The World of Holiday Shopping: Carts and your Shopper Personality

Crunk! Crunk! I have a knack for always getting the defective, noisy shopping carts with a wobbly wheel. These are the carts that require more than an effortless push (Grunt!!!!). Likewise, when I maneuver the giant carts of Costco and Home Depot, I wish that the retailers would come up with self-driving carts. My whim seems to be coming true as retailers experiment with these prototypes—http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2016/09/13/walmart-patents-self-driving-shopping-cart/#.WDR3L3eZN-U
Because of the regular rendezvous with the carts, which is more frequent than meeting my friends, it is only natural that I have an implicit connection with these four wheelers. Additionally, with the kicking off the 2016 holiday shopping season, there is no avoiding them as we, the consumers, move the carts through the aisles and load these wheelers with the materialistic presents for the loved ones.
Between the shoving and pushing the shopping cart through the crowds, I have encountered various types of personalities, some hybrid of the others.
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Can you identify yourself with one of these shopper traits?

Go Getters

These are the passionate shoppers who come with a predetermined objective— ‘the 62 inches TV or the laptop with a rock bottom price’. These people are oblivious to the surroundings as they hustle their carts through the crowd to get to the desired aisle.

Ad Libitum

These shoppers leisurely walk while pushing their carts, pausing and stopping at different aisles as they prowl through the racks to find something to their heart’s desire.

Planners

These shoppers are the ones you see walking with a list on their phones and/or with the stack of paper coupons in their hands. They have multiple stores to visit to get the best deals.

Unpredictables

These are the ones that tread in front of you with a steady speed, and then surprise you with a sudden stop and sharp turn. The unpredictables make me wonder about the plausibility of having turning signal indicator lights on the carts.

Recreational Shoppers

These are the people who stroll taking their own sweet time to walk the aisles, appreciating the goods and decor. They are often without a shopping bag or cart. They enjoy window shopping and/or people watching.

Freebie Hunters

These peeps are in the store with the purpose to devour the freebies/sample offered by the retailers, often food and drinks.

Preachers

These people desire to make the world a better place to live. They do not deter to approach the strangers and let them know about improving their behavior.

Inconsiderate

Have you encountered any orphaned carts blocking the shopping aisles? These people are the perfect example of discourteous shopper insensitive to the world around them.

Invisibles

These peeps are the ones that you do not see in the retail shops. They escape the complete chaos by doing their shopping online.

I confess that I have shown each one of these traits at some point in my shopping life. I have sometimes carelessly parked my shopping cart in the middle of the aisle while distracted by the charm of some product, and then being apologetic on realizing my faux pas. More often I have treated myself with an impulse buy placing me in the category of Ad Libitum. On some rare occasions my organized persona comes alive and I make a real list (not just in my mind) before I tread to the mall, and that positions me as a planner.
Whatever your shopper personalities are, remember to be gracious on this Thanksgiving and beyond (This is my Preacher trait!;-).
Wishing my readers an enjoyable and safe holiday shopping experience!
Photo credit: Timothy Valentine via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
Photo credit: Traveloscopy via Foter.com / CC BY