I’m usually walking home, carrying my groceries, so I use the little baskets when grocery shopping. It’s a good reminder not to buy too much and to mind the weight. We’ve only used a shopping cart one time, so I’m a little sketchy on the details. I thought you might find it interesting, nevertheless.
You’ll notice that this shopping cart or buggy, is chained to the line of carts in front of it. To release it from the cart queue, you slip a one złoty coin into the contraption on the handle, and the chain disengages. After you’ve finished shopping and your cart has been returned and reconnected to the queue, the coin is returned to you – much like a luggage cart at airports.
I know that shopping cart theft is a huge problem for retailers who use them, but I can’t imagine that a one złoty (about $.35) deposit would be much of deterrent. I think, rather, it’s to encourage shoppers to return the cart to the proper place making it unnecessary for paid staff to collect carts. In my mind, it’s also a huge bother. It prevents me from using a cart if I don’t really need one, and that reduces congestion in small, busy markets.
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
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