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{{Short description|Test of moral character}}
[[File:Trolley shelter, Morrison's supermarket, Thornton-Cleveleys - geograph.org.uk - 1114086.jpg|thumb|An example of a designated area to return shopping carts]]
[[File:Target shopping cart 1 2017-03-13.jpg|thumb|A shopping cart that has not been returned to its deposit (seen in the back)]]
The '''shopping cart theory''' is a social phenomenon which assesses a person's ethics or "goodness", depending on if they return a [[shopping cart]] to its designated cart corral or deposit area. The concept became viral online after a 2020 Internet meme which posits that shopping carts present a [[:wikt:litmus test|litmus test]] for a person's capability of self-governing, as well as a way to judge one's moral character. Detractors of the theory have cited concerns about leaving children unattended as one reason why returning a cart is unfavorable.
The '''shopping cart theory''' is an [[internet meme]] which judges a person's [[ethics]] by whether they return a [[shopping cart]] to its designated cart corral or deposit area. The concept became viral online after a 2020 Internet meme which posits that shopping carts present a [[:wikt:litmus test|litmus test]] for a person's capability of self-governing, as well as a way to judge one's moral character. Detractors of the theory have cited various reasons why returning a cart is unfavorable, with concerns about leaving children unattended as one of the more commonly referenced.


==Background and meme==
==Background and meme==
In 2017, an article was published by anthropologist Krystal D'Costa in ''[[Scientific American]]'', titled "Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?"<ref name=D'Costa>{{cite web|last=D'Costa|first=Krystal|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/anthropology-in-practice/why-dont-people-return-their-shopping-carts/|title=Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?|work=[[Scientific American]]|date=April 26, 2017|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Hayes>{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Stephanie|url=https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2022/07/15/do-you-return-your-shopping-cart-or-do-you-choose-chaos/|title=Do you return your shopping cart, or do you choose chaos?|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|date=July 15, 2022|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> D'Costa listed the following reasons as why some choose to not return their carts: bad weather, the cart deposit being too far from one's parking spot, concerns about leaving children unattended, disability, the perception that it is a shop employee's job to return the carts, and the intent of leaving a cart for another to "easily pick up and use".<ref name=D'Costa/>
[[Shopping carts]] are a common fixture in retailing environments. More common in European countries, some retailers have [[Shopping cart#Deposits|cart deposits]] which involve customers inserting a coin to receive a cart for use while shopping.<ref name=Gulliver>{{cite web|last=Gulliver|first=Katrina|url=https://daily.jstor.org/free-wheeling-shopping-carts-and-culture-and-culture/|title=Free Wheeling: Shopping Carts and Culture|work=[[JSTOR#Content|JSTOR Daily]]|publisher=[[JSTOR]]|date=December 24, 2023|accessdate=June 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Meyersohn|first=Nathaniel|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/21/business/shopping-carts-lost-stolen-ctpr/index.html|title= Shopping carts keep disappearing from stores |publisher=[[CNN]]|date=January 21, 2023|accessdate=June 29, 2024}}</ref> The coin is only then returned upon the customer returning the cart to the deposit.<ref name=Gulliver/> Other retailers have a cart corral system, which involve customers voluntarily returning the cart to a designated corral or deposit area.<ref name=Gulliver/> The topic of customers returning their carts has been of discussion and debate online. In 2017, an article was published by anthropologist Krystal D'Costa in ''[[Scientific American]]'', titled "Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?"<ref name=D'Costa>{{cite web|last=D'Costa|first=Krystal|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/anthropology-in-practice/why-dont-people-return-their-shopping-carts/|title=Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?|work=[[Scientific American]]|date=April 26, 2017|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Hayes>{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Stephanie|url=https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2022/07/15/do-you-return-your-shopping-cart-or-do-you-choose-chaos/|title=Do you return your shopping cart, or do you choose chaos?|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|date=July 15, 2022|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> D'Costa listed the following reasons as why some choose to not return their carts: bad weather, the cart deposit being too far from one's parking spot, concerns about leaving children unattended, disability, the perception that it is a shop employee's job to return the carts, and the intent of leaving a cart for another to "easily pick up and use".<ref name=D'Costa/>


