Shopping hack: Park near the cart return. There are several reasons why, according to folks online who swear by this practice.
And yet some advocate against it. So what are the pros and cons to this surprisingly divisive procedure?
Is parking next to shopping carts a thing?
Actually, yes. A recent viral video by @summitinthecity is just one of the videos online talking about this. @summitinthecity is seen parking in the video right next to the shopping cart corral, apparently at Target.
The text overlay on the video reads, “pov you just saw that video about parking next to the carts.” Clearly, @summitinthecity is excited to have found this parking spot. She’s insulated from someone swinging open their car door and hitting the left side of her car. The sound over the video is one of those Kardashian “Oh my God” clips. It is unclear exactly which video @summitinthecity is referring to, though.
Her video has more than 125,000 likes and over 3.6 million views. While the video has 135 comments, the comments are only visible to @summitinthecity’s mutual friends.
The Daily Dot has previously reported about the shopping carts at Target but for a different reason. Depending on what Target you’re at the carts lock up before you even reach the parking lot. This means that at some Targets, there is no cart return area in the parking lot to even park near.
Why do people park near the carts?
According to creators online, there seems to be two top reasons:
- It’s easier to return the cart after loading groceries into your car. This creator explains that it saves you time because you don’t have to go looking for the cart corral after you’ve unloaded your items.
- It’s a parenting hack. Several parents online rave about doing this not only for the ease it offers when unloading groceries, but also the ease it offers when unloading your kids from the cart itself, as this creator notes.
Parking near the cart corral seems to be a win for everyone. However, there is some talk about if they should even be reserved for parents since shopping with kids can be extra convoluted, especially if you need to leave your kids alone in your car to return the cart or walk in the parking lot a far distance without them safely seated in a cart.
What’s a reason not to park by cart corral?
There’s one reason dominating the discourse as to why you shouldn’t park near the corral: The safety of your car.
“My wife always says, ‘Don’t park next to the where they put the shopping carts [because] it might scratch our car,” says creator @reallifewithalandchelle, referring to how customers can throw or place their carts carelessly into the corral area and hit your car.
But this may not necessarily be the case.
“I said that doesn’t matter because they leave shopping carts everywhere. People will leave these carts just a few feet from where they belong. I mean it’s fair game to get your car scratched anywhere in the parking lot,” @reallifewithalandchelle says.
@summitinthecity makes me wanna park there even more
♬ original sound – Kardashian clips 🎬
Shopping carts remain quite the topic online. Whether it’s about them locking on customers, whether the parking spot near the corral should be reserved for parents, and if it’s even a coveted parking space… shoppers are always thinking about how to maximize efficiency in the parking lot.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @summitinthecity for comment.
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