# I Pit a Woman over a Quarter **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 30, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253 "2008-12-30T19:13:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/1 "2008-12-30T19:13:31Z")
Yes, that’s right, over a quarter. 25 cents. Why? It’s the principle of the thing. Yesterday morning, I was running my errands, which included a stop at an ALDI grocery store. ALDI is a German company that brought over lots of European practices to their American stores, including the need to use a quarter to release a shopping cart from the corral, you get the quarter back when you’re done, it’s a deposit to guard against cart theft and to eliminate the need for store staff to . [They explain on their website, here.](http://www.aldifoods.com/us/html/company/shopping_smarter_3181_ENU_HTML.htm) As I parked, the woman parked in front of me was trying to corral four young kids, none looked older than maybe 6, and get them into the store. One of them got out of the car and didn’t bother to close the door, and the mother didn’t notice. I got my cart, glanced over and saw the door and mentioned it to the woman. She got a stricken look on her face and I could see her trying to figure out how to safely cross the lot with all of her kids (who were being rather unruly) to close the door, so I offered to do it for her. I rolled my cart with me part of the way, along the sidewalk in front of the store about 7 or 8 yards past the doors. I left it there on the sidewalk while I crossed the lot and closed the door because it seemed faster and safer to go across the lot without the cart to encumber me. It took me maybe 10 seconds, tops. When I got back across, a woman had walked all the way past the door from the other direction, (because if she’d been coming toward me I would’ve seen her) in order to _take my cart_. I called and said “Excuse me, that’s my cart, I was just closing the car door!” She wouldn’t turn to look at me. That’s when I realized that she’d acted intentionally. She said “So?” while looking straight ahead. I said “You need to either give me back my cart or give me a quarter.” She kept walking, wouldn’t turn and look back, she had clearly been in the store before because she had a list and was directing her husband, who also refused to even glance in my direction, giving him orders on what to get and where it was. I couldn’t quite catch up with her, she was a couple of yards ahead and not stopping for love or money, grabbing items and throwing them in the cart while mid-stride, and there were other shoppers sort of in the way, but I tried once more. “Lady, carts here require a quarter. You’ve got my cart and my quarter, and you aren’t entitled to get MY quarter back when you’re done shopping.” No response. A quarter isn’t that big a deal. I probably lose ten of them in the course of a year just from falling out of my pockets when I’m sat on other people’s sofas, or in the ridiculously deep chairs in my doctor’s office waiting room. But it’s the principle of the thing. She saw a chance to go out of her way to get a cart without using a quarter _that she would get back_ and in the bargain, she stole that quarter from me. I don’t take things that belong to other people and I don’t like it when people take from me. I only intended to get a few things, but they weren’t things easily carried in arms, and the store doesn’t offer handbaskets. And I didn’t have another quarter. I had change of all sorts, but no quarters, and the lines were long, I couldn’t stand in line for a cashier to get a quarter to go back out, get another cart and then come back in and shop, I didn’t have time. So I ended up getting only a few of the things that I wanted and left very disgruntled. And now I’m a little pissed off, because that women knew what she was doing. She acted very intentionally. Here she was, a 60-something year old woman, becoming a thief, over 25 damn cents. So lady, I pit you. I pit you for being a thief. I pit you for being the pettiest of petty thieves. I pit you for making my shopping experience shitty. I pit you for being a dirty opportunist who stole from me while I was doing something nice for someone else. I pit you for making it so that I have to go back to the store sooner than I wanted to get the things I couldn’t get because of what you did. I hope you like the quarter. It was a Utah quarter. Maybe some Mormon morals will rub off on you for having it. You could use some. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/2 "2008-12-30T19:20:34Z")
Holy shit, that woman was a bag of cunts. I understand and agree that it’s just a quarter, but FFS, if she’s hurting so badly for cash that she needs to steal a quarter in broad daylight and not even say “I’m sorry” – well, words fail me. I pit her with you. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/3 "2008-12-30T19:22:17Z")
Did you speak with the store’s management/customer service? You’re right, incredibly petty, but I can imagine if I were in the wrong mood I might have caused quite a scene, grabbing the cart, pulling items out of her cart, following her throughout the store loudly calling her a thief… ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/4 "2008-12-30T19:25:47Z")
Was it a state quarter? I only need Hawaii to complete my collection of fifty. I could see going ballistic over losing something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/5 "2008-12-30T19:28:40Z")