D'Costa's article has been retrospectively referenced by media outlets when discussing the "shopping cart theory" meme,<ref name=Hayes/><ref name=Hauser/> which originates from a [[4chan]] post made in May 2020.<ref name=Rogers/> Nate Rogers of ''[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]'' wrote that the post "explains in clinical, unwavering terms the massive stakes of" returning the shopping cart.<ref name=Rogers>{{cite web|last=Rogers|first=Nate|url=https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2023/8/10/23825135/cart-narc-shopping-cart-theory-instagram-youtube|title=Think You're a Good Person? That's Up to the Cart Narc and His Camera.|work=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]|date=August 10, 2023|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> Positing that the shopping cart is "the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing", the original poster further asserted that returning a cart to its designated deposit or rack is "objectively right".<ref name=Lewis/><ref name=Encinas/><ref name=Wolforth>{{cite web|last=Wolforth|first=Ron|url=https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/blog/the-shopping-cart-theory/|title= The Shopping Cart Theory|website=Texas Baseball Ranch|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> The post goes on to state that "returning a cart is "the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it".<ref>{{cite web|last=Friedman|first=Nate|url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2021/04/27/cart-narc-new-jersey-lawmaker-proposes-fines-for-shoppers-who-leave-carts-in-spaces-for-disabled-1378368|title=
D'Costa's article has been retrospectively referenced by media outlets when discussing the "shopping cart theory" meme,<ref name=Hayes/><ref name=Hauser/> which originates from a [[4chan]] post made in May 2020.<ref name="Rogers">{{cite web |last=Rogers |first=Nate |date=August 10, 2023 |title=Think You're a Good Person? That's Up to the Cart Narc and His Camera. |url=https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2023/8/10/23825135/cart-narc-shopping-cart-theory-instagram-youtube |accessdate=June 7, 2024 |work=[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]}}</ref> According to the post, the shopping cart is "the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing".<ref name=Rogers/> In addition to asserting that returning a cart to its designated deposit or rack is "objectively right" and widely considered appropriate,<ref name=Khalil/> the post goes on to state that returning a cart is "the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it".<ref name=Friedman>{{cite web|last=Friedman|first=Nate|url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2021/04/27/cart-narc-new-jersey-lawmaker-proposes-fines-for-shoppers-who-leave-carts-in-spaces-for-disabled-1378368|title=
Cart narc: New Jersey lawmaker proposes fines for shoppers who leave carts in spaces for disabled|work=[[Politico]]|date=April 27, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> Ultimately, the poster stated that the "shopping cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society."<ref>{{cite web|author=Heloise|url=https://www.heraldstandard.com/national_advice/2021/may/04/the-shopping-cart-theory/|title=The shopping cart theory|work=[[The Herald-Standard]]|date=May 4, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Cox|first=Mike|url=https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/the-shopping-cart-theory/|title= The Shopping Cart Theory|work=The Columbia Star|date=July 14, 2022|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Joseph|first=Jisha|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/the-shopping-cart-theory-supposedly-determines-who-is-a-good-person-and-who-isn-t/ar-AA1nnlHw|title=The 'shopping cart theory' supposedly determines who is a good person and who isn't|work=Scoop Unworthy|via=[[MSN]]|date=April 20, 2024|orig-date=May 20, 2020|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref>
Cart narc: New Jersey lawmaker proposes fines for shoppers who leave carts in spaces for disabled|work=[[Politico]]|date=April 27, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> Ultimately, the poster stated that the "shopping cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society."<ref name=Khalil>{{cite web|last=Khalil|first=Shireen|url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/shopping-trolley-test-proves-if-youre-a-good-person-or-not/news-story/ef9333cc987fba159aa7ca1272fb720d|title=Shopping trolley test proves if you're a good person or not|website=[[news.com.au]]|date=May 22, 2020|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Encinas/>


Media writers have written that the post circulated online in 2020, becoming popular on [[Reddit]] and other websites, while also becoming a point of debate.<ref name=Hauser>{{cite web|last=Hauser|first=Christine|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/style/shopping-cart-parking-lot.html|title=Everyone Has a Theory About Shopping Carts|work=[[New York Times]]|date=June 8, 2021|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608142119/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/style/shopping-cart-parking-lot.html|archive-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Stechyson>{{cite web|last=Stechyson|first=Natalie|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/return-grocery-cart-video-1.7225111|title=Do you return your grocery cart? A viral video ignited debate over this common courtesy|publisher=[[CBC.ca]]|date=June 5, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> One YouTuber was cited by ''[[The Daily Dot]]'' as attempting to debunk the theory.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alban|first=Jack|url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-shopping-cart-theory/|title='Y'all know the cart theory?': Target customer notices the 'cart theory' while shopping (updated)|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|date=October 29, 2023|orig-date=October 24, 2023|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref>
Media writers have written that the 4chan post circulated online in 2020, becoming popular on [[Reddit]] and other websites, while also becoming a point of debate.<ref name=Hauser>{{cite web|last=Hauser|first=Christine|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/style/shopping-cart-parking-lot.html|title=Everyone Has a Theory About Shopping Carts|work=[[New York Times]]|date=June 8, 2021|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608142119/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/08/style/shopping-cart-parking-lot.html|archive-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Stechyson>{{cite web|last=Stechyson|first=Natalie|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/return-grocery-cart-video-1.7225111|title=Do you return your grocery cart? A viral video ignited debate over this common courtesy|publisher=[[CBC.ca]]|date=June 5, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> The concept went viral on [[Twitter]] after a user named Jared tweeted about it, sparking discussion on the platform.<ref name=Khalil/>


