this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
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I haven't seen a shopping cart without a coin slot for a very long time. Communist Europe does not have moral lessons for citizens!
Aldi's is the only chain that I specifically remember seeing those coin locked shopping carts/trolleys at here in the US. I know they are used other places, but it's been years since I was in those parts of the US and don't remember the other store chains that use them.
Almost every single store in SoCal uses shopping carts/trolleys with a "brake" on one of the wheels. If you pass outside of the IR perimeter of the store's designated property (which frequently doesn't include the outside parking spaces of their own parking lot, thereby making them a problem for all their customers,) one of the wheels locks so the cart/trolley is basically unuseable.
Many, but nowhere near most, of the carts/trolleys that don't use such technology of coin based locks, or wheel brakes end up being used by the people experiencing homelessness to cart what few possessions they have left. Most of their stuff has already been stolen by the cops and shoved into garbage trucks, or in the case of their pets, they get taken to the shelter and put down.
This isn't just true of California, but they at least try to not do this heartless crap to everyone, just the most vulnerable of us that can't remember schedules. Other states don't even give schedules. The cops and trash crews show up in the middle of the night, and your tent, all your possessions, probably all your important ID papers that you have, and your pets disappear. You now have to pay to get your pets back. All your property went into a garbage truck, was compacted, and went to the landfill. You don't get that stuff back.
Cruelty is the point in the US, and always has been.
I wonder why that is. I mean that location-based brake must be way more expensive than those simple mechanical coin deposit slots.
If you don't know, the carts are chained together and you can only remove one when you put in €1 or so, and you only get that back when you chain the cart back in - it's not perfect, but good enough. Turns out people are very much willing to walk a few metres to get that back.
My guess is that American stores don't want to inconvenience their customers. The fear of losing even .01% because of introducing a system like that.
I can't really reply to your much appreciated homelessness rant; probably because I have never seen it as bad as it seems to be in at least some places in the USA. My empathy though.
uh, people are very, very gross in the united states. i'm just going to leave it at that one of those chains would end up someone's butthole.
As I said, Aldi's and a few other store chains use the coin and chain lock method of ensuring the carts are returned. I suspect the brake locks are more expensive, but are less of a cultural inerta barrier to break.
When I was a kid in the '80s and '90s, I didn't see either method of ensuring cart return. We just went around the lot and returned all the carts because it was something to do while out mom was in the store. Technically I think we were supposed to stay in the van, but we got bored easily and using the carts as scooters was fun.
My local supermarket in Germany doesn't have coin slots in its carts. This was unusual for me, too, though; maybe an urban-rural-divide.
Then come to capitalist Europe. Because in Belgium we do have those without a coin slot.
People even propose to take them off other people after they are done, so those people don't have to bring it back to cart return and can just leave instead. While there are plenty in the in stock. It is just a nice thing to do.
Sweden doesnt have them and people return them. The one problem is a lot of peoplr also kinda steal them but that would not be prevented by 1 euro.
the shopping centers i've been going to, everyone has been returning them.
or stealing them. this fucking economy. no middle ground right now.
Right? I dont see anyone leaving them arround like its usually depicted. Its either straight up stolen or returned in an orderly fashion.
Stopped using those 10+ years ago here in Norway. I guess having to deal with cash was more of a hastle for the supermarkets than having to retrieve the occational cart.
If anything it's a hassle for the customers, the supermarkets themselves don't have to deal with the cash. It's a deposit. Turns out losing NOK 10 is a very good incentive for people to behave.
I meant having to hand out change/tokens when 90%+ of customers didn't really use cash.