Comment by GuB-42

> That always made me chuckle, since the entire point of the system is that you're supposed to be incentivized to return the cart to get your money back

It usually takes more time to go inside the store, find an employee who is available to get that plastic chip, go back outside to pick your cart and back to the store than it is to just return the cart so you can get your coin/chip back.

The point is not to stop theft, it is just to incentivize people to put back the cart where it belongs instead of leaving it in the middle of the parking lot.

Anyways, personally, I 3D printed a fake chip that can be removed without reattaching the cart and have it on my keychain. I find it more convenient, and hacking the system is fun. I return the cart anyways.