==Virality and responses==
==Virality and responses==
In a follow-up, D'Costas stated that her ''Scientific American'' article "struck a nerve"; on the magazine's [[Facebook]] page "some said they were afraid to leave children unattended, or struggled with a disability, or feared making someone's job obsolete".<ref name=Hauser/> Lorraine Sommerfield of ''[[The Hamilton Spectator]]'' expressed conditional agreeance with the theory, stating "stores should have lots of easily accessible cart corals," and added that "some individuals may have mobility issues".<ref>{{cite web|last=Sommerfield|first=Lorraine|url=https://www.thespec.com/life/penguins-and-the-shopping-cart-theory/article_1d8329de-062d-5b54-9641-14b466eb5aca.html|title=Penguins and the shopping cart theory|work=[[The Hamilton Spectator]]|date=July 14, 2023|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref> Rogers cited the 4chan's 2020 dating ("at the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]]") to suggest "it's surprisingly clear when shopping cart etiquette became a modern lightning-rod test of moral character," mentioning this time period as one in which "people were fiercely debating what they owed to their fellow citizens".<ref name=Rogers/>
The topic has been noted to be hotly debated online.<ref name=Khalil/><ref name=Encinas/><ref name=Stechyson/> Indeed, in a follow-up, D'Costas stated that her ''Scientific American'' article "struck a nerve"; on the magazine's [[Facebook]] page "some said they were afraid to leave children unattended, or struggled with a disability, or feared making someone's job obsolete".<ref name=Hauser/> Lorraine Sommerfield of ''[[The Hamilton Spectator]]'' expressed conditional agreement with the theory, stating "stores should have lots of easily accessible cart corrals," and added that "some individuals may have mobility issues".<ref>{{cite news|last=Sommerfield|first=Lorraine|url=https://www.thespec.com/life/penguins-and-the-shopping-cart-theory/article_1d8329de-062d-5b54-9641-14b466eb5aca.html|title=Penguins and the shopping cart theory|work=[[The Hamilton Spectator]]|date=July 14, 2023|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref> Calling the original 4chan post "clinical", Nate Rogers of ''[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]'' cited its 2020 dating ("at the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]]") to suggest "it's surprisingly clear when shopping cart etiquette became a modern lightning-rod test of moral character," mentioning this time period as one in which "people were fiercely debating what they owed to their fellow citizens".<ref name=Rogers/> The shopping cart theory has been referenced in a 2021 ''[[Politico]]'' article about a [[New Jersey]] legislation proposal that would fine shoppers for leaving carts in parking spots designated for disabled individuals.<ref name=Friedman/>


