XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.books   
   From: pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu   
      
   Greg Goss  writes:   
      
   > "J. Clarke"  wrote:   
   >   
   >>FWIW, Aldi, which makes a great show of frugality (they rent you   
   >>shopping carts for 25 cents for example to make sure you return them to   
   >>the proper place thus saving them the cost of a cart collector) will   
   >>take debit cards but not credit cards in the US, which suggests that   
   >>debit fees are less than credit fees.   
   >   
   > Almost all supermarkets require a deposit to unlock their carts.   
   >   
   > I consider the size of that deposit to be an indicator of the wealth   
   > of the community that the supermarket is set into.   
   >   
   > Supermarkets in really rich communities still don't need deposits.   
   > Medium-rich supermarkets want a quarter to unlock the cart.  Poor to   
   > middle-class supermarkets want (in my country) a dollar coin.   
   > Supermarkets in really poor areas have the carts barricaded to the   
   > area next to the entrance, and you have to bring your vehicle to the   
   > cart.   
   >   
   > The WalMart about six miles from me is in a poorer neighborhood than   
   > where I live.  It has electronic wheel locks that provide a similar   
   > effect to that barricade.  But I was surprised that the wheels lock up   
   > if you take the cart into the rest of the mall instead of to your car.   
   >   
   > There are two supermarkets close to me and one a little bit further.   
   > One wants a buck, the further one wants a quarter, and the closest one   
   > provides staff with DIFFERENT carts to take groceries to your car,   
   > though they don't stop you from taking the "inside" carts to your car   
   > if there's not a packer handy.  No deposit at all on this one.  The   
   > area between me and the "free" supermarket is upper-middle.  I don't   
   > have a feel for the money class of the area on the other side of the   
   > free one.  The "buck" one and the quarter one are both near   
   > lower-middle class neighborhoods.   
      
   I've never seen a store (grocery store, supermarket, drug store -- any   
   store) that wanted a deposit for a shopping cart.  I've seen several   
   that have the electronic locks, with a sign saying it'll lock up if you   
   take it past the parking lot.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)