a trip to the store. I’ve seen plenty of questionable public behavior by kids (adults too, of course), but I have never, ever seen this happen. Others in the thread expressed similar reactions. So I’m curious to see some hard scientific data on the topic. Since I can’t see that, I thought I’d ask some Dopers 🙂 How often do you observe this type of behavior? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/2 "2017-04-08T10:56:12Z")
Never in my neck of the woods. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/3 "2017-04-08T11:06:18Z")
No, never. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/4 "2017-04-08T11:26:53Z")
I never have, either. I’ve only seen them used by customers to do their shopping. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/5 "2017-04-08T12:16:24Z")
Seen it? No. Could I _believe_ it happens? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/6 "2017-04-08T12:23:16Z")
Never seen it. Because it would not be tolerated here I believe. Someone _would_ report it almost immediatelY. And the store would not hesitate for a moment, to immediately act, I believe. They are not cheap to maintain or provide, I should think ANY store would be foolish to allow them to become a child’s amusement ride. It’s hard to imagine other customers would NOT speak up directly and express their outrage. It’s pretty hard to imagine a store full of people being cool with it and just going on about their business. But, then, we are indeed living in strange times! ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/7 "2017-04-08T13:09:18Z")
UK I have used the scooters following an operation. In every case I had to get the key from customer services. They wouldn’t give the key out to (non disabled) kids so no, never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/8 "2017-04-08T13:19:20Z")
No, I never have. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/9 "2017-04-08T14:13:21Z")
On rare occasion I see it happen - but then I work in such a store. The vast majority of the time the scooters are used as intended. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/10 "2017-04-08T14:46:01Z")
Once at a local Fred Meyer. The mother was hopeless. The kids were wreaking minor havoc, running into displays and knocking things over. A store employee finally interceded. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/11 "2017-04-08T15:16:12Z")
I saw it once at a Target although the (14? 15? year old) kids were driving it near its designated parking area and not up and down the aisles. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/12 "2017-04-08T15:29:24Z")
Never seen that, but I have seen teenagers “cart bowling” on the parking lot – that’s running a cart up to full speed, then letting it roll into a distant car. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/13 "2017-04-08T15:33:36Z")
I vaguely recall seeing some college kids (obviously drunk) having a ball on one at 2am in the morning. Also, my store has those carts made to look like race cars that the kids can sit in. Also, they have the mini carts that the kids can push around. So I don’t imagine kids at this store have any real desire to ride the scooters anyway. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/14 "2017-04-08T16:55:40Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > Never seen that, but I have seen teenagers “cart bowling” on the parking lot – that’s running a cart up to full speed, then letting it roll into a distant car. You can’t do that with the carts I’ve used. “Full speed” is pretty slow, and if you take your foot off the pedal, it stops. No rolling. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/15 "2017-04-08T17:20:20Z")
Not talking about the electric rider carts – cart bowling is done with the regular carts. And yes, it’s a really stupid thing to do … gets the kids a ride in a real police car. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/16 "2017-04-08T17:20:53Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > You can’t do that with the carts I’ve used. “Full speed” is pretty slow, and if you take your foot off the pedal, it stops. No rolling. There are ways to keep the pedal down. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/17 "2017-04-08T17:21:33Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > You can’t do that with the carts I’ve used. “Full speed” is pretty slow, and if you take your foot off the pedal, it stops. No rolling. I think Turble was referring to the non-motorized shopping carts in this post. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/18 "2017-04-08T17:28:02Z")
Nope, although I wouldn’t be surprised. When I worked at Kmart we kept had a few wheelchairs and occassionally you’d get some kid try to play with them, but it was easy just to shoo them away. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/19 "2017-04-08T17:36:43Z")
Surprisingly, I’ve never seen it, and I thought I’ve seen all manners of ill behaved kids at the local Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049/20 "2017-04-08T18:14:59Z")
I voted “once”. I saw this just a couple of weeks ago - at Target maybe? Three or four high school age girls piled on the motorized shopping cart. I would never have thought that kids would go joyriding on those, so I just assumed one of the girls was handicapped and the others hopped on. It’s not like they were just tooling around the store, it looked like they were actually shopping, so I don’t know if they were screwing around or not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-kids-joy-riding-supermarket-motorized-scooters-for-disabled-elderly-obese/784049.md?page=2)