Archived Cart Attendants: So we got new carts yesterday....

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xxTheDudexx

Front of Store Attendant
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Apr 19, 2012
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So we got 230 new carts delivered to our store when I was off yesterday. I was thrilled because we had over 200 broken plastic carts. I am punching in and my ETL informs me that our new carts aren't handling that great and to be vary careful. She said the first two cart attendants that got to use them were having some trouble controlling them. What would have otherwise been a great day because we finally had lots of carts to use, turned into a nightmare.

Rather than driving in a straight line like they're supposed to, these new carts were turning like they were on a hinge and flailing all over the place. They just swing around on grades and don't go in straight lines with the cart pusher. I almost had 20 carts slide into a row of cars when I started to push them. After examining them, when you put the carts together, the back wheels come off the ground completely so all the weight is on the front wheels on all our new carts. As a result, we can't push more than 10 or 12 carts at a time and half the time you're going at an angle when you're trying to go straight. These new carts are horrible! Just wondering if anybody else has gotten a batch of these new carts. You can literally swing the entire train effortlessly from side to side at a stand still. I think it's incredibly dangerous and reported it. Doesn't seem like anybody cares.

Anybody else get carts like these? These are slightly different than our old plastic carts. They're a slight bit wider aside from handling like they're floating on a carpet of air!
 
I went from a store that had these to a store that had these and much prefer these new carts. I never had any problems controlling the new carts and can navigate 10-12 just fine. If they're not going in a straight line with a cart pusher then are you even holding them or just letting it go where it wants?
 
The heavy plastic carts were a lot easier to navigate compared to the shady metal ones.
 
Yeah those are the new carts. You can still push about 25 provided there aren't strong winds, you just can't turn them on a dime like the old ones.
 
Our problem was that the FRONT wheels were off the ground so we had to either push down on the front cart to steer or run a rope from one end to the other to keep them together & a little easier to control. They can still swing out of control, tho.
One of the CAs swung too wide coming around & several carts whipped around & sideswiped the STL's car.
The look on his face when he found out who's car it was......
 
Our store still has the metal carts. Back in January, they asked me to take a Cart Attendant shift because they called off. They talked me into it, told me it was easy, the weather will be nice. So, I come to work, and it was typical weather for a while. As soon as I had to go get carts, it started snowing hard.. I was so pissed! I should of know I should have checked the weather before taking the shift. So, the GSTL gives me a 30 second tutorial on the cart machine. I take it out there and thought you get the carts by taking the machine into the cart corral, and the poles on the side started pushing outward and I was about an inch away from scratching a car.

So after dodging that bullet, the GSTL comes back out and tells me I need to put the carts in front of the machine and then just push it with the remote. So, I pushed the remote, and it doesn't move. So, it's a blizzard outside, I'm stuck in the parking lot in front of cars and I don't know how to work this machine. So finally he comes out and just tells me I can do it manually.

Needless to say, I never took a cart attendant shift ever again, I still have nightmares from that awful day! Haha
 
One evening I covered carts when our CA called out & it not only starting raining but POURING so I pulled carts in the dark while getting drenched (the ponchos we had were cracked & torn).
I looked like a drowned rat by night's end.
 
One evening I covered carts when our CA called out & it not only starting raining but POURING so I pulled carts in the dark while getting drenched (the ponchos we had were cracked & torn).
I looked like a drowned rat by night's end.


A drowned rat? Don't you mean you were a drowned Spot?......or is this the same thing?
 
One evening I covered carts when our CA called out & it not only starting raining but POURING so I pulled carts in the dark while getting drenched (the ponchos we had were cracked & torn).
I looked like a drowned rat by night's end.

I had to do that a couple of weeks ago because no one else would go out and get carts. I had to come back in and cashier after that....I am certain I scared guests.
 
those are the carts we have to this very day maybe its because when our store opened we had them but I find I can control thirty or fourty of the them no problem. now if its windy rainy snowy hailing or the carts don't want to cooperate with me then we have a problem
 
We're constantly reminded that without the cart machine you are only allowed to move 7 at a time. You have to be trained properly to use the machine as well, which I am not.. thanks goodness.
 
We're constantly reminded that without the cart machine you are only allowed to move 7 at a time. You have to be trained properly to use the machine as well, which I am not.. thanks goodness.

I have no problem with not knowing how to use the cart pusher except when it's in the way. I had to bring in carts during a cart attendant's lunch once and he left the damn thing in front of the cart doors, so I had to ask the GSTL to move it for me so I could get carts in.
 
My store got the new plastic carts a few days ago and I am having the same problems as OP. I always use the rope and it is a much bigger problem on the steeper side of our parking lot. Any tips for controlling them better? The only thing I've noticed so far is that its easier to steer from the side instead of at the front of the row of carts
 
There's a newer pFresh near us that pushes all their carts in backwards (they stear with the front of the cart instead of the handle). It's really weird to watch but with the rows backwards, they have more guests that push their carts onto the stack as opposed to just leaving them in the exit path (which is my biggest guest pet peeve).
 
I'm not liking the visual aspect of that. Guests having to turn them around too.
 
If the carts suck, run them over with the crown or wave

they'll replace them real quick
 
Agreed. Running over 230 carts shouldn't be any problem at all.
 
I just have a question about what to do with broken carts. I've noticed that a couple of our carts are breaking down completely to the point where it is seemingly unsafe to use them. In addition, some of the wheels on these carts don't function properly at all. The problem is that when it is really busy, we need as many carts as possible for our guests, but I'm wondering if there is a process in which broken carts are taken out of service? I'm honestly surprised that no one in leadership has done something about our broken carts.
 

My store currently has these... they work great. My last store had the plastic ones, BOTH bring the back wheels off the ground when chained together. This is intended and works fine as long as you apply some thought into how things will move when forward motion is applied. The new carts have had fantastic reliability, nothing breaking yet, and wheels have held up. The all plastic ones would shatter on the lips and handles, and wheels were constantly making noise.
 
I parked them on the lot, in the back of the building.
 
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