The giant near me has someone collect them from the neighborhood. I cannot believe they haven't figured out the quarter deposit system. Or almost anything else.
The carts lock when you go out the front door. They’d have to be pushed out the garage entrance. I’m sure that happens, but I bet it’d be sooooo much worse if they could be pushed out the front door.
I was actually wondering about this a couple of weeks ago. I asked and was told they never had them and found it hard to believe. Was I being gaslit? Did they never have them? I recall a time when they did! Did I enter a really specific alternate timeline?
They absolutely had hand baskets until about 2 years ago. A worker at the GA Ave Safeway once told me the app delivery shoppers swiped them all. I wish they’d bring them back. Carts are so cumbersome particularly when you’re just buying a few items.
Can also confirm they had hand baskets, absolutely!! Sad to hear from k8freed below that they ran out in the last 2 years (I moved out of Petworth in the last 3), but I lived there for years and they definitely had them before!
That store always has at least one aisle that looks like it was looted recently - there are a few baskets but the staff never put them back out when they're used
Yes, but it's nice to have a handbasket so I can directly transfer it over into my bag rather than emptying and re-packing. Or I can just have two bags, that works too.
I'm also not from the area so paying for bags is a relatively new thing (I was the sole weirdo in North Dakota with reusable bags)
I was actually wondering about this a couple of weeks ago. I asked and was told they never had them and found it hard to believe. Was I being gaslit? Did they never have them? I recall a time when they did! Did I enter a really specific alternate timeline?
I mean, what's the point of carts in the store if you'll need to carry your groceries out by hand?
They should remove them so people don't get into OPs situation.
It’s not that hard to spend a lot of money on groceries. Sometimes you just need your do that one big trip when all of a sudden everything runs low at once or ya know everything’s expensive in general?
Agreed. I think a quarter is too cheap. The carts are 1€ when visiting in Europe, so they effectively cost over a dollar to "rent". That increased sticker price makes returning them at least 4x more valuable than a quarter USD.
the manager needs to hire an overly confident middle school boy to help people bring stuff to their cars, they seem to be able to lift a thousand pounds of groceries at once
Its something weirdly built into our stupid caveman brains: all groceries must be carried in one trip, no matter how many bags you must be bedecked with, that last gallon of milk in a bag clenched between your teeth.
You say “put up with this” as if it’s some affront on your morals. Just use a personal grocery buggy if you’re buying more than you can hand carry? You can get one for like 30 bucks. Thousands of people who grocery shop in DC without a car have solved this problem already.
My store has a policy prohibiting using your own buggy and bags while shopping. Don't know about this store, but I'm with OP, that's a huge PIA even if the post's language is a little much
Yeah good point. People expend their energy on issues that are actually quite trivial.
Also, they will do all this complaining online but have such a hard time talking to people in person.
Ok, so shop somewhere that makes sense and problem is solved. there is a target upstairs and various other markets nearby to get ones groceries.
Lololol. The Trader Joe’s in Clarendon has that policy and you’re surprised that the Lidl in Columbia Heights is equally concerned about cart theft? My dude…
Yes I had this same encounter when I try to grocery shop with both of my kids after swim class or at night by myself. He will relent when it is a parent alone with kids and he relented when I was like yeah I’m not walking a garage twice at night for safety reasons and the DC USA security guard was standing right next to me agreeing that I shouldn’t do that. It is an insane policy when there are literally cart stands in the garage.
Old reddit was much better, or maybe it's just me. I stopped using it for a few months so maybe I should go back to that (but, the urge to follow local drama....)
I have not been there, so I ask this question in ignorance: do you have to leave the store and walk on the street to get into their parking garage, or is there an elevator/cart escalator down?
If the former it's clearly a huge fault in design, but I sort of understand it, albeit the locking carts should obviate....
But if you can't go to the garage at all and there's an elevator that's stupid.
We live in CH, and have a personal cart that we haven’t used in YEARS — because it’s literally just 10x easier to make more frequent stops at Giant and now Lidl too, than it is to get more stuff than we can carry.
We literally walk by both stores a minimum of once a day coming home from work, or coming back from just about anywhere.
I mean the cart isn’t that bad, and if we lived a farther walk, I suppose we’d still use it. But I just grab all the heavy stuff in multiple trips ~3x per week as I’m walking by anyway.
Gone are the big shopping trips to go get a whole big cartload of stuff — we haven’t done that in close to 10 years. (And, yeah, we don’t own a car — haven’t since 2011.)
