A psychologist and mother-of-two has faced fierce backlash on TikTok after revealing the reason why she never returns her shopping trolley at the supermarket.
After loading up your groceries into your car it's expected that you'll take the shopping trolley back to the store for new shoppers. However this isn't always the case, meaning of us are often left dodging rogue trolleys while trying to park the car.
While people's reasons for not returning their trolley varies from being unable to move it to plain laziness, it's fair to say that not making an attempt to move your trolley away from moving cars is considered a supermarket faux pas.
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However not everyone is too bothered about making sure the carpark is left clear for future shoppers, with psychologist and mum-of-two Leslie Dobson taking to social media to explain why she'll never return her trolley after loading shopping into her car.
"I'm not returning my shopping cart and you can judge me all you want," she said in a defiant TikTok post, which has now been viewed over 11 million times.
"I'm not getting my groceries into my car, getting my children into the car and leaving them in the car to go return the cart. So if you're gonna give me a dirty look... f*** off."
Unsurprisingly, the psychologist's hot take has caused an uproar, with people being quick to share their thoughts on the clip.
"If you can get the cart, you can return the cart. Look up shopping cart theory," one person commented, referencing the viral idea that you can gauge a person's moral character on whether or not they return their trolley.
Others pointed out that she could take her kids with her while retuning the trolley.
"How did your kids get to the shopping cart safely?" another user asked. "Did you leave them in the car alone and go get the cart? Or were they portable enough to make it without a cart?"
The fierce backlash has since led Dobson to defend herself further in a follow-up video, stating that she is focused on their well-being of her kids above anything else.
"It's May 31 and about six million people have freaked out over me not returning my shopping cart because my kids are in the car," she said on her Instagram account, before sharing a series of statistics believed to be from a report published by Kids and Car Safety, which urges parents not to leave their kids alone for even a minute in their vehicle.
"Last year 265 children were abducted in parking lots in America. Half of those were sexually assaulted," she continuing, citing the non-profit's reports, which aren't verified by law enforcement.
"As a single mum returning your shopping cart you are a prime for a predator to watch and grab you," Dobson added, urging shoppers to 'trust their gut' on whether or not a car park feels safe.
"There are actual lawyers who specialise in parking lot crimes and they sue the grocery stores and guess what? I've been a part of those cases. So if you want to be ignorant, go ahead."
Brenna Cooper