Over here in Germany using a shopping cart “costs” between 50 Cents and 2 €. You have to put a coin in them to release the chain by which they are attached to eachother. Of course when you return the cart and close the lock you get your coin back.
Little metal plates without monetary value but still the right size are common marketing gifts by companies and organizations yet they still provide mostly the same unconscious effect of “I want my coin back”.
Of course there are also people who use little gadgets to unlock the carts without putting anything in but I wouldnt know about such things…
That’s one of the things Aldi brought with them when they came over to the US. I’ve always thought it was a pretty cool idea, though as inflation keeps going the 25-cent lock-in becomes less and less of a motivator. Maybe a good reminder, though.
With how rarely I use cash I need my quarter back so I can use it to get a cart next time.
Putting a quarter into a cart is a thing in Canada but it’s only ever at the low income grocery stores. The ritzier stores use a locking mechanism to lock the wheels if they leave the parking lot.
