Joyce's Perspective:
The Publix shopping carts really do stop abruptly when you go over the yellow line along the parking lot boundary!
We've been provisioning over the past three weeks. Provisioning means buying all the non-perishable items that you could possibly need for the next six months and then trying to fit them in unbelievably small spaces. No task along the way is easy, and I almost had a meltdown while trying to 'stow' what we'd purchased during one of our trips to the store.
But, one thing that really piqued my interest during this adventure was a sign on the Publix shopping carts saying that they stop abruptly if they cross the yellow line. The yellow line is along the parking lot boundary. (Does this give you a sense of security, or does it say, let's get the heck out of here?)
Those of you who know me well will not be at all surprised that I had to test whether this is true or if it's just a threat. I was thinking about asking a cashier, but what are the chances that she would tell me the truth? So...the last trip to the store, when we were picking up just a few items, I decided to take the cart over the yellow line before I returned it. As I reached the yellow line, I shoved the cart over it, and nothing happened. Ahha, I'd caught them in their lie! I had let go of the cart, thinking that I didn't want to be zapped or otherwise hurt on our last day before leaving the marina. As I caught up with the cart and turned it back into the parking lot, all of a sudden it did stop abruptly. The picture shows the yellow 'device' that stopped it.
It was not easy to take it back to the shopping cart 'corral', but we finally succeeded and abandoned it. We'd spent hundreds of dollars in this store over the last few weeks, so we didn't feel too guilty about leaving our problem for someone else to fix. In fact, one day, our cashier said that we had the longest tape/receipt that she'd every seen.
The lesson for the store: don't dare me. The lesson for me: be more trusting.
Until the next time~~Joyce
