That doesn't mean the concept is flawed; it just means those businesses were smart enough to put in countermeasures against bad people.

Mhm. That said, only a few places around where I live have "coin operated" carts. I guess the places that do have them got tired of the selfish, inconsiderate sobs who didn't return the carts.

To me it feels so utterly strange to just dump a cart in the middle of a parking lot and, seemingly, think nothing of it.

In the US Aldi requires a quarter. Depending on the area, there are absolutely people who will give up their 25 cents to not walk their lazy ass to return the cart.

Florida is full of inconsiderate selfish assholes.

Flawed. Here, you must insert a coin (or if you have it, a token with the shape of the coin) that will only be returned after you put the cart in the correct place.

I present you mankinds greatest invention:

Seeing guides and fake coins to trick it was pretty depressing.

I have seen supermarkets with even stricter systems. I have seen carts with automated brakes/clamps. If you try to leave the supermarket with the cart, the wheels block. So you are forced to put your groceries in bags and carry the bags to the car.

Where I shop there is the token system but you just have to ask the security agent to get a free token. So there is no need to return your cart because you can get a free token each time you got to the store.

That’s common in England, but a lot of larger shops don’t bother with that system.

We don't do that here, that's mall-level bullshit.

Yeah, I'd just not shop there. I never have change with me, and I'm not bringing change just because the store requires it. It might not be the first trip or the third, but over time, I'd shop there less and less because convenience matters.