$1 cart deposit

We've always had stores here with 25 cent cart deposit things on the handle. No biggie, I always have quarters in my purse/pocket for them. A grocery store here has just gone to deposit carts and its not 25 cents. Its $1. (we use dollar coins in Canada)

I rarely go there but they had some things I wanted today was surprised. I didn't know they were going to cart rental and didn't have $1 on me. (quarters and $2 coins but no $1) Apparently lots of people are getting caught out since there was a sign saying to get correct change at the customer service desk.

 

WOW! but I guess it does force people to return the cart.

I have never even seen a .25c charge for a cart around here. I have for a baby cart rental at the mall but not a shopping cart at the food market

 

There is one store in particular that has a loonie cart deposit, SUPERSTORE... We used to shop there a bunch, but when the new SuperWalmart opened up 3 blocks away, we rarely go to Superstore anymore. Only if they have some great advertised stuff. Most of our grocery stores have the quarter deposit. One thing Superstore has done that has helped is to sell a keychain loonie token for a loonie. It's the same size as a loonie, but has a little hole in it that attaches to a keychain (included) that you can just unhook to use it. You are never without a loonie when you need one... I wish somebody would do that for quarter buggies!

 

One of those for the quarter carts would be FANTASTIC! You should invent it and go on Dragon's Den. (a week they have Galen Weston Jr, my TV boyfriend, guest hosting)

Our Superstore doesn't do the cart deposit thing, its just No Frills, Price Choppers, Food Basics (see the common thread there...)

 

I'm confused - (culture question, I guess) - do you have to take your cart back inside the store to get your deposit back?? That would be hard with the little ones, I would think - I always park nearest to the cart corral so I can dump the kids in the car, the groceries in the car, and the cart in the corral right there - wouldn't work too well if I had to take the cart back inside.

Hmmm . . .

 

I was wondering that too...well that and I would hate to have to pay to use a cart every time I went to the store. I hardly carry cash on me as it is...much less change!! Just doesn't seem practical to me. Do they have alot of problem with "shopping cart theft" in Canada?

 

The carts have a thing on the handle that you push your coin into and it releases the chain to the cart in front of it. I know the Aldi I've been to uses the same system.

Heres a pic I found on a site about Vienna.

The cart correls in the parking lot have the chain hook ups in the middle so you can return them there (and add onto the end of the line) and pop your coin out. Or when someone going in sees you are done, they will give you money and take your cart. (or up your karma and wave off the coin)

As for shopping cart theft. I grew up a kilometre from a grocery and we'd always have carts in the park across the street. The store has gone rental and there hasn't been one.

 

Cool thanks for the info...makes much more sense now.

 

Around here (Portland, OR area) we have several different stores that have carts where the wheels lock up if you take them outside the perimeter of the stores property. I think it's a radio controlled lock on the wheel.

 

We have the carts here although they have the option for $1 or $2 its always been that way, it makes people take there trollies back instead of dumping them. It came out like 3 year ago here.

 

I can see where it may benefit the store to charge for a cart however I totally hate shopping at places like that! also at Aldi here they charge for bags - I hate that too!! I am probably a shopping snob!

 

There is not a grocery store in town that doesn't charge for bags now. Even the high end full service ones are 5 cents. The last one started charging in October. Goes well with my New Years Resolution not to use plastic. (still keeping it)

 

Only one place charges for bags, most offer the environmentally friendly bags for $1 each.

 

Aldi's is the only place around here that does that. The carts and the bags are a big part of their advertising, though. You know that Aldi's does it to keep cost done and that they really are cheaper, so the hassle becomes more acceptable.

While no other stores around here charge for bags, our Kroger does give us $.06 off our total bill for bringing in our own canvas bags.

 

I got on last year for my keychain that has the quarter & loonie size.

No, you can return to the corral too.

 

No, it just encourages people to put them back where they belong.

 

You don't actually pay anything for the cart. I like that stores started charging for bags as it has gotten me into the habit of bringing my own.

 

Only Aldi does around here and i've never been. Almost all of the stores have the remote lock system though

 

The coin keychain thing is working its way across the country....BC.....Alberta....

 

I would love to have one of those too! I can usually scrape up a quarter from somewhere, but I sometimes have a hard time finding a loonie. Most of the stores in my area aren't charging for bags yet. Just Superstore & I hate that store, I can never find anything!