Archived Cart pusher hitting cars.....oops....

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xxTheDudexx

Front of Store Attendant
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Apr 19, 2012
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I was cart attendant the other day. I noticed the cart pusher was acting funky. The remote kept having issues. I had a big train of carts and aparently it stopped, then started back up again after it detached from the others. Momentum of the carts led me to believe it was still working. All the sudden I hear a car horn honk. A woman hopped out of (of all cars a BMW) and yelled at me that I hit her car with the pusher and the parked car next to her. I've never had this happen before, but luckily, there was no damage. I offered to file a report but after sincerely apologizing she said it was okay. I was later told that if you hit a car with it, you get a final. Is this true? It was totally my fault, but I have never had this happen before. Now I watch behind me like a hawk!
 
I like pushing a row of 20 carts and parking right behind someone who is about to leave :)
 
It becomes a safety issue. If you are not certified to run cart pusher at some stores who can termed you for the hitting the car. You did tell your gstl what happen? Lets hope so. The guest could back & say that your ca caused the damage to car etc..
Know your surrounding & be safe. Get certified too.
 
When I use to be a cart attendant, a tip that helped was instead of guiding the carts, kind of push/hold back on the first cart so it doesn't detach from the others.

Depends on if your store has the metal or plastic carts. The metal carts you want to stand at the front and guide from there while holding back. The plastic carts, the best way is to tie the carts together with a rope and with all the sliding they can do, I prefer to guide them from the middle. However, when it comes to using the cart mover, I hate the plastic carts and since they're so light, I prefer to them by hand.
 
Fresh battery in the remote ?

Depending on the model - motor contact's need cleaning or replaced ?

Load relay needs replacement ?

There should be a spare controller you could use while the faulty one is out for repair ?

Depending on the controller model - key pad should be replaced ?

Lose connection at the key switch - breaks contact when it hits little bumps ?

Something with the control board - if your SFT is smart - he should have a spare squirrelled away ?

And the myriad of lose connection's that vibrate lose ?

Should I go on ?

Lose nut using the controller ?

Ask your SFT to have your SFT help you with the carts on a rainy day --- it will be running perfectly within the hour ---
 
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And --- one of my cart buddy's -- locks the first 5 or so together with the belt clips just in case theres an abrupt stop -- the first one wont take off like a torpedo --

I've seen other stores - put a heavy folded up blanket on the leed cart -- like a bumper and keep it on the pusher when not needed --
 
Fresh battery in the remote ?

Depending on the model - motor contact's need cleaning or replaced ?

Load relay needs replacement ?

There should be a spare controller you could use while the faulty one is out for repair ?

Depending on the controller model - key pad should be replaced ?

Lose connection at the key switch - breaks contact when it hits little bumps ?

Something with the control board - if your SFT is smart - he should have a spare squirrelled away ?

And the myriad of lose connection's that vibrate lose ?

Should I go on ?

Lose nut using the controller ?

Ask your SFT to have your SFT help you with the carts on a rainy day --- it will be running perfectly within the hour ---

Our SFT never does any type maintenance to the Cart Pusher
 
The parking lot for my store is sloped pretty good, and the store is at the bottom of said slope, so you have to hold the first cart back pretty good, or gravity takes over and the cart pusher starts going its own way. Luckily guest were usually understanding and would actually be patient around me when i had 25 carts. Except the ones who would park in front of the cart bay doors.
 
I think if the video is pulled, it can probably show you were not really at fault. And as long as you reported to the GSTL or LOD, and the guest acknowledged that they didn't want to file a claim. Then you should be good. But definitely that remote and pusher need to be taken out of service until the problem is fixed.

Program a new remote to the pusher. If the pusher still jerks and stops. Then the pusher is at fault.

I had a pusher that was incredibly slow and jerk at start. Then once it gets going with a line, it will pick up speed.
 
Sounds like all the cylinders weren't firing. Have your SFT get some new spark plugs, and maybe a coil pack. Of course, it could be the flux capacitor too.

.....I'm not helping, am I?
 
I used to work at Safeway, where there was a kid who scraped a customer's car with a shopping cart. Not even on a pusher, just scraped it by carelessness. It left a pretty nasty gash. Anyway, he went next door to Rite-Aid, grabbed one of their carts, and left it resting against the scrape like it was one of theirs!

He was a pimp/troll of the highest order. He also would step in front of cars as they moved through the parking lot, and when they had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting him, he would put on a goofy grin, pull a roll of mentos out of his pocket, and go into a freeze frame position.
 
Sounds like all the cylinders weren't firing. Have your SFT get some new spark plugs, and maybe a coil pack. Of course, it could be the flux capacitor too.

.....I'm not helping, am I?

Actually you helped a lot --

A 454 CID cart pusher ---

What the hell -- there's hemi powered chain saws ---
 
It becomes a safety issue. If you are not certified to run cart pusher at some stores who can termed you for the hitting the car. You did tell your gstl what happen? Lets hope so. The guest could back & say that your ca caused the damage to car etc..
Know your surrounding & be safe. Get certified too.

I have been certified on the pusher for several months. Like I said it's the first time it's happened to me. I also push back on the carts but I was going on a down grade with a full train of carts so the gravity and momentum were somewhat misleading. We have the plastic carts at my store fyi.
 
You should be able to feel/hear the cart pusher disengaging. Sometimes rf interference can do that, doesnt sound like anything serious. I always tell our newer cart guys to pay close attention to the pusher when its going for this exact reason
 
The art of being a cart attendant varies from store to store. Some stores? Super easy. Especially stores with (relatively) flat, easy squeezy lemon peezy.

Two entrances, one of which is only accessible via elevator, with three separate parking lots all on different grades - yes, that's a challenge.
 
I have been certified on the pusher for several months. Like I said it's the first time it's happened to me. I also push back on the carts but I was going on a down grade with a full train of carts so the gravity and momentum were somewhat misleading. We have the plastic carts at my store fyi.

We have 2 doors for access. I am certified for cart pusher. Try to not the 20 cart rule on the pusher.
 
We have 2 doors for access. I am certified for cart pusher. Try to not the 20 cart rule on the pusher.

I think I had 20 or less at the time. I wasn't over the limit if that's what you mean. I appreciate the advice, I was just negligent and should have been watching. I'd just never had that happen before. The important thing was I didn't hurt anybody so I'm thankful for that at least.
 
I had a pusher that was incredibly slow and jerky at start. Then once it gets going with a line, it will pick up speed.
Yeh, we had one of those too until he got termed. The line HE got going on was on girls in the parking lot.
 
I had a pusher that was incredibly slow and jerky at start. Then once it gets going with a line, it will pick up speed.

Back in the 70's I had a pusher that was slow and jerky.
Once I had a line or two, I'd really pick up speed.
 
Back in the 70's I had a pusher that was slow and jerky.
Once I had a line or two, I'd really pick up speed.

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One night before I was certified to run it, I hit my own car because the cart machine wouldn't stop and I needed to stop it somewhere. I miss that car lol.

Someone hit me once, they backed out and slammed into the cart machine with me right there. They started yelling at me that they were going to get me fired for damaging their bumper. Another guest comes up and starts yelling at them and gives me her contact info tells me if they try to do anything about it to give it to my boss. I miss guests like these.
 
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