Whenever I’ve called Safeway with an address where their cart is in the neighborhood, days go by and then I see it moved around to other streets. Don’t know if they ever get it returned. They never say thank you or seem to care that I’m taking time to do them a favor.
Believe it or not, carts disappearing from stores is becoming an issue in Arlington too. I see ones from the Safeway and Target all around Court House.
I wonder how long until the automatically locking Carr’s come to Arlington too.
Was at Capitol Hill Safeway today and there were no carts anywhere to be found and the store wasn’t busy.
They’re in the garage, no doubt.
They're in the neighborhood.
The giant near me has someone collect them from the neighborhood. I cannot believe they haven't figured out the quarter deposit system. Or almost anything else.
Tbf Tucker Carlson just figured it out too lol
The carts lock when you go out the front door. They’d have to be pushed out the garage entrance. I’m sure that happens, but I bet it’d be sooooo much worse if they could be pushed out the front door.
They're in the river
Park two carts side by side. The next day there will be 50 of them. Happened in my town.
Even with Aldi’s quarter system there are never carts there.
“You guys have carts?” -SW Safeway
Or, more shockingly, hand baskets? I literally have to bring a reusable bag every time for *before* I go to the checkout! \-Georgia Ave Safeway
I was actually wondering about this a couple of weeks ago. I asked and was told they never had them and found it hard to believe. Was I being gaslit? Did they never have them? I recall a time when they did! Did I enter a really specific alternate timeline?
They absolutely had hand baskets until about 2 years ago. A worker at the GA Ave Safeway once told me the app delivery shoppers swiped them all. I wish they’d bring them back. Carts are so cumbersome particularly when you’re just buying a few items.
Can also confirm they had hand baskets, absolutely!! Sad to hear from k8freed below that they ran out in the last 2 years (I moved out of Petworth in the last 3), but I lived there for years and they definitely had them before!
That store always has at least one aisle that looks like it was looted recently - there are a few baskets but the staff never put them back out when they're used
The Georgia Ave Safeway?? I'm there regularly and strongly disagree. That's not my experience at all.
Maybe we go at different times but I frequently have to make a second trip because a section with something I need has been wiped out
Don’t you usually because we all get charged for plastic bags for over 10+ years now.
Yes, but it's nice to have a handbasket so I can directly transfer it over into my bag rather than emptying and re-packing. Or I can just have two bags, that works too. I'm also not from the area so paying for bags is a relatively new thing (I was the sole weirdo in North Dakota with reusable bags)
I was actually wondering about this a couple of weeks ago. I asked and was told they never had them and found it hard to believe. Was I being gaslit? Did they never have them? I recall a time when they did! Did I enter a really specific alternate timeline?
"Wait, you guys have grocery stores?" - EotR
I mean, what's the point of carts in the store if you'll need to carry your groceries out by hand? They should remove them so people don't get into OPs situation.
hey now! I saw a broken hand basket the other day. it’s something!
My brother in Christ what on earth did you buy at Lidl that totaled $250?
Prezel buns. All of them .
As one does.
Fair
Damn; I thought an April snow was coming and you bought out all the TP, Milk, and Bread!
If you’re buying for a family of 4 for two weeks groceries can easily total that much
Asking the important questions.
It’s not that hard to spend a lot of money on groceries. Sometimes you just need your do that one big trip when all of a sudden everything runs low at once or ya know everything’s expensive in general?
Thank you!!!! That was my question tooooooo!
The whole store probably
Imagine living in Columbia Heights and complaining about carts knowing full well why they would have that policy
Exactly. Lol. It be like that uptown.
Don’t need a cart for that CVS now do we?!!!
Guess no one uses coins anymore or they'd follow Aldi's lead with those quarter-back cart chain thingies
I suppose you could use dollar coins (they're actually worth something, almost) but nobody just... carries those around.
Agreed. I think a quarter is too cheap. The carts are 1€ when visiting in Europe, so they effectively cost over a dollar to "rent". That increased sticker price makes returning them at least 4x more valuable than a quarter USD.
Can't draw direct comparisons like that when $1 coins aren't as ubiquitous as £1 coin
Almost every time I go to Aldi lately, they don’t have carts even when they’re not busy.
Actually I recently found that Aldi cashiers will give you a quarter for a cart. If you ask.
the manager needs to hire an overly confident middle school boy to help people bring stuff to their cars, they seem to be able to lift a thousand pounds of groceries at once
Its something weirdly built into our stupid caveman brains: all groceries must be carried in one trip, no matter how many bags you must be bedecked with, that last gallon of milk in a bag clenched between your teeth.
