A Social Observation

“The Cart Conundrum: What a Dollar General Parking Lot Taught Me About Human Nature (and Estate Sales)”

By Chad Patillo

Today, I witnessed a quiet little case study in human nature unfold—right in front of my truck at the local Dollar General.

I was parked in the first stall on the south side of the building in the 1st spot on the west, with plenty of empty spots to the east. As I sat there, finishing a phone call and watching the world go by, I noticed something subtle—but powerful—starting to happen.

The first customer exited the store, (they were parked immediately to my east the next stall over.) They unloaded their bags at the walkway and left their shopping cart right on the sidewalk in front of my truck. Not in the cart corral. Not even off to the side. Just parked there like it was where carts go to die.

Next customer comes out, sees that first cart, and does the same. Then a third. Now we’ve got three carts huddled together in front of my truck like they're in a support group for abandoned buggies. Not a single one rolled back to where it belonged. It looked like a little cart funeral happening right at my bumper. No one returned them. No one moved them. They just joined the pattern they saw.

To add to this fiasco, every new customer that parked to the East of me maneuvered the carts like hot lava land mines, all refusing to drag just one of them in with them or at least remove them from the walkway.

And that’s what fascinated me.

It wasn’t just laziness—it was mimicry. People weren’t deciding what was right—they were copying what was perceived as normal. And what became normal was convenience over consideration.

There’s a name for this in behavioral science: social proof. We take our cues from what others do, especially in low-stakes situations where no one is giving orders. If nobody else is doing the right thing, we assume it’s okay not to either. If everyone is doing the wrong thing, we assume it okay to also.

And let me tell you something—this applies far beyond a Dollar General parking lot.

I see it all the time at estate sales. One person ignores a sign that says “Do Not Enter,” and suddenly you’ve got five folks wandering through private rooms that were meant to stay off-limits. Or one customer looks through a box sitting on a hold table, and suddenly everyone’s rifling through stuff like it’s a free for all. They’re not being intentionally rude—they’re just following the trail someone else already walked.

The same thing happens in the reselling world. When one dealer, vendor or sales company throws up items in a cluttered mess with dirty and dusty items, no pricing, "make offer" tags...others follow suit . But here’s the flip side: when you take the time to stage your inventory, post clear pricing, and create an experience that respects both the item and the buyer—you raise the bar. Quietly. Effectively. And others will follow your lead just as easily.

It all starts with little choices. The question is—do you want to follow the crowd… or lead it?

So here’s my thought for the day:

Be the one who returns the cart.

Not because someone’s watching.

Not because it earns you points.

But because doing the right thing quietly influences others more than you’ll ever realize.

And when it comes to running a business, building trust, or preserving the dignity of someone’s estate—thats the influence that matters the most.