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‘We all have the same unspoken rule, right?’: Woman says you shouldn’t park in spot next to shopping cart holder if you don’t have kids

‘No. Hope this helps.’

Photo of Jack Alban

Jack Alban

Two panel design with text overlaid on an image outside in a parking lot reading 'if you're shipping* and this spot is open. *shopping without kids'. The 2nd panel shows a mom with 3 kids in a grocery store pushing the cart.

A mother named Stefany (@unsolicitedsarcasm) has a bone to pick with people who don’t follow her idea of what shopping cart etiquette is. According to her, spaces left next to shopping cart holding areas are designated for mothers.

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“We all have the same unspoken rule, right? If you’re shopping, and this spot is open,” she says, pointing to the parking spot right beside the shopping cart storage area.

Following this, she appends a text overlay to her video. In it, she states, “It’s not for you. That’s for a mom with their kids that needs to come and unlock. Right next to the cart drop, right?”

“It’s a safety thing. Please leave that spot open for moms shopping solo with their kiddos,” she added in the caption.

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Why is this a safety issue?

A Trader Joe’s customer’s video offers some additional insight into why Stefany thinks this is a safety issue. @drlesliedobson, a psychologist and content creator, stirred quite a bit of controversy after admitting that she refuses to return her shopping cart to the shopping cart holding areas at grocery stores.

She says that to return the shopping cart, she would be forced to leave her children alone in the car for a short period of time.

@unsolicitedsarcasm It’s a safety thing. Please leave that spot open for moms shopping solo with their kiddos. #safetyfirst #momsoftiktok #momlifebelike #momlife #besafeoutthere #safetytips #unspokenrules #holidayshopping ♬ original sound – Stefany ✨ NY | NJ
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TikTokers disagreed

But viewers, including fellow parents, say their concerns aren’t valid.

“Never heard of this. Managed to raise 3 kids without expecting the world to revolve around me. Kids are grown now. I’ll park there if I want,” one shared.

“Made it 12 years with kids and never worried about this once,” another said.

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“I was a mom with kids and never expected special treatment,” a third argued.

Others pointed to the TikToker’s “unspoken rule” remark and let her know they’d continue to park there.

“Never heard of that. I always park there if available. Will continue to do so,” one wrote.

“The spoken rule is that if it’s open I’m parking in it,” another quipped.

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“Maybe it’s so unspoken that no one’s ever heard about,” a third said.

There was one user who said that Stefany’s PSA ultimately backfired. “I will be taking that spot from this day forward just because of this video,” they said.

At the rate it’s going, it seems Stefany’s video could very well reach the same notoriety of @drlesliedobson’s.

The ‘Shopping Cart Theory’

While it doesn’t seem like there are many TikTokers privy to Stefany’s “unspoken rule,” there’s a shopping cart test of morality that many do know about.

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The “Shopping Cart Theory” doesn’t involve parking spaces, or carousels that hold carts. Rather, it has to do with whether or not a shopper is going to take a few seconds to return their cart (@drlesliedobson would clearly fail that test).

What started as an internet meme ended up becoming a base-level assessment of a person’s morality.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Stefany via email for further comment.

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