Motorized Carts are NOT toys

[Krandor]

I went to the grocery story last night and while I was there ran into two kids riding one of those motorized shopping carts around one of the "island" things in the store that had meet in it.. just around and around. Made it very tough to try to get anything out of there. Then when I was checking out found out they were ahead of me in line and the two kids come flying in with the cart without really watching where they were going causing me to have to get out of their way. Then I saw that there was an older lady with a walker in their party... I bet the cart was for her to start with but somebody the kids wanted to have fun driving it around.

I had a broke ankle earlier this year so had to use those things for a period of time so it just annoys me to see them abused in general let alone kids driving them in ways that get in other peoples way.

[Mytical]

Yeah, it kinda irks me to see otherwise perfectly healthy kids riding around on those things when others have legitimate uses for them. But they 'babysit' the kids, so the parents don't have to. When they crash into something the parents don't take the heat either.

[bainsidhe]

Oh yeah, and I've had a ten-year-old tell me she neeeeeeeeds it, while looking beseechingly at her parental unit (who I assume the cart was originally for). Parental unit had already seated herself in the awaiting SUV while others were loading the groceries. The little girl gave up the scooter. Grrr.

Racing scooters. Grrrr. Always preteens and I'll reserve my name-calling to fratching (since they were kids, after all).

Frat boys pretending they're cowboys (seriously) on the scooters. Interestingly, my generally bubbly and non-confrontational self apparently has a fearsome death glare. Cool.

Now if only my death glare extended to people taking scooters into the parking lot in all types of weather and disrepair. Nothing wrecks those things like cement and rain/ice/snow. *sigh*

[Eisa]

I will say that children and teenagers actually really might NEED to use the scooter. Just because they don't have crutches/walker/leg braces/whatever doesn't mean that they don't have medical problems that necessitate them using the scooter.

In that case, however, it sounds like they were just using it to race with, which is definitely not cool. Even if you do need it for medical issues, you have to behave with it.

[bainsidhe]

Absolutely kids may need the scooters and I'd much rather err on the side of caution that wrongly accuse someone of misusing the things. But if you're ramping along with a devilish grin and going back and forth and back and forth....yeah I can tell if you yourself honestly thought you needed one.

Oh, and the adults who bemoan their aching feet because they're wearing 4-inch heals and just *gasp* can't walk far in them...I feel no sympathy when you rant about needing a scooter while an elderly person is sitting and waiting patiently for one.

I guess it boils down to this: If you'd like to use a scooter, please don't advertise how you don't need one.

[Brojekk]

Nothing wrecks those things like cement and rain/ice/snow.

I hate that. Alot of customers bring them out to the parking lot You can't explain to them that those things are meant for indoor use only. They always whine about how are they supposed to take their groceries out to their car.

Some of the "powers in charge" allow them to take them outside in the name of "customer service" or something like that.

[blas]

They aren't meant to be outside.

Call me anything you'd like for questioning people, but I fail to see how a person with a need to use those scooters would be able to get that thing all the way up on a very high pile of snow and just leave it there.

My little brother used to hate having to go outside and fetch those stupid scooters that people took outside and ditched.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Nothing wrecks those things like cement and rain/ice/snow.

I hate that. Alot of customers bring them out to the parking lot You can't explain to them that those things are meant for indoor use only. They always whine about how are they supposed to take their groceries out to their car.

Some of the "powers in charge" allow them to take them outside in the name of "customer service" or something like that.

The scooters at the swamp have an EAS tag hidden someplace in the bowels of them. If you drive a scooter outside the EAS pedestals at the door go off.

I guess this is supposed to prevent people from driving them outside. It doesn't work. Nobody pays attention to the EAS pedestals anyway.

[blas]

Nothing stops them from going outside, short of someone keeping a close eye or some kind of alarm that can't be ignored. Might I recommend our fire alarm at work.

[EvilEmpryss]

The only time my kids are allowed to ride the buggies (as we call them; "carts" is reserved for the push-type of shopping cart ) is when we find them outside the store. They love being able to bring them back inside, park them, and plug them in. It fills them with pride to be able to tell the greeter (or nearest cashier) that they brought one of the buggies in from the lot.

Okay, I *might* send my eldest for a buggy if I tried to do the shopping without one, only to discover I've pushed myself too far for the day, but even then I'm wary of sending her. I do not want to deal with some freak who tries to jump on my responsible daughter (who drives slowly and cautiously) for bringing me a cart just because they can't think to ask her nicely where she's taking it. It's not like she jumps in it yelling "YEE-HAW!!!" and takes off with the cord dragging behind her.

I'd beat her ass if she did, and she knows it.

[Kitten in the box]

kids today have no supervision. I admit some kids do need it for legitimate reasons like for themselves or their elders they are with. I have almost been plowed down by a kid who was playing with the thing and when I yelled Shit out loud the parent gave me a death glare like I tried to kill her kid?? I mean seriously??