In 2024, the shopping cart theory experienced further virality online after [[TikTok]] user Leslie Dobson explained why she does not return carts, defending her refusal to do so.<ref name=Encinas>{{cite web|last=Encinas|first=Amaris|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2024/06/05/leslie-dobson-shopping-cart-return/73987501007/|title='You can judge me all you want': California mom's refusal to return shopping cart goes viral|work=[[USA Today]]|date=June 5, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Sjoberg>{{cite web|last=Sjoberg|first=Brooke|url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/trader-joes-shopping-cart-theory/|title='You can judge me all you want': Trader Joe's customer says you shouldn't return shopping carts|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|date=May 31, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> A clinical and forensic psychologist, Dobson stated her concern of leaving her child unattended in order to return the cart.<ref name=Encinas/><ref name=Stechyson/> This reason was concurrent with a common reason mentioned by the 2017 ''Scientific American'' article.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Barry|url=https://www.recordonline.com/story/opinion/2021/08/20/shopping-cart-chaos-what-we-do-them-speaks-volumes-us/8181237002/|title=Barry Lewis: Shopping cart mayhem and civil society|work=[[Times Herald-Record]]|date=August 20, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref>
In 2024, the shopping cart theory experienced further virality online after [[TikTok]] user Leslie Dobson explained why she does not return carts, defending her refusal to do so.<ref name=Encinas>{{cite web|last=Encinas|first=Amaris|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2024/06/05/leslie-dobson-shopping-cart-return/73987501007/|title='You can judge me all you want': California mom's refusal to return shopping cart goes viral|work=[[USA Today]]|date=June 5, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name=Sjoberg>{{cite web|last=Sjoberg|first=Brooke|url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/trader-joes-shopping-cart-theory/|title='You can judge me all you want': Trader Joe's customer says you shouldn't return shopping carts|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|date=May 31, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> A clinical and forensic psychologist, Dobson stated her concern of leaving her child unattended in order to return the cart.<ref name=Encinas/><ref name=Stechyson/> This reason was concurrent with a common reason mentioned by the 2017 ''Scientific American'' article.<ref name=Lewis>{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Barry|url=https://www.recordonline.com/story/opinion/2021/08/20/shopping-cart-chaos-what-we-do-them-speaks-volumes-us/8181237002/|title=Barry Lewis: Shopping cart mayhem and civil society|work=[[Times Herald-Record]]|date=August 20, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> Dobson also stated her video was intentionally provocative, in hopes of garnering attention and raising awareness of [[child abduction]].<ref name=Solé>{{cite web|last=Solé|first=Elise|url=https://www.today.com/parents/moms/mom-shopping-cart-debate-rcna154889|title=Mom faces backlash for explaining why she doesn't return her shopping cart at the grocery store|work=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]|date=June 3, 2024|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref> Dobson's video received over 11 million views and received considerable backlash, though she also received messages from users who agreed with her stance, stating they were too afraid to discuss their opinion online themselves.<ref name=Stechyson/><ref name=Fry>{{cite web|last=Fry|first=Hannah|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-03/do-you-return-your-shopping-cart-this-psycologists-answer-enraged-thousands|title=Do you return your shopping cart? A psychologist's answer on TikTok enraged thousands |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 3, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref>


==See also==
Dobson stated her video was intentionally provocative, in hopes of garnering attention and raising awareness to child abduction.<ref name=Solé>{{cite web|last=Solé|first=Elise|url=https://www.today.com/parents/moms/mom-shopping-cart-debate-rcna154889|title=Mom faces backlash for explaining why she doesn’t return her shopping cart at the grocery store|work=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]|date=June 3, 2024|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref> Dobson's video received over 11 million views and received considerable backlash, though she also received messages from users who agreed with her stance, stating they were too afraid to discuss their opinion online themselves.<ref name=Stechyson/><ref name=Fry>{{cite web|last=Fry|first=Hannah|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-03/do-you-return-your-shopping-cart-this-psycologists-answer-enraged-thousands|title=Do you return your shopping cart? A psychologist's answer on TikTok enraged thousands |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 3, 2024|accessdate=June 7, 2024}}</ref> In an online poll published by ''[[Boston.com]]'', 75% of the respondents voted that it is "never ok" to not return the shopping cart.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chianca|first=Peter|url=https://www.boston.com/community/tell-us/2024/06/07/does-not-returning-your-shopping-cart-make-you-a-bad-person/#gf_3739|title=Does not returning your shopping cart make you a bad person?|website=[[Boston.com]]|date=June 7, 2024|accessdate=June 14, 2024}}</ref>
*[[Beer question]]


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:4chan phenomena]]
[[Category:4chan phenomena]]
[[Category:Carts]]
[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2020]]
[[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2020]]
[[Category:Moral psychology]]
[[Category:Moral psychology]]
[[Category:Retail store elements]]
[[Category:Shopping carts]]
[[Category:Thought experiments in ethics]]
[[Category:Thought experiments in ethics]]
[[Category:Virtue ethics]]
[[Category:Virtue ethics]]

Latest revision as of 22:08, 29 June 2024

A shopping cart that has not been returned to its deposit (seen in the back)

The shopping cart theory is an internet meme which judges a person's ethics by whether they return a shopping cart to its designated cart corral or deposit area. The concept became viral online after a 2020 Internet meme which posits that shopping carts present a litmus test for a person's capability of self-governing, as well as a way to judge one's moral character. Detractors of the theory have cited various reasons why returning a cart is unfavorable, with concerns about leaving children unattended as one of the more commonly referenced.

