How big are your thrift stores? I believe our local equivalent is charity shops, but I have never seen one of those big enough to need trolleys, in fact in most the layout would render trolleys useless.

The arm attached to the trolley must be a blasted nuisance just making your way around the store, never mind getting outside. I quite agree that any trolley you cannot take to the car park is of very limited use.

Don't know what to suggest as a solution. Maybe if a your stores took up the coin idea (which does work widely in the UK and the rest of Europe) they could persuade those in the States that a $1 coin has its uses after all.

As for a word, well FARK.com use a 'Florida' tag for some pretty dumb stories, but I don't think that is your state, and I couldn't see you embracing the tag even if it were appropriate;)