Picture of sign at TargetI was looking through the pictures I’ve taken on my cell phone and I came across this one, which I had forgotten about until now. The picture isn’t great since it was dark at the time and my cell phone camera isn’t the greatest, but I brightened it up a little in Photoshop, at least enough to read it (click on the image for the full-size pic). It shows a sign now posted at the local Target store which reads “Our shopping carts will lock if taken beyond the parking lot boundary. The boundary is marked by distinctive yellow lines.”
This subject came up while we were having dinner down the street at Macaroni Grill, since someone had noticed it earlier that day, and Martha suggested that a field trip was in order to study this and attempt to discover how it worked (or perhaps more interestingly, whether it could be circumvented).
I didn’t snap a photo of the wheel, but the way it worked was that one of the four standard wheels on each cart was replaced by a slightly more bulky gray wheel, with no other additional components that were visible. The first test was to determine whether the wheel locking was triggered by proximity to the store, or by crossing some sort of “border”. After trying to push one over the painted line and seeing it lock, we then went further down the lot, and tried to go up to the street farther away from the actual entrance/exit, but the wheel still locked. At this point I suspected that it was a proximity limit from the store and that it would lock any time you got far enough away from the store, but I was eventually able to wheel it to the far end of the parking lot and get around and out to the street, so the proximity theory is out. (BTW, I don’t have any pictures of me triumphantly riding it down the middle of the road either, so you’ll just have to take my word for it). Must be some sort of electro-magnetic trigger that will lock the wheel if the wheel passes close enough, but I either found a blind spot in the border or went over it fast enough that the lock was not able to engage.
After several experiments, we ended up with quite a collection of locked carts, which brought to mind the entertaining possibility of figuring out how the locks are triggered and then going around the store and locking all the carts.
One point that I was wondering about was who is stealing the Target carts? It would seem that the street population prefers the “classic” steel variety (my theory on this is that they can’t always be too picky with their wardrobe, so they need the more easily integrated neutral color instead of the bright red Target style), so that leaves me to wonder where they are all going?
7 Comments
yeah, when i saw the signs, i of course did the experiment, but i didn’t go to the same ends as you crazy kids. i just locked one cart then attempted to look casual as i returned it to its proper receptical, which isn’t easy since they have to be towed by the front, tipping the cart just a little bit, but not too far. i was kinda pissed that the cart locked up a ways before the painted line. like i could’ve pulled the cart to the side of my car to load up and had it lock on me. did you try carrying the cart over the line?
Thanks, babe. Glad to see you have attributed the idea to the correct party. And a link, to boot!
Yes, we tried lifting up the back (so that it wasn’t in contact with the ground), but it still locked, although maybe it just wasn’t high enough. Picking one up over your head might work; I guess now we have to go back and try it.
you guys are too wild for me, but at least remember to take photos this time.
yes, photos please. You two *are* a caution and always surprising, what with Martha taking Hip-hop dance and you being a commie and all (kidding.)
Hee hee, Michel…yes we have secret lives. Just imagine all you DON’T know about us!
This is too funny!!!
I recently experienced this bit of fun with the carts in a kind of backwards way. Which is to say I had not seen the signs at all to begin with (too focused on my task I guess) and upon my recent arrival and parking on the side of Target (where there is almost always a space)(next to the new construction) I walked to the nearest cart recepticle to grab a cart (Only 1 there!!! hmmm!) only to find that the front wheel was stuck. Of course I wrote it off instantly as a defective cart (not an uncommon find in most retail lots).
I then proceeded into the store, grabbed a “good” cart and happily glided along to my shopping.
On my way back to my car (with a fairly full cart) and before I even got 5 feet from the side wall of Target, the front wheel of my cart locked up! Drat! I thought ..what are the odds of this..me grabbing a second defective cart.. doing all the shopping without a hitch only to be stopped dead in my tracks…half way to my car! I cursed Target and the cart, apologised to God for cursing (then realised my own oversight) inspected the locked wheel, considered that dirt must have gotten into the bearings somehow, thought about lifting the whole cart, then proceeded to pop a wheelie so as to get the cart within unpacking distance.
On the way home I pondered this experience for a moment the dismissed the whole thing.
Thanks for this enlightening and hysterical post.
You Bangs ROCK!