I don’t return my shopping cart

Before you yell at me, give me a chance to explain. I always return my cart to the store or the car corral, except for those times that I can’t. Which unfortunately is a lot of the time.

My daughter is autistic and we have a medical parking placard. So thankfully, we get to park at the front of the parking lot. Like a lot of autistic kiddos, my child is an elopement risk which means she may wander off. Parking close to the store helps reduce this risk. It’s also super help in those moments when she is having a meltdown. In those times in important for me to remove her from the store and take her to a secure location, like our car. She can regain composure or we can just decide to go home, whichever is best for her in the situation.

A lot of those times getting her to the car means I have to physically carry her. Meaning I’m carrying a 55lb child who is most likely kicking and screaming. With my own chronic health conditions and disability this can be EXTREMELY hard to do. So I need a close parking spot so we can limit our amount of time in the lot.

Meltdowns or not we need medical parking and I am so thankful we have it. When we finish a shopping trip my first my first priority is, and will always be, the safety of my child which means my first step is strapping her in her car seat. Only after that am I free to unload my groceries and return my cart. But unfortunately parking lots aren’t usually designed to have a cart corral close to the medical parking spots.

So what are my choices at this point? I can leave my child and walk across the lot to return the cart or I can try to secure the cart somewhere in the lot and keep close to my flight-risk child.

You can see how this isn’t really a choice. I’m staying with my kid. Even if that means leaving a cart where it shouldn’t be. I, of course, try my best to leave it in a grassy area or somewhere that it will not prohibit those using mobility aids to maneuver the area. I do my best to put it out of the way while still keeping a very close distance to my car.

I know it’s super frustrating and annoying to a lot of people when they see carts not being returned. I get it. It seems like such an easy task to return a shopping cart. And it is for a lot of people. But for some people it poses a huge safety risk. So next time you see this happen and it annoys you remember this story. Remember that people are dealing with things besides what you can see. If you have the time and ability ask those around you if you can return their cart for them. Pick up a rogue cart on your way in the store. Do the small things you can to help those around you. And as always, be kind.