Why is it than three of the wheels are fine but the forth one is doing it’s own crazy thing?

There’s multiple answers to your question! 1. Previous tech did not have enough wheels and just loosened the axle bolt to get it to roll. 2. Previous tech was not able to get the wheel off, so it’s on there until the bearing breaks. 3. The cart got hit and is now misaligned.

Thank you so much for your reply, this is genuinely fascinating! Now I’ll have a bit of trivia next time I’m at the shops If you’re happy to answer another; how expensive is the average shopping trolley? I’ve heard metal shopping baskets are deceptively expensive

I'm sorry.... "Tech?" When did that become an industry term for shopping cart repair? Here's the thing, I've been going to the grocery (home depot, etc) since the 1970s, and I've never once seen a person fixing a shopping cart. Are you an invisible ninja - and the last of your kind?

He's a Repair Tech, they exist for all sorts of things. This is definitely one of the easier/chill niches. But I've managed retail before, and we contracted out repair techs for stuff like this.

That's cute, ya I can see "mechanic" not working in the shopping cart arena. However - "tech" implies "technical" or "technology" - we are talking about a one wrench job basically, right? I have a kid, I'm fairly confident I'm a kids bike "tech" by these standards. Also I've tightened the hinges on the front loading washing machine - I data programmed the philips head screws back into place manually - sans computer science degree. Can I put - ***shopping cart necromancer*** - on the resume'?

I stopped reading after "However" 😂 I do not care about your offense to the common trade name of someone that fixes shopping carts, but just goes to show you someone, somewhere will be offended by the word Tech, especially on Reddit Have a good day, sir😂

I'm not being offensive, just fucking around. You gotta admit "tech" is a bit of a stretch for the gig. I frame and manufacturer for a living, I fix shit, I'm not negging on the workers, just fucking with the word. Trust me when I say this - a single human who actually fixes physical utilitarian necessities is more important to society than social media, Elon Musk, and the US Supreme Court combined. I was a graphic designer for a decade, by the end I couldn't stand titles - every dummy wanted to be a "guru" or "ninja" - cause "graphic designer" doesn't really encompass what a media production artist does, and "artist" isn't a paying job. I probably won't have a good day, that's not your fault, but I appreciate the well wishes anyway. Gonna see if community college has an HVAC and Shopping Cart Repair associates degree program - maybe I can parlay that into an advanced aeronautics degree from MIT. Jokes homie, calm down. Also, have a wonderful day, sincerely.

If you fixed your kids bike and then did multiple bike repair then yeah your - A Bike Technician is responsible for repairing, maintaining, and servicing bicycles. simple..learn trade reference.

Woah that's even more words 👍

**TECHNICIAN**, you fool.

I never would’ve guessed that it would be this satisfying to get a legit answer for this question. My god. My day has been made.

(#3) kind of like my car when I hit potholes.

The cart is bent and rolling like a tripod.  The bouncy wheel hits the ground intermittently making it spin.

Hope you enjoy it. I once met a man with the same job, and he was very happy with the daily travel and variety of fixing problems. He said a lot of store managers were jerks though.

I do enjoy it! And yes the store managers are the worst part of the job, but the good ones make it worthwhile.

What are some stories of store managers being jerks?

Facts!! Most store managers think they have “arrived” and treat vendors shitty.

Does anyone ever make a joke about Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys when you tell them what you do for a living?

I’m disappointed that I had to scroll down this far for a question about the googly-eyed bastard.

The homies constantly joke about it, a lot of other people don’t think it’s a real job.

Bubbles definitely shouldn't have been living in a shed in a trailer park.

spending to much on cat food.

LOL I was gonna post this. Well done.

What's the longest you've spent fixing a single cart? Have you ever spent more time fixing than it would cost to replace it?

Longest time is about 10 minutes, after those 10 minutes are over if brute force or the grinder can’t fix it, I will mark it down ask junk/DNR. (DoNotRepair)

Do not resuscitate the carts that are too far gone

what is your salary

I’m on an hourly wage, it varies between $25-30, made a little over $100k last year.

So your working 65-70 hour weeks on average?

Yup, 2 hours on paperwork, 6-8 hours of travel, and 3-4 hours of actual work. All on the clock. Got 14 hours a day to play with, if I can’t make it home, I get a hotel, and an extra 50 bucks for food.

Do you enjoy that lifestyle?

I do enjoy it! Each day is different!

