At our store we never have enough carts for the elderly or disabled, and the ones we usually do have their batteries drained and need recharging. That's because these young people, who are fully able to walk, are always taking them and joy riding in the store as they're shopping.
It makes me wonder why store management hasn't made all employees to stop anyone who looks able bodied from using them.
We stop anyone who is obviously joy-riding and politely tell them they're not meant for that, but the risk is that you stop someone who looks healthy but has a hidden condition and next thing you know it's a discrimination complaint.
While not the best option, most customer that really need them would not care about a key needed for their usage. Mr. Frontenac describes a situation that occurs in more larger stores and specially the urban ones.
We had some teenage kids a couple weeks ago playing with one of the carts. One kid was driving it, while the other was riding on the back of it.
One of our co-managers told them to get out of his store. They tried saying "But we're shopping" while having some random stuff in the cart, but he didn't have any of it. And this co-manager is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, so for him to be the one to do this, i wish i could have seen it.
We stop anyone who is obviously joy-riding and politely tell them they're not meant for that, but the risk is that you stop someone who looks healthy but has a hidden condition and next thing you know it's a discrimination complaint.
Exactly this. Not all disabilities are visible, and if someone isn't overtly goofing off you can't assume. (Same principle as service dogs, really.)
One of my family members was in a car accident last year (some guy pulled out of his driveway without looking onto a state route with a 55mph speed limit; they couldn't stop in time) and broke one of her legs pretty badly. Her bones are healed, but she has nerve damage. She looks perfectly able bodied if you can't see the limp, but there are days when she needs a cane or the electric cart because the pain is too bad.
It's a huge problem with kids joyriding on the carts-we have about 6 or 7 (depending on if one is out of order.) It really becomes a problem when a disabled person needs one and can't get one!!!!
Yeah. I have a regular customer of mine. He can't really walk without a walker. Every time he comes in, I have to give him the bad news that there isn't a cart for him. He ends up waiting by the desk, until one comes by. He's a nice guy. Feel bad that he has to wait.
At our store we never have enough carts for the elderly or disabled, and the ones we usually do have their batteries drained and need recharging. That's because these young people, who are fully able to walk, are always taking them and joy riding in the store as they're shopping.
It makes me wonder why store management hasn't made all employees to stop anyone who looks able bodied from using them.
Yep. I notice that too. The people using the carts have these qualities -- the four Fs
1) female
2) fat
3) forty-something or older
4) funky feet (yellow toe nails) and twisted toes
They love to waste everyone's time and they lost all pride in their appearances. You never see any of them at the local gym. The latest research suggests the fatter a female gets, the dumber she becomes.
The store should put diabetic pamphlets on the steering column of those scooters. I call those scooters D.I.Ms -- Diabetic Inducement Machines.
At our store we never have enough carts for the elderly or disabled, and the ones we usually do have their batteries drained and need recharging. That's because these young people, who are fully able to walk, are always taking them and joy riding in the store as they're shopping.
It makes me wonder why store management hasn't made all employees to stop anyone who looks able bodied from using them.
Like another poster said, if store management/employees stop and ask people that "look" healthy and fine, but it turns out they aren't, you're risking a scene in front of other customers (which can translate into bad PR, especially in the age of smartphones + Facebook) and/or corporate complaint. And honestly, I know I wouldn't trust some of MY co-workers to tactfully find out if a person needs the electric cart or not.
Like with most things at Kroger, it all comes down to corporate/management crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. In this case, it would be "if all the electric carts are in use, let's hope nobody else comes in looking for one!" Because above all else, Kroger is terrified of "offending" a customer and losing that business, even if the customer is in the wrong.
Our store loves to put displays of random junk in the charging areas. So, the carts get left nearby and don't get charged, or they are scattered throughout the store wherever there's an accessible outlet.
Or ditched at the bus stop. Or stolen. Or just broken.