What triggers these things?

Did some shopping earlier today, and just my luck when I hit the exit the front caster started dragging. It wasn't enough to stop completely. I have seen other customers struggle with these things. I guess today was my turn. No one at the store seems to care what a nuisance these things are. I was parked at the far edge of the parking lot, so I said to hell with it and just keep pushing. About 100 feet from the door it started to smell like burned rubber. About 20 ft from the car it finally locked up, so I grabbed the front of the cart, lifted it a few inches, the pulled it to the car. I noticed they put a metal hoop on the rear wheel so just can't pop a wheelie with the cart either.

Do these things actually serve a purpose other than aggravating customers?

Awesome. Stick it to the Butts.

I can't speak for HEB, but they have them at the Kroger in Maryville, Tennessee. They are activated if you take the cart out of the store in a manner that bypasses the checkout lines. Once they lock up, a Kroger employee has a hand-held device to de-activate it. And then you have to show them your receipt to show you weren't stealing. It has happened to me a few times and is a real pain.

It's a pain when they do that.

toucan82 said:

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Ginormus Ag said:

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Awesome. Stick it to the Butts.

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This is a family website

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I chuckle every time I see this posted.

It is not a family website. And I'm not talking about the GB, that's obviously not a family thing.

I was told once that shopping carts are ridiculously expensive, like $400-500 each. No idea if that's true but it makes sense that they'd want to prevent theft, if so.

713nervy said:

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I was told once that shopping carts are ridiculously expensive, like $400-500 each. No idea if that's true but it makes sense that they'd want to prevent theft, if so.

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Google tells me that standard metal carts range up to about $250, but I imagine once you put all that anti-theft junk on them, they're getting towards that $400 range, more if there's a kid sitting in it.

Wonder how much the race car versions cost.

I wish someone would steal all those big ass red curbside carts.

Burdizzo said:

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Wonder how much the race car versions cost.

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Those were a gigantic pain the ass to push around the store but my daughters LOVED to get chauffeured around in them. Core Memory.

Burdizzo said:

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toucan82 said:

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I think they're manually triggered by someone in the office. You should try looking less sketchy.

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I am a white guy in Alamo Heights. I am doing the best I can.

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Hmmm. May I suggest shopping in Boerne or Fredericksburg?

I've had HEB carts lock when the front wheels pass the black lines in a parking lot (I often see them along the curb within the fire lane). Guessing there is some sort of embedded metal wire which triggers a magnetic wheel lock?

Claude! said:

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713nervy said:

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I was told once that shopping carts are ridiculously expensive, like $400-500 each. No idea if that's true but it makes sense that they'd want to prevent theft, if so.

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Google tells me that standard metal carts range up to about $250, but I imagine once you put all that anti-theft junk on them, they're getting towards that $400 range, more if there's a kid sitting in it.

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Pushing $600 now

toucan82 said:

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I think they're manually triggered by someone in the office. You should try looking less sketchy.

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Look sketchy all you want. It's automatically triggered if the cart isn't reset correctly and it thinks you loaded up and ran for the doors without paying. There's also a wire around the parking lot which locks it up to help prevent cart theft.

Stop being poor and have your 5hit delivered.

UTExan said:

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Burdizzo said:

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toucan82 said:

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I think they're manually triggered by someone in the office. You should try looking less sketchy.

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I am a white guy in Alamo Heights. I am doing the best I can.

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Hmmm. May I suggest shopping in Boerne or Fredericksburg?

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I may be full- blooded German Texan, but I am not THAT white

UnderoosAg said:

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Claude! said:

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713nervy said:

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I was told once that shopping carts are ridiculously expensive, like $400-500 each. No idea if that's true but it makes sense that they'd want to prevent theft, if so.

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Google tells me that standard metal carts range up to about $250, but I imagine once you put all that anti-theft junk on them, they're getting towards that $400 range, more if there's a kid sitting in it.

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Pushing $600 now

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You appear to be an expert in such matters. Do you know how this compares to those janky plastic carts that Target uses?

I studied at the Holiday Inn Express School of Cart Economics.

I'd guess the Target ones are equally expensive because they are unique to Target with all that flair. HEB's are made to hold canned goods and dog food bags. Target's are made to coordinate with yoga pants.

yoga pants

The new ones try to prevent race out theft, the older ones just shopping cart removal. The ones that lock wheels before you take it off the premises just use a wire that has a low frequency signal very similar to the typical in ground pet fence. Had a friend a few years ago that built a circuit that generated the perimeter signal into the tip of a cane. Went around taping card wheels and dozens were frozen in aisles in the store locked up.
I hate them not because of doing something wrong but end up going down the wrong row in the parking lot and have to go around the end of the lane and invariably it locks the wheel. I just drag it and they usually have a large flat spot on the locking wheel to deal with it. Move your lock wires to the outside edge of the lot.

Sometimes the wire location is dependent on landlord, developer, or other site conditions.

The best thing about the recent remodel of one of the HEB's where I shop is that they got all new carts. It's been a glorious few months. All of the wheels point the same way. Haven't run up against any anti-theft measure.

I had a couple things in the cart one day. Like actually 2. I wanted to see the outdoor lawn n garden items at HEB so I headed out there. Back in my day, this wasn't an issue and I could drive my cart out there and then back in.

Cart locked up before I got out the front door and I'm looking around like "wtf". Then a manager comes over and helps me unlock it.

I asked another employee if they knew what triggered it and they didn't.

It has to be manual because nobody else had trouble leaving the store.

I'm a clean, very handsome male. No way I would trigger suspicion.

NWE said:

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I had a couple things in the cart one day. Like actually 2. I wanted to see the outdoor lawn n garden items at HEB so I headed out there. Back in my day, this wasn't an issue and I could drive my cart out there and then back in.

Cart locked up before I got out the front door and I'm looking around like "wtf". Then a manager comes over and helps me unlock it.

I asked another employee if they knew what triggered it and they didn't.

It has to be manual because nobody else had trouble leaving the store.

I'm a clean, very handsome male. No way I would trigger suspicion.

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Rule 1 [/chiken]

I like to pretend my cart is a lowrider and I am hitting the switches. I just make it ride on 3 wheels, puro pinche southside style.

NWE said:

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It has to be manual because nobody else had trouble leaving the store.

I'm a clean, very handsome male. No way I would trigger suspicion.

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It's not, it's all automatic. You went outside with a cart which hadn't gone through a check stand to pay. So it locked.

And it happens to dirty, ugly people,, too.

Ah okay. It locked as I approached the door. Was on the square dark gray carpet still INSIDE the store. But that makes sense. The path has to go thru the checkout first. That's wild technology. Cool stuff. Slick stuff. Neat stuff.

Duckhook said:

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The best thing about the recent remodel of one of the HEB's where I shop is that they got all new carts. It's been a glorious few months. All of the wheels point the same way. Haven't run up against any anti-theft measure.

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Big enough remodel with new carts, It's likely there now.