The cart coin idea is great and I wonder how much money it would take to make it effective. Would 25 cents be enough? I think it would very on the location. We live in an apartment across the street from a grocery store and they allow people to push their cart across the street to carry their groceries home and they even have a designated spot at the apartments to leave your cart so the employee's can walk across the street and bring them back. It has created a problem of people leaving their carts scattered around and even parked next to their door. I'm sure there are many people who would push the carts back to the store for the coin return.

Great post. I've been touting for years that we Americans must become more like our European neighbors. They've been 'at it' longer than we have and they most certainly know how to live, respect the environment and live within their means. Paris, France and anywhere in Italy are good places to start with.

As to the cart idea: I only owned my new car a few days, parked it solo in a store lot only to return and see that someone had pushed their empty cart towards a wall, which in turn bumped into my car and scratched a fender. Tears were my only comfort!

I remember Carrefour and GB have that....I actually still have a token from GB that was given to me one day when I didn't have any change. Which was so convenient as it couldn't be used for anything else, you never had to worry about accidentally using up your cart-change

Where I live in Canada, many grocery store chains have the coin-cart system you mentioned, using a $1 coin. Not only does it mean that no carts are abandoned in the parking lot to get in the way of cars, but it's also good for the store because fewer carts get stolen (which occasionally happens otherwise). A friend of mine who works at a grocery store says that in bad weather, customers often ask him to return their empty carts in exchange for the $1 as a tip of sorts. And when you don't have a loonie on hand, you can go into the store and ask to make change, or simply wait until someone comes to return a cart and give them four quarters (or whatever other change) in exchange for the cart.

I'm with you, I think there are a lot of things they do well over there. In a way, we're too hung up on convenience at the cost of everything and anything. People just can't be bothered to bring their own bags and return their carts, and it's all okay because somebody (whomever that somebody may be) enables them.

A good example is the price of gas. People are irresponsible with gas because for years it's been so cheap, especially relative to Europe, where it's much more expensive. As a result, people in this country drive huge, gas guzzling cars with reckless abandon, whereas in Europe, SUVs are much less common, and they drive those cool mini-Euro cars, which I know many people in this country loathe.

A little common sense goes a long way.

BTW, I'm also in favor of siestas and sitting together with family to enjoy meals. 

Thanks for the Euro-insight, it was a nice read. 

yesssss i luv coin carts and cash deposits for dishes. In Germany, it was always like that. You even had to pay extra for ketchup packets! I noticed that there was a LOT less trash.

In Asia too, at least in Korea, there are no plastic plates. You sit down with the tray, and when you're done, you bring it back to the place you got it at the fast food courts. We also have to pay 10 cents for each plastic bag. And if you bring them back, you RECEIVE 10 cents. I noticed a lot of people bringing their own bags. If you bring your own bags, you also RECEIVE 5 cents per bag!!!!! At cafes, they ask if you want disposable or mugs. They charge 10 cents per disposable cup, so most people drink it in the cafe.

We also have great public transportation in Asia. Subway stops every 2 blocks, and it's only like 50 cents per ride. And the metro card works for any bus or subway, and you don't need to take your card out of your wallet to have the laser read it- the technology is that good....

My reply (right above) was meant as a direct reply for the one who didn't like the idea because wasn't sure about having always the correct coin in the pocket. Also, a further note: here they usually accepts more than one kind of coin: 50cnt, 1 euro or two euro coins are all okay.

In the D.C. area, or at least Rockville, MD, the Giant supermarkets actually credit you 5 cents for every cloth bag you use. If you're in the self-checkout aisle, call over the helper person and they have a card they can scan that credits you the nickels.

Very clean and efficient place, their produce is always cheaper and healthier looking, have never tried a product of theirs I didn't like. And by the way, one manager there informed me Aldi's is a "sister" store to Trader Joe's. I note Aldi is doing more advertising on TV lately. I figure more of the snootier crowd will try Aldi out as prices continue to rise.

I visited Russia back in 1986 (good old cold war days) and saw the most interesting drink dispensers. They worked just like typical american coffee vending machines - You out in your money, select your drink, and it spits out a cup and fills it up.

But here's the fun part - there was only a single glass. You drank your drink and then were expected to put the glass back in the machine!

I did NOT sample anything from the vending machines there!!

I know this is a silly extreme, but it's just a fun story. I am all for Aldi's and am so happy we got one near me! They moved in right next to Wal-Mart and Meijer, and are doing very well! I love shopping there, even if it means bagging my own groceries.

I see the point about kids and returning the cart.....HOWEVER being the 51 year old Fart that I am I am long past wanting to deal with children when I am shopping..especially those that belong to someone else.

I would DEARLY Love for stores and Restaurants to have set aside either certain days or certain hours when the establishment is a "Child Free Zone".

~ Roland

I guess that not everything translates across then, where I am from nobody would dream of parking in the family spots without children!
But I can't understand why they don't have trolley bays in the car park, perhaps you could make a suggestion?

I am writing from Europe. I think with the bags it is not the price that makes us bring it back but the fact that we don't see them as disposable items.
If I forget one day to bring it i have to buy another one. Then I bring it home and put it in the "bag drawer", it drives me crazy if the drawer is too full so I try not to forget to bring a bag to the store. Every few weeks I pack a small stack of them and bring them to the office, just in case i have to go and buy food after work.

Our local grocery stores are now giving 5 cent credit for every bag we bring in.

About gardens: My relatives have told me that edible gardening in Europe was a necessity after the world wars. They were much harder hit there than in the states, and I suspect that the current generation, raised with the notion of urban gardening, has continued it. It's a great way to get fresh organic produce with no delivery costs!