The ‘shopping cart theory’ supposedly tests if you are a good person or not

While the morality aspect is complicated, our shopping carts really do say something about who we are.

By

Zoheb Alam

Apr 16, 2024

By Zoheb Alam

April 16, 2024

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Photo credit: Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels I Photo by Pixabay – Array

Most of us have been in situations where we had to spend a couple of extra minutes to complete shopping at grocery stores because of scattered carts. This shopping cart dilemma has turned into something of a debate online, with many believing that the way people handle these carts reveals some core truths about their character. A post by a user named Blake Robbins (@blakeir) has now stirred up a debate as it describes a character-defining theory that determines if a person is good or not by their way of putting their shopping carts away.

This theory lays down the framework of how the whole concept works. It states, “The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing.” The theory also mentions how it is right to return the shopping cart saying, “To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it.”

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The post says that not returning a shopping cart is “not illegal” and this is where the complexity lies. “Therefore, the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you…no one will fine you, or kill you… you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart.” The post goes on to jokingly call those who don’t return carts “animals” and “savages” who can only be compelled to do what’s right by force.

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The post has received plenty of inquiries from other users and has sparked a debate on the morality of this concept. Many people have sided with the fact that it is right to return the trolley whereas, a section of users have simply ignored the theory and have stuck to their belief of not returning the shopping cart.

Joining this online debate on shopping carts, a user (@Orctits) decided to post a picture of various shopping carts in a store and how people use them – each cart defining a certain personality. Here’s the tweet:

The “shopping cart theory” has been around for a few years now and yet, there is no clear answer to whether returning the shopping cart to the store defines our character or not.

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Firefighter Maddie Geer was shocked when she heard the news. Another firefighter was diagnosed with stage five kidney failure out of nowhere. She rushed to volunteer her kidney to save her colleague’s life. That colleague also happened to be her husband.

Geer and her husband, Robert Coleman Jr., fell in love while training to become firefighters at different stations. Last year, they got married. This year, after visiting a doctor to address fatigue issues, Coleman found that he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease.

It was a total surprise

“What really threw us for a loop, though, is the fire department does very thorough physicals, and nothing was caught with my blood pressure,” Coleman told Action News 5. “Blood pressure was good when I was going into my doctor’s meetings, but at night, my blood pressure was just going out of control. So, that’s what the scary part is.”

Not only that, but Coleman had stage five kidney failure. He needed a new kidney as soon as possible. Geer leapt to volunteer.

“Ever since he got diagnosed with it, I was like‚ ’If I’m a match, it’s meant to be because I’m going to give you my kidney,’” said Geer.

“(Maddie) was just itching to help me in any kind of way. It ended up being the most miraculous way,” Coleman told 12 News.

A perfect match

Geer took the necessary tests and found she was a perfect donor match for her husband. They underwent the transplant to rounds of cheers from friends, family, and hospital workers. After the transplant, Coleman immediately felt the change.

“Once I saw him, he looked like a new person,” said Geer. “His face was lit up; he had a smile I hadn’t seen in a while.”

“I felt alive again,” he said. “She gave me a chance at a second life.”

While the two are itching to get back to their jobs, they have to wait until they’re fully recovered. Knowing that taking the proper time off to heal impacts their income, Geer’s sister Caitlyn has set up a GoFundMe for the couple. The money will be used to help with household expenses and follow-up doctor’s visits.

Check for signs, see your doctor regularly

There’s one thing that Robert Coleman Jr. hopes people do after hearing his story. He’s advocating that everyone gets their annual physical and regular checkups with their doctors.

“No one is invincible, and I learned the hard way,” he said.

It’s important to be mindful and alert about any changes in your body. The signs for kidney disease can be pretty mundane. Symptoms include swelling in the ankles and feet, frequent urination, and trouble sleeping among others. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s probably best to check with your doctor. It may be scary, but it’s best address any issue you may experience for the best chance of an optimal outcome.

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Julie also has some little human friends cheering her on as she settles into her new home. The pupils at Wenhaston Primary School near Halesworth, Suffolk, England, are keeping track of Julie’s progress during their science lessons. After learning about Julie’s life in the circus, they wanted to show their support. They were delighted to hear that Julie was enjoying her new life at the sanctuary.

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The children’s teacher, Emma Skinner, added, “[The students are] just completely in love with the fact that she’s been released and is in a wonderful place, doing all these wonderful things that she’s not been able to do for such a long time.”

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A teenager is being praised for pulling off a heroic act straight out of an American western film. The boy saved a man from drowning by lassoing him like a cowboy.

Fourteen-year-old Jory Thomas was just visiting with his grandparents on their campground near Yellowstone River. Jory had his lariat to practice the roping skills he’d been learning for the past year. That’s when he heard cries for help from the nearby river.

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Practice prepared him for this moment

“This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” said Jory. “Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone go in front of me.”

Jory had been practicing using a lariat to rope a dummy on his parents’ ranch nearly every afternoon when the weather was fair. Ready for action, Jory ran into the shallower part of the river, getting chest-deep into the water. Letting his training do the work, Jory took his 12-foot lariat and lassoed the drowning man.

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Jory slowly pulled the man to shore as first responders arrived.

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Jory’s family was proud but not too surprised that he leapt into action. To them, being helpful was just Jory being Jory.

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