For me its situational. The supermarkets and Costco around where I live are unionized, so I just put it in a decent spot that won't roll off and bang up someone's car.
If its a non-unionized store, then I put the cart in one of the racks they have all over the lot.
My old store manager when I used to work at Home Depot used to joke around that parking near the cart return racks were the safest spots because the carts never make it there. That kind of stuck with me and I just park near them these days. I don't mind the extra walk to the store anyway.
I too park at a cart return. I can grab a cart, go in, come out, unload my shit, return cart. The closest spot in a lot generates inefficiency with a good person.
I like parking right next to them because it keeps an open visual space next to my vehicle, for theft reduction.
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