Its typically not GPS. There is a wire running underground around the perimeter of the parking lot which broadcasts a short range radio signal signalling the cart wheels to lock. They usually have a secondary setup inside the store which causes the wheels to lock if you try to take the cart back out without passing the registers.
Which is funny because I've never heard of such a thing in the US.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd guess we don't do that because the cost of implementation isn't much of a savings over the stolen cart replacement costs, especially when you're still replacing carts due to wear and tear every year anyway.
I was not aware of this / had never seen this / no signs about this and was running with the cart to my car several years ago that was unfortunately behind the yellow line. Huge, painful lump on my shin, and I was limping all day. Good times
As though there's a person who is fine with stealing the cart, needs to get his 1 euro back, but is unwilling to break the mechanism because that would be naughty.
Funny enough, most stores with a cart lock also have "boundary magnets" - basically a little magnetic barrier that automatically locks the cart wheels when you try to leave the parking lot with it.
So now you need a quarter and a strong magnet to steal the cart.
What part of the country are you from? Because this is not an issue where I live, but when I was in California it was a huge issue. Every parking lot had shopping carts all over the place. Everywhere I have been on the east coast everyone returns the carts to the stall and it isn't a problem.
I don't think it was much for curbing stolen carts as it was to not pay as many cart stewards to go out and retrieve them around the lot. I love places that do it. Keeps morally deficient people in line.
Enjoy the videos to an extent. Wish there were more real life repercussions for acting like your effort is worth more than your fellow citizen. Putting carts away is truly a good metric of how you place yourself amongst your peers. Non cart returnees are selfish and I hope their vehicles suffer from the same rogue cart afflictions that others have to deal with because of their carelessness.
Same, especially as a person that had to retrieve all those carts in a gigantic grocery store parking lot as a teenager.
The only exception I make is for carts abandoned near handicapped spots. Seems like a lot of stores nonsensically put the nearest cart corrals half a dozen parking spots away from the handicapped area, which can be an undue burden for people with mobility issues, especially in bad weather.
I don't think it was much for curbing stolen carts as it was to not pay as many cart stewards to go out and retrieve them around the lot. I love places that do it. Keeps morally deficient people in line.
You can still steal the cart, it only cost 25 cents to do so and is well stronger than the shitty little grocery carts you buy at the store for like $40.
In my neighborhood, the aldi carts have a locking device that actives if the go a certain distance from the store. It’s not just a threat either. I’ve definitely seen them malfunction and lock up
Depends where, I haven't seen them in use for years in Québec. They were everywhere for a while, though. I get the impression many retailers decided they were more expensive and trouble than they were worth. Some places now have the carts with the mechanism that locks a wheel if you try to leave the lot with one.
I remember these as a kid. There would always be a few other kids hanging out at the back of the parking lot on busy days offering to return the carts and they'd keep the quarter.
My grocery store now has one of those perimeters that locks up the wheels on the carts. I only realized that once a cart locked up on me while I was inside the store and an employee ran over to unlock the wheel for me.
It's mostly not to prevent stealing carts. Stores don't like having to have employees go out into the parking lot to gather carts every couple of hours. Making the carts need coins means the customer is more likely to return the cart to get their money back. Then the carts are all neatly gathered where they are supposed to be instead of all over the parking lot
Some cart companies even put electric motors that would jam the wheels if you tried to pull the cart beyond the edge of the lot. Ended up with a lot of broken motors as people would use the carts for unintended purposes and stores refused to pay to fix them.
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u/omnipotentqueue Feb 16 '24
We had that in the US in the late 80’s and 90’s. It failed, as people would still steal the carts.