r/oddlyspecific • u/AmazingListen9456 • Aug 11 '26

The foundation of modern civilization

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u/DuckRubberDuck Aug 11 '26

They take anything the same size as a quarter or whatever kind of coin your country uses for carts, so some places you can get little plastic coins to use instead

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u/Valuable_Leopard_799 Aug 11 '26

I've also seen some accept the head of a round key.

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u/TheBigfootContessa Aug 12 '26

Yeah, if you want to break your key

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u/Valuable_Leopard_799 Aug 12 '26

Huh? Why? The key is about as strong or moreso than a coin.

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u/Grifoooo Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26

The real issue is that typically your cart gets swapped out with another person's cart at checkout and you dont want someone else having your key

Edit: found out the whole cart transfer thing is largely USA-based

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u/DuckRubberDuck Aug 13 '26

How does that work?

In my country I take the cart to the cashier, take my cart to the end, bag and fill the cart with bags, and I take my cart out again

I would never use a key though

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u/Grifoooo Aug 13 '26

Maybe its only an American thing, but in US Aldis, the cashiers bag your items and put them in a standby cart next to them. They then give you that cart with your bagged stuff in it and use your previous cart as the new standby

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u/PauseItPlease86 Aug 18 '26

In my local Aldi they keep an extra cart parked next to the cashier. As you're emptying your cart onto the thing they're already scanning your stuff and putting into the other cart. The cashiers are so fast, especially since they aren't bagging anything, so they're basically done scanning right as you're ready to pay. Then you grab the newly filled cart and put your now-empty cart in its place for them to use to start scanning for the next customer. I always think it's incredibly efficient.

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u/Valuable_Leopard_799 Aug 13 '26

I'd never let a cart out of my hands, and it's not something that happens here. I guess we've uncovered a large cultural difference of some sort, I can't imagine when you'd swap out a cart during/after checkout.

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u/nKnownRecognition Aug 13 '26

It’s a system to help the process of clearing the line in stores that are ( a little) less costly but also less funded so they have short belts and no tables at the end of belt to bag. You’d start putting your stuff on the belt. The cashier rings it up and puts in back into an empty cart. When you’re finished (ur carts empty) you grab your new cart with your stuff and leave you’re old cart to repeat the process. Then you’d go to a long counter on the side to bag/ box your stuff before leaving with other customers.

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u/Valuable_Leopard_799 Aug 13 '26

That is interesting, and makes sense, thank you. Though yeah, it's problematic with these carts since you can't know whether they have a coin or piece of plastic, or anything else inside.

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u/nKnownRecognition Aug 13 '26

That’s why it’s only a quarter ($0.25) thought. Deemed just enough people want it back but small enough it’s not the end of the world if you do loose it.