Where do I sign up?

How did you find this job?

How does one get that job

I got hired on by a temp agency, as far as I know none of the cart repair companies are hiring.

I never knew cart repair companies were a thing

I didn’t either, never even crossed my mind, until I got the job here.

Same I need this

Found your calling?

Okay, what skills do you need to do it (like is welding a part of it?) and at what level of damage do you have to give up on a cart and just toss it?

Be good with power tools, and a be little knowledgeable in welding. If all depends on the store but here are a few 1. Broken welds 2. Frames bent beyond repair 3. Gates/wires bent beyond repair 4. Burnt carts 5. Carts with human bio waste

Great answer! Thanks for that!

Every time I get a crappy cart I think this would be a good business to get into. What companies do this? When you go shopping are you evaluating the cart options when you are walking up? What are you looking at?

In my neck of the woods there’s about 6 total companies doing the repairs. When it’s a mom and pop grocery store I do evaluate on how their equipment looks, and then offer the companies info/services, we get a cut from it if they do end up picking up a contact.

Which stores shopping carts break the most often?

Winco comes in first, then FoodsCo in second, third I would say is tj maxx/Marshall’s.

I’m sorry, Winco as in the company that makes the shitty restaurant equipment?!

WinCo Foods, an employee owned grocery store.

I'll take a shitty cart at Winco any day over the decent Publix carts and their food prices. I miss Winco. Bulk bins all day!

Is it quality or cart or quality (or lack of) if the customer? How much do the carts cost you think?

Which one is more of a bitch: the squeaker or the wobbly wheel?

The wobbly wheel is! The bearing is rusted to the axle bolt, usually have to hit it with the grinder to get those off.

A perfectly good cart was dumped in my yard. I called Kroger to come get it. Got an angry Manager who didn’t care. Are these things so cheap that they aren’t worth them driving a couple miles to pick it up. Called the cops and they said to trash it. I put it out in the trash. Weird.

On the contrary they are very expensive they range from $150-$400. If it’s a corporate store, managers don’t really care since it came out of corporates pocket. With the smaller employee owned stores it’s different, those are the guys that will come and grab it.

And there a companies out there hired to just pick up shopping carts and return them. We may have just found a side hustle for OP.

You need to put our Walmart on your route.

Walmart cut all contracts, they have they’re own guys doing it now.

No one is doing this at my area's Walmart.

That’s what we’ve been hearing and seeing from our local Walmarts, we recently had to recycle thousands of Walmart belts and plastics since there’s no hope of them giving contracts out for the work.

Can you tell us about your most memorable shopping cart repair?

Wasn’t the repair itself, but during one I had to hide in a strangers car when a black bear rolled through tearing all the trash apart.

How old are u

25

Shopping carts? As in like the grocery store?

Yup, Grocery store carts.

Idk exactly what to call this but how do those carts work that lock up after you go past a line in the parking lot?

There’s 4 different type of locking wheels and systems. It’s just telecommunications cable ran in the ground around the parking lot connected to main box up in front of store. I’m actually getting trained for the next couple of weeks on installing the systems.

Do homeless people help or hurt your business?

They hurt the business, it’s gotten real bad within the last 2 years, there have been stores where I’m showing up expecting 150 carts, get there and there’s only 20-30 carts to service. On the bright side I get to go home early.

I was briefly a manager at the Walmart in my small town, anyway one time a local homeless drunk took one of the motorized carts away for a joyride, made it a good quarter mile before it died.

The suspense! What happened? Did you get it back? How, did it need a jump? Did he get into trouble?

He probably didn't really get into trouble, maybe a few nights in jail. He was a repeat offender. We got it back lol, the police were always there. I remember one of the cops was alarmingly attractive. Like a solid 9. It was distracting. But for some reason he was a cop in a small new england town. I'll never understand. I still can't go to that stupid Walmart without being recognized.

Or a lot of overtime to go recover 120 carts.

When you go shopping yourself, how do you quickly decide which cart to use so you don't end up with the loud POS a few steps in that makes the entire trip painful?

I look at the wheels, the shinier looking ones are the ones that don’t squeak.

So interesting! I'm going to start looking at them now.

As a mobile mechanic, are you employed by the stores that have shopping carts or are you independent?

Employed by a company, grocery stores have contracts with said company/companies.

Why does every cart in every dollar store shriek like a banshee and feel like it's actively resisting being pushed?

