I would like to offer a different take on this, even if I’ll be downvoted to hell for it…
So, using Walmart in the US as an example:
They hire people to push carts from the cart returns back to the building and those people are also responsible for snagging the stragglers as well. By putting the cart back in the correct place you are reducing the amount of work that an hourly employee has to do during their shift, thereby reducing their potential hours and potential pay.
For me, it’s the same reason I hate the self checkout, because I’m not getting a discount for running a self serve register but Walmart is saving money by not paying an employee to do it.
I get how using a self checkout is nice because I don’t have to deal with a human, but the human I no longer have to deal with is another potential employee that was getting a paycheck…
Start making up job experience on your resume, then say it’s not OK to contact your previous employer.
It’s not using a “frickin laser beam” to blow up the world, but a lie to improve your chances of getting a job, justified in my opinion.
Even if you get caught for lying after the fact, now you DO have “previous job experience” that you would not like new employers to contact…