European Ingenuity?

Introduction:

Soon after I arrived in Croatia, I noticed that most grocery stores had a new (to me at least), very organized way of ensuring that shopping carts were put back in their parking spot.  As far as I could see, the only negative was that you had to make sure you had a 2 kuna coin ($0.40 or so) every time you went shopping.  Otherwise you would not have the privilege of using a cart during your weekly shopping trip.  

Story:

But then I visited Hungary.  See, for some reason, there are certain grocery products that are less expensive in Hungary than Croatia.  So when I dropped my wife off at the train station so she could make her way up to Budapest, I did the shopping before heading back into Croatia.  

Background: 

I'll be honest, I'm not usually the one who grocery shops.  When I enter a grocery store, I don't think about getting a cart.  Usually my job in grocery stores is to pick something up that my wife forgot, or grab a snack.  

Back to Story:

So it wasn't until after I got to the drink section, checked the prices and picked out a few liters worth of drinks that I realized I would need a cart.  

Digression:

Funny thing is, it's stinkin' difficult to get out of a European grocery store if you aren't making a purchase.  They have little electronic doors in the check-out lanes that are shut and won't open.  The only way to get out of the store is to squeeze past someone who is making a purchase and try to be obvious about the fact that you are not stealing anything.  And oh yeah, have I told you how small they make things in Europe?

Conflict:

Once I finally got out of the store, I realized I had no change.  I planned on paying for the groceries with a credit card so I didn't have any Hungarian Forints (no they don't use the Euro) yet.  

Climax and Resolution: 

About the time I start thinking "Why don't I just go back to Croatia and buy my stuff there?" I see a stray shopping cart.  "Thank you Mr. or Mrs. Hungarian who didn't care to get your change back!" I say out loud as I run to the cart and proudly strut back inside the store.  

Debrief - A pair of suggestions and a justification:

1. Why not create some jobs, Europeans?  Hire someone to take the carts back to the store.  

2. While I know foreigners are not usually the ones to visit your grocery stores, why not create a coin slot that accepts a variety of coins?  That way, even in Croatia, you can take a cart with a 1 or 5 kuna coin. 

3. (Not a suggestion).  I needed a post.  It's been weeks since I've posted anything, months since I've written. Here's an attempt to get back into the primary purpose of this blog in the first place - to tell about my foreign experiences in foreign countries.  

Conclusion: 

So far my series in European Ingenuity has featured 2 brilliant inventions.  Sorry Europe, this one gets a thumbs down from me.