I have gone ice skating a lot in the past. Many people rent the skates from the establishment. I don't think I have ever seen anyone, after skating, just leave their rented shoes by the lockers/benches when the switch back to their own shoes. They always return the rented shoes to the desk, even when there is a short lineup at rush hour.
It's very strange that people think the same courtesy should not be extended to shopping carts.
If I go to a fast food restaurant, where you order and collect at the counter, and where I don't see the staff cleaning the tables between customers, I do wipe down my table with the provided napkins.
This satisfies the golden rule. I want the person on the table before me to do a reasonable effort to keep the table clean. And I will do it for the next person.
We do that in Sweden if the kids made a mess. Same in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Netherlands and I'd assume Japan and Korea as well.
What's so bad about it? We had a great meal at [place], might as well help the overwhelmed person working minimum wage by giving them some breathing space.
>What if you had to clean your own table at Applebees?
Halve the price, don't force a tip, and give me some cleaner. I'll do it.
by the way, I do try to do my best to wipe off excess sauce and put large crumbs onto the plates. I'm not going to leave my table oozing with ketchup. It's the same logic of cleaning up before professional cleaners come in.
It's very strange that people think the same courtesy should not be extended to shopping carts.