All the Safeways in Calgary also require a quarter to use them - you just don’t take someone else’s quarter. When you’re returning a cart, someone might come up and offer you a quarter for your cart, but they never expect to just be handed _your_ quarter, and you most definitely don’t steal someone else’s cart. What was that - bag of cunts? Yeah, that pretty well describes someone who would do what that woman did. It absolutely isn’t about the money, but the attitude. ETA: It was a Utah quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/6 "2008-12-30T19:28:54Z")
This is why “NO QUARTER!” means _to the death._ Grrr. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/7 "2008-12-30T19:38:06Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > You’re right, incredibly petty, but I can imagine if I were in the wrong mood I might have caused quite a scene, grabbing the cart, pulling items out of her cart, following her throughout the store loudly calling her a thief… This is exactly how I would have reacted if I were alone and this happened to me. I have a horrid temper, that is only touched by willful ignorance – like this cuntbag’s act. Holy hell, I am just saying it’s a good thing I wasn’t the OP, I don’t think they let you read the Dope in prison… ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/8 "2008-12-30T19:41:41Z")
You under reacted. Next time you grab the cart forcefully and scream in the woman’s face at the top of your lungs “I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING STOLEN FROM”. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/9 "2008-12-30T19:48:34Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > You under reacted. Next time you grab the cart forcefully and scream in the woman’s face at the top of your lungs “I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING STOLEN FROM”. No, that sentence ends in a prepostion. The proper phrasing would be: “I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING STOLEN FROM, CUNTBAG.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/10 "2008-12-30T19:57:50Z")
**sailboat** , just stick around for a while. **Elucidator** will be along in a few minutes to measure you for a lamppost. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/11 "2008-12-30T19:58:33Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > This is why “NO QUARTER!” means _to the death._ > > Grrr. Bravo. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/12 "2008-12-30T19:59:15Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > I hope you like the quarter. It was a Utah quarter. Maybe some Mormon morals will rub off on you for having it. You could use some. I wouldn’t wish for that - maybe she will now donate the quarter to take civil rights away from gay people. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/13 "2008-12-30T20:08:56Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > This is why “NO QUARTER!” means _to the death._ > > Grrr. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/14 "2008-12-30T20:15:13Z")
Why did you back down? If I couldn’t have gotten to her in the store (although I would have found a way, believe me…), I would have waited outside. What a total bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Rapier42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rapier42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rapier42)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/15 "2008-12-30T20:16:41Z")
She probably would have come back to find all her car doors open, had that been me. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/16 "2008-12-30T20:21:32Z")
This thread is reason number eleventy brazilian and one that I heart PeaPod. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/17 "2008-12-30T20:24:07Z")
> [@Rapier42](#): > > She probably would have come back to find all her car doors open, had that been me. Different woman. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/18 "2008-12-30T20:25:39Z")
> [@villa](#): > > I wouldn’t wish for that - maybe she will now donate the quarter to take civil rights away from gay people. You know, I nearly said something about the _good_ Mormon morals like “thou shalt not steal” as opposed to the shitty Mormon morals like destroying marriages, but I didn’t want to offend any Mormon Dopers by painting with too broad a brush. (All the Mormons I personally know were anti-8.) And \*\* Sateryn76\*\*, I backed down because as a conspicuous (tall, large) black woman, the only minority in a store in a very white suburb, I didn’t want to be the one causing a scene over a quarter. I decided to be the bigger (haha) person. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/19 "2008-12-30T20:27:41Z")
She stole the cart from you. It matters not that the actual rental cost was only a quarter. As long as people nickel, dime, and quarter away a principle of right and wrong, it makes it easier to ignore when the stakes are higher and far more serious. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253/20 "2008-12-30T20:29:24Z")
> [@Rapier42](#): > > She probably would have come back to find all her car doors open, had that been me. I think there are two ladies in the story: the frazzled one with a herd of kids, who did nothing wrong (except not notice an open car door and accept a favor) and the cuntbag. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-a-woman-over-a-quarter/479253.md?page=2)