- TV personality Tucker Carlson is posting videos of himself experiencing aspects of Russian life.
- In one clip, Carlson seems wowed by a shopping cart lock that requires a 10-ruble coin to release.
Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson is posting videos of himself experiencing various aspects of daily life in Moscow — and a moment involving Russian shopping carts has led to him being roasted on social media.
In a recent clip following his interview with Vladimir Putin that left the Russian president disappointed at his softball questions, Carlson expresses amazement at a security feature on a grocery store shopping cart.
To unlock the cart, the mechanism requires a 10-Ruble coin (around 11 US cents), which is spit back out after the cart is returned.
“It’s free, but there’s an incentive to return it and not just bring it to your homeless encampment,” Carlson says in the clip.
Tucker is excited that the Russians have figured out a way to keep homeless people from taking shopping carts. pic.twitter.com/R5pJSDEDsf
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 15, 2024
The same or similar technology has long been in use in grocery stores and airports around the world, including in the US.
Critics were quick to roast Carlson for his fawning reaction to the decades-old devices.
“He’s evidently never been to a grocery store before; that’s why he’s so fascinated,” user @Brandon_Newton1 posted on X.
Although the shopping cart locks in Carlson’s video are far more widespread in Europe, they’re also a common sight at German-owned Aldi’s US stores.
"Tucker Carlson being fascinated by putting a ruble inside a Russian shopping cart like we do a quarter at Aldi reminds me of when George Herbert Walker Bush was fascinated by a barcode scanner," said X user @April_Sassy.
Most American retailers typically prefer to use other security measures that leave their carts freely available to shoppers, with wheels that lock up when they reach a certain perimeter.
Still, American-owned Walmart and Costco have both used coin-operated cart locks at international locations, including Canada and Australia.
Carlson’s media company did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment ahead of publication.
Ever since the Cold War, grocery stores have been a key front in the competition for supremacy between Russia and America. If Carlson is indeed impressed by an easily bypassed security feature in Moscow, he should see what’s rolling out in the world of shopping cart tech back in the US.
From carts that let customers scan and pay on the spot, to AI-powered gateways that confirm purchases as carts roll through the exits, American retailers are transforming the way we shop in truly extraordinary ways.
"Hey, @TuckerCarlson! The shopping cart at the grocery store I go to allows me to scan items as I put them in the cart while shopping," X user EgilsRobs wrote. "Then at the checkout, I just scan the bar code, and pay the bill. Pretty cool, huh?"