[insane_dreamer]

That's because the business is trying to save on their own manpower costs by shifting some of the burden to their customers -- much like self-checkout.

If by returning my cart I was helping the employees, I'd be inclined to go out of my way to do so. But actually all I'm doing is helping the business, who is trying to cut as many employees as possible (talking about big stores like Walmart, Target, not some small local grocery that might even be employee owned).

[valleyer]

By that logic, why not also just throw your trash on the ground? And, if you need to use the restroom while you're there, why not just pee on the floor?

That would be a great way to fight the business, which would love to employ fewer people to clean that stuff up by shifting the burden of doing it right onto you, the customer.

[insane_dreamer]

That was unhelpful. You can take almost any logic to an extreme; doesn't mean it's still logical :/

[valleyer]

Fair. The greater point was that you're not just "helping the business" by maintaining a clean environment (whether the "dirt" be carts or excrement). You're also helping your fellow humans.

And, in fact, you almost certainly are helping employees. Sure, there could be fewer of them, but they'd be doing less menial work. And the ones who got laid off due to your contentiousness would find less menial work elsewhere. Society as a whole would benefit.

You probably already know this, but the idea that we should make the world worse to preserve people's jobs is called the broken-windows fallacy.

I probably should have just responded with that originally.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window