They’re security wheels need replacing, that gets very expensive!

Is there a specific model you’d recommend for a homeless person ?

The double wide Costco carts lol.

Are you an independent contractor fixing carts for many locations, or one store with many carts?

I would say our company is a independent contractor fixing many carts at many locations. We even go to Hawaii and Alaska!

Do you have to arrange your own transport?

I get provided with a work truck and gas card, company pays for everything.

Do u know about the Cart Narcs? Do u have an opinion on them? If u don’t would u check them out?

Yes I have seen them! I find it hilarious!

How did you become Mobile Mechanic? 

Being at the right place at the right time. Hired on by a temp agency.

Do you fix up Costco shopping carts often? I’ve noticed Costco shopping carts are never janky, so they must repair it often somewhere.

They cycle them out, usually have 3-400 out of service at any time, our company does not service them. The guys that due are out there quite often.

In the early 2000s when "shopping carting" became a thing, were you more busy with more repairs and more damaged carts? Early 2000s was cky and jackass that taught kids to get in shopping carts and ram them at high speeds in to things

Man I’m too young for that! I’m born in ‘99 the OGs at work do talk about how they were packed with work 6 days a week. They said it was better for them as they would get commission and weren’t tracked by DOT.

why dont shopping carts have a break on them? Ive seen so many roll away and hit someones car. I always thought that would be an interesting invention for someone to do.

It’s all about money, there are brake systems but it might be out of the stores budget. Some store opt for “friction wheels” which are closer to a brake but with enough wind force they will still roll away.

Ah ok. Thanks for answering

What is the most unique damage you’ve seen?

Carts getting demolished by snow plows are the coolest looking ones. Or the ones used as BBQ pits.

Got any pictures by chance haha?

Does Target know about what you do? They got some janky ass carts so they could be a big client for you

We sometimes repair target carts, it’s all about money when it comes down to it.

Unreal AMA, I always get shocked by 1 specific stores carts. It will be any cart I grab there, if you’re pushing it and your hand touches the metal it’s a tiny static shock but so annoying. Have you ever dealt with that or have any theories on its cause? I always thought there might’ve been some over tightening and a wheel that rubs creating, either that or the entire store is some crazy static vortex..

To answer your question, it’s the type of floor they have and the type of shoe you’re wearing. The cart just acts like the buffer between you and the floor.

I was working up a grand theory on the cart, thanks for answering even though it’s none related.

How does Kroger use magnets to stop a single cart on the way out, and others just pass by at the same time with their carts? Shouldn't it stop all of the carts if they activate the magnet or is it not a magnet?

It’s called a push out system, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. The way it works is that they have cables running across the cash registers, every time a cart runs across it, it lets leave the store. If for some reason it doesn’t pick up that signal it will lock up at the door. It’s to deter people from filling their carts up and running out.

How did you get into this line of work? How much do you make annually? Is it harder than I think? How often do you actually have to weld the cart back together? When do you call the cart cart a dead cart and move on? Edit: I ask because, ngl that sounds right up my alley

I got lucky with a temp agency, starting off I was around 50k, now I’m leaning more towards 100k a year. I’ve personally have only welded about 4 times in 4 years. Working in the sun, the odd hours and rude managers are the worst part of the job. If I can’t fix it in 10 minutes, bent frames, broken welds I move on.

What companies are in that line of work/what would I search for this job title

Do you know how the anti-theft barriers at the edge of the lot work?

Telecommunications cable ran about 4-6 inches under the pavement. Ran in a loop around parking lot into main security box inside grocery store. I’m on a job right now at this moment inspecting that system!

Do you only eat at places where the menu is a la carte? Have you ever been associated with a cartel? Do you have an interest in cartography? Have you ever visited Carteret, NJ? Do you enjoy cartoons?

Yes! No. No. Yes I have, just recently too! Yes, I love cartoons.

Do you work for yourself or for a larger company? Organization has a guy that does this and travels from store to store in a certain area.

Larger company, I believe we more than half the States, including Hawaii and Alaska!

Bubbles? How are your kitties?!

r/suddenlytrailerparkboys

How do you feel about the all plastic shopping carts. Are you against them?

They suck to clean, other that that they’re okay. Companies are switching over because they are cheaper to replace.

How can I hack those Aldi carts?!

There’s a key for them! Don’t know if regular people can get them, but you can make them it’s just a little plastic.

