Why Don’t People Return Their Shopping Carts? A (Somewhat) Scientific Investigation

You’ve probably noticed them: rogue shopping carts scattered across parking lots like metal tumbleweeds. A psychologist spent months analyzing hundreds of confrontations between cart abandoners and those who call them out, and what he found is revealing. The excuses range from creative (“I’m creating jobs!”) to absurd (“I always return my cart—except this time”). But here’s the real insight: How we handle that simple choice says something meaningful about what we think we owe each other. It’s not really about the cart at all. Hannah B. Waldfogel with Behavioral Scientist has the full story and partial explanation.

Hannah B. Waldfogel

Behavioral Scientist

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