A recent incident involving a mother of two has ignited a heated debate after she openly admitted to never returning her shopping cart.
Leslie Dobson, a psychologist and popular social media content creator based in Los Angeles, faced a barrage of criticism following her revelation.
In a TikTok video that garnered nearly 11 million views, Dobson defiantly stated that she never returns her shopping cart, and people can judge her all they want.
She expressed concerns about leaving her kids unattended in the car while she returned the cart, fearing they could be abducted.
To support her argument, she gave statistics, claiming that 265 children were kidnapped in parking lots in America last year, with half of them being sexually assaulted.
However, the source of these statistics was a nonprofit organization that relied on reviewing news stories, making the figures unreliable.
Furthermore, Dobson highlighted another factor that prevented her from returning the cart, which was leaving the car running and unoccupied, which is illegal in some states.
She emphasized that in certain parking lots, returning the cart could entail a considerable walk, potentially leading to legal consequences.
While Dobson's concerns for her children's safety and adherence to the law may be valid, her decision has sparked a considerable backlash.
Some reference the "shopping cart theory," which posits that a person's decision to return or abandon a cart reflects their moral character.
Many TikTok users expressed their commitment to returning carts, even in adverse weather conditions or while facing physical challenges.
They emphasized the importance of teaching children to be responsible and considerate members of society.
Dobson responded to the backlash by defending her stance and highlighting the potential dangers that exist in parking lots.
She also mentioned that lawyers specializing in parking lot crimes have sued grocery stores, indicating that there are legitimate concerns regarding safety.
When my kids where young I would park ad close to the trolley bay and I would take the kids to the trolley bay with me take them out of the trolley and walk them back to the car. Because that's what a normal person does but I guess you would need to able to thi k outside the box, one user said.
She's the reason my car has dents in.....I find it ignorant people can't be bothered to push there trolley in the trolley park, the second user said.
lady your the reason why cars get damaged and you wont own up to the fact you did it and your more likely to have an accdent in a car and not give the deails to the other driver and the reason so many trolleys get damaged, the third user commented.
Lol at this woman, I have 3 children under 10, I put them in the car while I load the shopping and take them back out when I return the trolley, for this reason, another wrote.