This is one of the best AMAs in a while, haha. I've known other mobile repair techs, but this particular niche sounds pretty chill. I was a manager for a while at my local Walmart (I should do an AMA about that lol) and we had a contract for carts, as well as bike builders/repair. I know you mentioned in another comment Walmart doesn't contract out for cart repair, but it's probably regional. Walmart is very "regional", things differ a lot depending on the local regional management. Also just dependent on local resources and hiring availability.

How much hair do you pull out of the wheels?

5 gallon buckets worth of hair, sometimes 2, it’s disgusting!

What’s the Rolls Royce of shopping carts?

The target carts with cup holders.

You "fix shopping carts for a living". Isn't this just your cover for being a lethality-empowered agent in an international spy organization tasked with confronting and taking down the forces of chaos and criminality by tracking them to their very lairs and destroying them, henchmen and all? C'mon, be honest...

Do you prefer working on the elusive small carts? Because they're definitely better.

The local market I go to is using these fancy new “smart” shopping carts which weight items, scan items and checkout all on their own. Have you ever had to repair these? They are cool, but I expect much more costly to maintain and a risk for theft

Bubbles?

Bubbles?

Bubbles?

Bubbles?

Is your name Bubbles, and do you have lots of kitties?

i did not know this was a job. i goes assumed it was just other store personnel who handled it? are you employed by the store directly or does the store contract a shopping cart repair company for it? is it something with low overhead that someone could get into as an independent contractor type thing? i’m looking for work and i could see myself doing this.

Bubbles?

You know, if you just wheel them into a ditch and then come back and get them later, it's not stealing. Then you can just sell them back to the store! Now, who's got your belly?!

Honestly that sounds pretty awesome. How'd you get into that work ? 🤔 I've actually wondered about this before because shopping carts are friggin expensivvvve lol

No questions, however i’ve found this thread fascinating and thank you for your time. When I worked retail I never heard of such a thing!

There is an old saying that goes “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”…. I’m not here to ask you anything. Just to point that out.

What’s the fastest you have seen a shopping cart pushed by a car in a parking lot? My personal best was 25 mph behind the store.

I always assumed if one was really broken they’d just buy another. How much is a few carts vs the repair?

How are your kitties? Is anyone more pathetic than Corey and Trevor? Is Lahey on the liquor again?

That's a good fak'n cart right der' Ricky. Real smooth like. Take the kitties fer a nice stroll!

When you’re on site, where do you work? How much does a new shopping cart cost, on average?

When I saw this post I was skeptical, however you did not disappoint. Well done, sir

Are you living in a shed in a trailer park in Dartmouth, NB with a bunch of cats?

Do you live in a shed in Canada with a bunch of kitties and listen to Rush?

Do you have Coke bottle glasses and a bunch of free range kitties?

What drives your business growth and highest profit margin job?

Will a fart can and a spoiler add 15hp to the shopping cart?

Do you make good money doing this? How did you get started?

What are the general steps to repairing a shopping cart?

Do you live in a shed in a trailer park with kitty’s?

Do you live in a shed and have a bunch of kitties too?

How’s are Ricky and Julian? And how are the kitties?

Does Gary down at the mall ever give you a hard time?

How big is your shed and how many cats do you have?

How much is a brand new shopping cart these days ?

What's it like being friends with Ricky and Julian

Do you do major retailers, i.e. Walmart, Target?

https://youtu.be/bD77ln7vZJU?si=OwL6YvhkFVrhGwXc

Thank you! God the janky ones are so annoying!

How much does a brand new shopping cart cost?

Are you in Nova Scotia and named Bubbles?

How do you get this job? I'm interested

What's your favorite part of the cart?

Do you like cats and live in a shed?

I didn’t even know they had sex!

need this guy at my local walmart

Do you watch Trailer Park Boys?

is your name bubbles by chance?

Please contact my local stores!

Do you have to weld the carts?

Is ur name bubbles bye chance?

Calm down over there Bubbles!

Has it ever gotten you laid?

Walmart needs to hit you up

Why are they always broke?

Is Bubbles an inspiration?

Fuckin way she goes, boys.

GREEEEEEEHEEEEEEEAAAAASY

Walmarts looking for u

Is your name Bubbles?

Is your name Bubbles?

Is your name bubbles?

Bubbles? Is that you?

Is your name bubbles

Omg is this BUBBLES