Mum goes on live TV to defend x-rated rant after refusing to return shopping trolley in supermarket car park
Kya Buller
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@Drlesliedobson/KTLA 5
Dr Leslie Dobson, a mum of two from California, went viral recently for refusing to return her shopping trolley at the supermarket and has now appeared on TV to defend her actions.
If your first thought was that she's been stealing the trolleys, it's not quite like that.
Rather, she said that she just leaves them in the car park after she's put her kids in the car.
Naturally, it drew a lot of criticism online as, well, returning your trolley is part of supermarket etiquette, it's not like we love doing it.
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Dobson's original TikTok video featured her saying: "I'm not returning the shopping cart.
"You can judge me all you want. I'm not getting my groceries into my car, getting my children into the car and then leaving them in the car to go return the cart.
"If you're gonna give me a dirty look, f**k off."
Tell us how you really feel, Leslie.
People were quick to offer their opinions at the time.
One person wrote: "I simply unload groceries, return cart WITH kids, and then load them in. Same way that we got out of car. Simple."
Another said: "One thing I’ve noticed after moving to America recently is that shopping cart return stations are all over the parking lot so never really more than 20 seconds away and you still can’t be bothered?"
Since the video blew up and Dobson was targeted with a lot of anger, she chose to talk about it on live TV.
Appearing on KTLA 5 Weekend Morning News, Dobson doubled down and referenced safety concerns.
She said: "Coming from the mindset of someone who has worked with predators for 20 years, I know how they think, and I know what they look for, and that is a vulnerable moment.
"When you return to your car, you have already been watched for a significant amount of time, so if you are choosing social niceties over protecting your children, I just wanted to say that you don’t have to."
She continued: "I am shocked [by the response], but I am also very happy, because I’ve received hundreds - maybe to the point of even thousands - of messages from moms saying, "I pulled into the spot, I’m looking at my surroundings, and I’m more aware now."
"I know the video was provocative, but that’s what I wanted. I wanted to grab attention. It’s the bigger picture of 'We need to empower ourselves to trust our intuitions.'"
Dobson concluded: "We have taken power back from predators because now, this is a worldwide conversation, which I am shocked by. But honestly, if we have awareness, then that predator isn’t going to be able to do what he intended."