I worked in several grocery stores when I was young, I was never aware of any procedures for wonky carts. If there aren’t systems in place to identify and fix problems, it’s no wonder the situation is what it is.

I had never heard of the conspiracy theory that it was done on purpose to slow people down. That doesn’t really pass the smell test. When I have a bad cart I want to leave as soon as possible to minimize my time with it. It also makes me view the store in a negative light. These are both bad things, and it seems pretty obvious that they would get damaged over time from abuse.