Would You Pay a Small Deposit to Use a Grocery Cart in Maine?

With the new grocery store Aldi coming to Portland, Maine, they do something no other grocery store in Maine does.

The empty Big Lots in the Pine Tree Shopping Center in Portland, Maine will be replaced by Aldi Market. They are a grocery store chain with thousands of stores in the country, but none in Maine. They are known for having their own brand and being much less expensive.

Aldi is a less expensive supermarket, in part, because they charge for their carts

If you need a grocery cart at Aldi, it will cost you 25 cents. Don't worry, you get your quarter back when you return the cart back to the corral. They explain on their website,

This 25 cent deposit ultimately saves our customers money because we don’t have to hire extra staff to collect grocery carts. To unlock a cart, customers have to insert a quarter, and this deposit ensures shoppers return their cart to the corral to get their quarter back.

READ MORE: An Open Letter to the Maine Shopper Who I Watched Put Their Cart in the Cart Corral

Would you pay a small deposit to use a grocery cart at Maine stores?

I guess I would, but since I always return my car to the corral, it seems like this is for the lazy people who just leave them willy-nilly. That drives me crazy. I don't think that people are hired to only bring carts back in, but employees are expected to do that. In all sorts of weather too. It sure would be easier if they could just get them in the corral, where they go!

Save yourself the 25 cents and just return the cart - unless you shop at Aldi when they come to Maine because you have no choice.