Background and meme[edit]

Shopping carts are a common fixture in retailing environments. More common in European countries, some retailers have cart deposits which involve customers inserting a coin to receive a cart for use while shopping.[1][2] The coin is only then returned upon the customer returning the cart to the deposit.[1] Other retailers have a cart corral system, which involve customers voluntarily returning the cart to a designated corral or deposit area.[1] The topic of customers returning their carts has been of discussion and debate online. In 2017, an article was published by anthropologist Krystal D'Costa in Scientific American, titled "Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?"[3][4] D'Costa listed the following reasons as why some choose to not return their carts: bad weather, the cart deposit being too far from one's parking spot, concerns about leaving children unattended, disability, the perception that it is a shop employee's job to return the carts, and the intent of leaving a cart for another to "easily pick up and use".[3]

D'Costa's article has been retrospectively referenced by media outlets when discussing the "shopping cart theory" meme,[4][5] which originates from a 4chan post made in May 2020.[6] According to the post, the shopping cart is "the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing".[6] In addition to asserting that returning a cart to its designated deposit or rack is "objectively right" and widely considered appropriate,[7] the post goes on to state that returning a cart is "the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it".[8] Ultimately, the poster stated that the "shopping cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society."[7][9]

Media writers have written that the 4chan post circulated online in 2020, becoming popular on Reddit and other websites, while also becoming a point of debate.[5][10] The concept went viral on Twitter after a user named Jared tweeted about it, sparking discussion on the platform.[7]

Virality and responses[edit]

The topic has been noted to be hotly debated online.[7][9][10] Indeed, in a follow-up, D'Costas stated that her Scientific American article "struck a nerve"; on the magazine's Facebook page "some said they were afraid to leave children unattended, or struggled with a disability, or feared making someone's job obsolete".[5] Lorraine Sommerfield of The Hamilton Spectator expressed conditional agreement with the theory, stating "stores should have lots of easily accessible cart corrals," and added that "some individuals may have mobility issues".[11] Calling the original 4chan post "clinical", Nate Rogers of The Ringer cited its 2020 dating ("at the beginning of the pandemic") to suggest "it's surprisingly clear when shopping cart etiquette became a modern lightning-rod test of moral character," mentioning this time period as one in which "people were fiercely debating what they owed to their fellow citizens".[6] The shopping cart theory has been referenced in a 2021 Politico article about a New Jersey legislation proposal that would fine shoppers for leaving carts in parking spots designated for disabled individuals.[8]

In 2024, the shopping cart theory experienced further virality online after TikTok user Leslie Dobson explained why she does not return carts, defending her refusal to do so.[9][12] A clinical and forensic psychologist, Dobson stated her concern of leaving her child unattended in order to return the cart.[9][10] This reason was concurrent with a common reason mentioned by the 2017 Scientific American article.[13] Dobson also stated her video was intentionally provocative, in hopes of garnering attention and raising awareness of child abduction.[14] Dobson's video received over 11 million views and received considerable backlash, though she also received messages from users who agreed with her stance, stating they were too afraid to discuss their opinion online themselves.[10][15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Gulliver, Katrina (December 24, 2023). "Free Wheeling: Shopping Carts and Culture". JSTOR Daily. JSTOR. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Meyersohn, Nathaniel (January 21, 2023). "Shopping carts keep disappearing from stores". CNN. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b D'Costa, Krystal (April 26, 2017). "Why Don't People Return Their Shopping Carts?". Scientific American. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Hayes, Stephanie (July 15, 2022). "Do you return your shopping cart, or do you choose chaos?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Hauser, Christine (June 8, 2021). "Everyone Has a Theory About Shopping Carts". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Rogers, Nate (August 10, 2023). "Think You're a Good Person? That's Up to the Cart Narc and His Camera". The Ringer. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Khalil, Shireen (May 22, 2020). "Shopping trolley test proves if you're a good person or not". news.com.au. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Friedman, Nate (April 27, 2021). "Cart narc: New Jersey lawmaker proposes fines for shoppers who leave carts in spaces for disabled". Politico. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Encinas, Amaris (June 5, 2024). "'You can judge me all you want': California mom's refusal to return shopping cart goes viral". USA Today. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Stechyson, Natalie (June 5, 2024). "Do you return your grocery cart? A viral video ignited debate over this common courtesy". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Sommerfield, Lorraine (July 14, 2023). "Penguins and the shopping cart theory". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Sjoberg, Brooke (May 31, 2024). "'You can judge me all you want': Trader Joe's customer says you shouldn't return shopping carts". The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  13. ^ Lewis, Barry (August 20, 2021). "Barry Lewis: Shopping cart mayhem and civil society". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  14. ^ Solé, Elise (June 3, 2024). "Mom faces backlash for explaining why she doesn't return her shopping cart at the grocery store". Today. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Fry, Hannah (June 3, 2024). "Do you return your shopping cart? A psychologist's answer on TikTok enraged thousands". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
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