[DouglasKC]

As opposed to leaving the cart anywhere in the lot for other people to traverse and maneuver round. It's not about morality testing, saving money, or stopping theft. It's about safety. Yes, there is a moral component. Leaving your chart anywhere is like dropping your trash where you're standing. It shows you disrespect others and their property. Social mores maintain social order.

I'll grant that the solution is better than the alternative. But I resist the notion that courtesy and morality are synonymous.

[yesthatjallen]

"I resist the notion that courtesy and morality are synonymous."

Courtesy: being polite. Morality: knowing right from wrong.

Shopping carts are strewn throughout minority communities. They're there because residents take them and then, instead of returning them, abandon them and repeat this process every time they shop.

Is this stealing? Are they acting morally? Do they know right from wrong? Is making your community look like a ghetto courteous behavior?

Synonymous or not, the end result is the same. Urban blight.