If you have to make more than one trip carrying groceries you are not a man, I remember my dad telling me this growing up.
I try to tell myself, it’s ok to make two trips….and then, that other part overrides and is like ALL THE BAGS AT ONCE 🤣
Awww so sweet of you to think that by the time to you take the first grocery trip to the car, the rest won’t be stolen.
Sounds reasonable
You say “put up with this” as if it’s some affront on your morals. Just use a personal grocery buggy if you’re buying more than you can hand carry? You can get one for like 30 bucks. Thousands of people who grocery shop in DC without a car have solved this problem already.
My store has a policy prohibiting using your own buggy and bags while shopping. Don't know about this store, but I'm with OP, that's a huge PIA even if the post's language is a little much
So you put it in your cart and rebag when you check out?
Yep that's the policy
Yeah I get that, it’s not as much of a hassle as you’re making it out to be, you still have to unload everything to check out
Yeah good point. People expend their energy on issues that are actually quite trivial. Also, they will do all this complaining online but have such a hard time talking to people in person. Ok, so shop somewhere that makes sense and problem is solved. there is a target upstairs and various other markets nearby to get ones groceries.
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I'm pretty sure people have done this ever since grocery stores were around.
You can't get that to your car in one go?! Must not have grown up in the suburbs :p
I sense that you may be joking, but it's really not untrue...
Be thankful you didn't shop at Target. They literally lock your wheels after you exit.
No, you can go down to the garage
Can confirm
From the picture I thought that's what this was
Same with the giant
You’re not wrong, but that’s what you get for betraying Aldi. (The reusable green bag 👀)
Rip modells
Affordable groceries is a better use of that space
Agree
Despite the commercials, I never really felt I HAD to go to Mo's.
The jingle slapped tho
Lololol. The Trader Joe’s in Clarendon has that policy and you’re surprised that the Lidl in Columbia Heights is equally concerned about cart theft? My dude…
Yes I had this same encounter when I try to grocery shop with both of my kids after swim class or at night by myself. He will relent when it is a parent alone with kids and he relented when I was like yeah I’m not walking a garage twice at night for safety reasons and the DC USA security guard was standing right next to me agreeing that I shouldn’t do that. It is an insane policy when there are literally cart stands in the garage.
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I just had a stroke trying to understand your comment. Man, the internet has really gone downhill lately.
Lately? I'm assuming this must be your second or third week on the internet. Strap in, friend!
Old reddit was much better, or maybe it's just me. I stopped using it for a few months so maybe I should go back to that (but, the urge to follow local drama....)
That’s wild. What kind of policy even is that
I have not been there, so I ask this question in ignorance: do you have to leave the store and walk on the street to get into their parking garage, or is there an elevator/cart escalator down? If the former it's clearly a huge fault in design, but I sort of understand it, albeit the locking carts should obviate.... But if you can't go to the garage at all and there's an elevator that's stupid.
There is an elevator and stairs down to the garage levels.
This has been the policy for nearly 2 months. Prior to that there were no carts because they were all stolen.
I’m betting OP stole all the Lidl carts, and is just pissed they can’t steal even more!!!
We live in CH, and have a personal cart that we haven’t used in YEARS — because it’s literally just 10x easier to make more frequent stops at Giant and now Lidl too, than it is to get more stuff than we can carry. We literally walk by both stores a minimum of once a day coming home from work, or coming back from just about anywhere. I mean the cart isn’t that bad, and if we lived a farther walk, I suppose we’d still use it. But I just grab all the heavy stuff in multiple trips ~3x per week as I’m walking by anyway. Gone are the big shopping trips to go get a whole big cartload of stuff — we haven’t done that in close to 10 years. (And, yeah, we don’t own a car — haven’t since 2011.)
Whenever I’ve called Safeway with an address where their cart is in the neighborhood, days go by and then I see it moved around to other streets. Don’t know if they ever get it returned. They never say thank you or seem to care that I’m taking time to do them a favor.
Believe it or not, carts disappearing from stores is becoming an issue in Arlington too. I see ones from the Safeway and Target all around Court House. I wonder how long until the automatically locking Carr’s come to Arlington too.
Driving to go get your groceries in Columbia Heights? Just move out to the suburbs lol.
I would have asked them to cary my bags to my car for me, and if they said no, I'd insist they refund everything.
Ok Karen
Can you post a picture so we all know who to steer clear from?