Cart Narcs is a
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel run by Sebastian Garrett Davis
from
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
. Davis calls himself "Agent Sebastian",
"Garrett" (his middle name), and "Sebas."
The channel is known for its videos where Davis confronts retail customers who leave their
shopping carts in parking lots.
He does this through what are purported to be humorous or lighthearted interactions, aiming to promote good etiquette and habits. During an appearance on an episode of
''Dr. Phil'', Davis stated that his mission is to ensure public decency.
In 2023, he stated that Cart Narcs were "little
moral tales, but told with real people in a silly way".
A popular
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
on the channel is "lazybones," a name given to those who refuse to take their carts back. Occasionally, he might also call out those who litter.
Although he is based in California, he has conducted "investigations" in New Jersey,
New York, Texas, Hawaii, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, as well as foreign countries like Australia and Japan.
Davis has been a creative producer for ''The Woody Show'', a morning comedy show under the radio company
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
, since 2015.
Nate Rogers of ''
The Ringer'' compared Cart Narcs's content to that of
''How'' ''To With John Wilson'' or ''
Nathan for You'', writing that they all show "a glimpse at some of the more bizarre and amusing people on the planet".
Criticism
Davis has received criticism, with some referring to his actions as "harassment," and stating that he is not trying to protect public decency, but instead to purposely provoke, then publicly shame people for the purpose of entertainment at their expense.
Television producer
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur (born October 29, 1975) is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor. He started his career as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1998–2004) before gaining acclaim as a writer and producer of the si ...
criticized some aspects of Cart Narcs, stating:
Safety concerns
Sebastian Davis has discussed retaliation against his activities, including the pointing of guns, throwing drinks, and hurling the magnets Davis leaves back at him.
To mitigate the risk of harm, Davis says he wears a bulletproof vest, has received training in
Krav Maga
Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli Hand-to-hand combat, self-defence system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it uses techniques derived from aikido, boxing, judo, karate and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situat ...
, will leave the property when asked by an employee, and will flee when considered prudent.
See also
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Shopping cart theory
The shopping cart theory is an Internet meme which judges a person's ethics by whether they return a shopping cart to its designated cart corral or deposit area. The concept became viral online after a 2020 Internet meme which posits that shopping ...
References
External links
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American YouTube groups
Organizations based in California
YouTubers from California
{{US-org-stub
IHeartMedia
American radio producers
Shopping carts