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<\/a>For those who have been sheltered from these car carts, whether it\u2019s because you shop at Sprouts or after 8 p.m. on weeknights, allow me to paint a vivid picture. Car carts are shopping carts that have been outfitted to look like little cars to entertain kids while parents shop.<\/p>\n
Hulky and barely manageable, they come in several colors, including hot pink, black \u2013 a police car so you can pretend to arrest the other lady buying Ben & Jerry\u2019s! \u2013 and yellow, and feature black steering wheels to help kids pretend they\u2019re driving down Fletcher Parkway rather than suffering through Mommy\u2019s boring shopping list.<\/p>\n
And while it seems like a great idea, these car carts make victimized parents the bane of their fellow shoppers\u2019 existence.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m convinced Deacon is clairvoyant because he knows exactly where these car carts are stowed around the parking lot. He starts to make his now familiar \u201cAh-heh! Ah-heh!\u201d sound almost immediately after I pull him out of our vehicle. I know exactly where he\u2019s pointing: It\u2019s to a car cart.<\/p>\n
Pushing these car carts down grocery store aisles is a lot like towing a semi-truck down a zipper lane. No one likes you when you\u2019re behind the car cart. You\u2019re blocking their access to garlic pickles, Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix, or \u2013 heaven forbid \u2013 that super special can of soup that reminds them of their dear ol\u2019 Meemaw.<\/p>\n
In addition to being a human obstacle to all things good at the grocery store, you\u2019re also pushing around a child who now has all kinds of access to whatever is on the shelf next to him. If you have any manners, you will endeavor to make way for other shoppers by getting as close as you can to one side of the aisle. Unfortunately, that also means Junior is as close to the side of the aisle as well.<\/p>\n
Deacon has pulled down baked beans, random cans of soup, boxes of Jell-O, hand soap and maxi pads. (If your child is especially quick, they can pull a one-two punch on you by dropping another item on your head as you retrieve the first dropped item.)<\/p>\n
Thanks to these car carts, there\u2019s no longer disinterest or indifference when it comes to me at a grocery store. Now I am on the receiving end of pity, sympathy, stifled laughter and, worse than anything else, curiosity.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s my plea to Vons shoppers in La Mesa: If you have the misfortune to be shopping on a Sunday afternoon with me and my family, kindly ignore us as we navigate the aisles with a monster car cart. Don\u2019t judge me as I plead with Deacon to please give Mommy a break.<\/p>\n
And whatever you do, don\u2019t look in my cart.<\/p>\n