I wonder how much of this behavior is caused by enormous parking lots and shopping by car.
where i live there is a packing area next to the cart return. I put my stuff into bags and backpack there, then return the cart. No hassle at all.
If I had to go a couple of hundred meters to return the cart, I might come up with excuses too. Lots of our decisions are driven by the environment we live in. Reasons are made up after the fact.
Not sure how it's elsewhere, but in Germany most woman in blue collar jobs quit within the first year of training, because they are not taken seriously by teachers and colleagues (not sure where i read this.. i think there was a study last year)
What if I stroke the banana slightly, every once in a while? That would make it less weird, right?