Multiple times I have gone into the store in order to, well you know, buy some items (of importance or not is irrelevant here). These items are most efficiently carried in the use of a rolling device known quite universally as the shopping cart or buggy and not so universally as the "grocery trolley" (by not so universally, I mean, I just made this up). However, there have been many times I go to grab the shopping cart and find it sopping wet which means my hands are now wet which means I can't function until I find a towel with which to dry my hands. This also means that whatever I place in the cart will get wet and in order to prevent this I will instead try to carry stuff in my hands which negates the use of the cart to begin with. Not acceptable. Okay, okay, so we get past the "sometimes wet" cart and begin to think of the functions of the cart itself. What is the cart's purpose? Answer: to give ease to the shopper by allowing him/her/it to select a large number of items that would ordinarily be impossible to carry on one's own. "Ease" here is a word that means "to make something ordinarily difficult or rather impossible become possible or easy (and correspondingly cause no annoyances whatsoever)." The ease which the cart often provides me is quite regularly accompanied by one or both of two annoyances: the squeaky spinning singular wheel or the European style of all 4 wheels having equal mobility resulting in the rather difficult task of turning the cart right or left.
First off, the squeaky wheel. How often do you, upon entering the grocery store, being faced with the bazillion carts from which to choose and under the pressure of the public eye, quickly choose a cart only to regret the decision you made seconds later? I've experienced this many times. I find that after a few seconds of pushing my cart down the aisles, there happens to be one single wheel that does not believe in conformity. This wheel has ventured into a realm of its own, leaving the others behind as it spins in quick 360 degree turns over and over again. As much as I would like to applaud the wheel for not bowing under peer pressure from his wheelie comrades, I do not. For what does this spinning wheel mean for me, the casual shopper? An irritating squeaking noise that persists through the entirety of my shopping experience. Not acceptable.Oh and have you ever seen those carts that require coins in order to use them? They are common in Europe but I've seen them here in the States too at places such as IKEA (which happens to be one of the best stores in the world and not just because of their nifty furniture... ever had their meatballs? No? Go. Now. I mean it. Why are you still reading this? They are INCREDIBLE... especially with the lingonberry sauce. YUM). Um where were we? Oh yeah coin-required buggys. See, the problem lies in those times where you are in a hurry and/or can't find or don't have any coinage on you because then you are left with no options for carts (and really, there is only so much furniture one can carry with their hands.. most I've managed is a loveseat and three bookcases and that was pushing it for me). Have I mentioned the meatballs that IKEA has? I suppose there are good aspects of these coin-required carts in that the only way to get the coin back is if you return the buggy to its original location. This would eliminate the extraordinarily annoying carts in parking spots that make Walmart a nightmare to park at. Meatballs.That is, it would if everyone actually cared enough to get their coins back. I still feel like people would be too lazy to care and the problem would persist, especially if it's just a quarter they would be losing. And that is most definitely not acceptable.
Agreed about the meatballs! Ever had the alfredo! So yum! =)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.
ReplyDelete