Do You Return Your Shopping Cart?
While grocery shopping, have you ever noticed shopping carts left scattered in random places—in the parking lot, in the elevator, on the sidewalk, or even in the middle of a shopping aisle? I’ve often wondered what makes it so hard for people to return their carts to where they belong.
This got me thinking about the deeper meaning behind such a simple act. In fact, there is something called “The Shopping Cart Theory,” an internet meme which argues that a person’s very moral character and capacity for self-governance is revealed through whether they return their cart—or not. Do we choose to do the right thing, however small, even though there is no reward for doing so and no punishment for not doing so?
Sure, there may be many reasons to leave a cart behind—maybe it's raining, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, or the cart return is too far. Perhaps you’re worried about leaving your children unattended, or maybe you just don’t care. But in the end, these are all just excuses.
This led me to think: if such a small act reveals so much about character, where else in life do we make excuses, and what impact does that have?
Take the mess at home, for example. How does a messy home start? It often begins when we overlook the small things, like not putting the cover back on the toothpaste or leaving a jacket on the chair. The next thing you know, clutter has piled up—maybe the kids’ Legos are scattered across the floor, soon to be followed by even more toys, books, and papers. But if you pick up that first toy or put that jacket away, you can avoid the bigger mess. It’s the small actions that prevent chaos.
The same idea applies at work. Something as simple as promptly replying to an email or following up on a project detail builds a foundation of reliability and trust—something that, however small these actions seem at first, compounds over time, leading to better work outcomes, stronger professional relationships and greater accomplishments.
This simple behavior reflects a larger mindset: if we consistently do the small things right, we’re more likely to succeed in bigger, more important areas of life.
Steve Jobs knew the importance of this: he spent days after days with his team making sure the feeling of putting in a charger into the revolutionary iPhone “felt right.” A trivial detail, perhaps, not something the CEO of a company ought to be involved in. But he knew the importance of details. And is not everything big and important ultimately made up by a thousand tiny little details?
So, the next time you do take the walk across the parking lot to return your shopping cart, ask yourself, What other areas in life would benefit from the same level of attention and discipline? Start small—whether it’s replying to that one email or organizing your desk—and see how those small actions build momentum.
