While I’ve never used one, I understand why they are there. To allow older and disabled customers to do their shopping. However, in all the time I’ve seen those scooters in use, I’ve seen more young kids just having fun riding around the store than actual deserving users.
For one thing, these scooters require a lengthy charging period and for another thing, it deprives a potential customer who legitimately needs one. In certain instances, I’ve gently told the kids that those scooters were for old people and those who are disabled. I am just amazed that this sort of thing is permitted/simply tolerated by these grocery stores. Nobody ever says anything about it.
For all I know, parents entice their children to come with them when grocery shopping with the prospect of riding those fun rides. I could understand certain times when staff is simply too busy to notice, etc. But it happens just too often to believe that. It’s something that I feel pretty strongly should be addressed by these establishments providing this equipment. Even from a financial viewpoint, it’s horribly wasteful and costly. These machines are not cheap and need regular work to keep them running efficiently.
I think I am going to write a letter to the higher ups at the Meijer I regularly shop at to voice my concerns. If anyone, I blame negligent parents. For as long as I can remember, I knew those scooters were for old people (my concept at the time) and not toys. But I’d like to know why, considering all the costs such abuse entail, they don’t make more of an effort to curb this shit.
Probably because enforcing any policy about who can and can’t use them would cost more than just letting them be used ad-libitum and might discourage/prevent their use by people who need them.
I talked to a bag boy at Publix last week as he was riding one back from the parking lot. It didn’t have much juice left and I asked what happens when the battery dies and it’s at the other end of the PL. He did not have an answer. It seems there is not a “neutral gear” on those things, which strikes me as not too smart.
Very likely, yes. Or maybe particularly to certain localities. While I don’t live in Flint anymore, I am still in close proximity to the city (less than 10miles away). My little suburb may be populated by mostly young families and virtually no crime but it’s proximity to areas with larger crime (such Flint-town, Flint-Town, fl fl fl Flint-Town), crime (and shitty behavior) has to spill over to some degree.
I’ve never in my life seen anyone joy riding on these. Not once. Ever.
What parent wouldn’t be absolutely mortified by their kids doing this?
So, yeah: local issue.
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I’ve also had to use them. A few years ago, I hurt my back so badly that the ruptured disc was affecting the nerves that go to my legs. In short, while I could stand, I couldn’t walk much. Stepping up a 4" curb was impossible without a handrail. Those little carts were a godsend. I told myself at that time that I would never wonder about anyone who used them.
They really aren’t fun and I hated using them. My back has healed so that I have full function of my legs, again. I still have a little numbness in my feet, but even that is going away.
I suspect kids joy-riding is a short-lived thing. They soon find out that walking is much easier and a lot more fun.
I’ve seen kids riding them down here in Oakland County too. They always get my very nastiest stink eye, which usually works. Maybe there should be some kind of check out system, since there’s only a few per store.
I got into a car accident when I was 20 and shattered one of my kneecaps. I was in a wheelchair for a week, and crutches for a few weeks after that. I also had to were a very visible leg brace over pants and couldn’t bend that knee. Other than that I may have looked like an able bodied young man, but I really did not appreciate some of the dirty looks I got using those scooters while shopping.
I’d never seen this until this year oddly enough. I’ve been to the local Wal Mart maybe 6 times this year and twice I saw teens (not there with parents) joy riding.
They were not shopping, just literally driving around in circles.
When I was a teen I do admit we would go to Wal Mart from time to time to do nothing. Never occurred to us to hop on a scooter tho. These kids are more brazen than us.
Our wal mart happens to be across the street from a movie theater so I have no doubt that sometimes parents drop older kids off for a movie and they fuck around at Wal Mart waiting for the movie to begin.
When the battery dies, it just stops, period. Even if you’re in the middle of the store with the basket filled with groceries, you’re just stuck. You have to somehow try to get the attention of a store employee to get you another scooter. Good luck with that.
I have never seen kids ride them, except for small kids who are with disabled adults. If I ever saw such a thing I’d raise a HUGE stink with store management. Those scooters make shopping possible for a disabled person; they are not toys.
I’m so glad I don’t need one anymore. I’d rather limp through the store in pain, using a shopping cart as a walker, than deal with one of them. But if you really need one, they’re a godsend.
They are front wheel drive, they just pick up the front end and wheelbarrow them to a wall socket. If the one you’re using dies on you, first of all, you haven’t been watching the charge meter. Every one I have seen has one. It did happen to me once (yeah, yeah) and I just turned it off and let the battery equalize for a minute, then slowly made it back to exchange it.
Never seen a kid use them. The stores around here keep the keys behind the service desk. Only an employee helping a customer or a customer can ask for them.
I had to use them after my first foot operation 20-odd years ago. I wanted it to go faster so I could herd the slower-moving customers in the aisle
That’s almost as bad as asking the door greeters at Meijer where you could find…well, anything. 
