SELECT retailers are facing fines of up to $80 this year as several communities crack down on shopping cart issues.
Walmart, Target, Kroger, and other top companies may find themselves paying if they don’t make changes.
Abandoned shopping carts are becoming a real problem nationwide (stock image)[/caption]
Select Walmart stores and other businesses could pay fines as a result (stock image)[/caption]
About two million shopping carts are stolen every year, according to findings from the Good L Corporation.
There are multiple reasons for this, including shoppers living in urban areas with no vehicle using the shopping carts to take groceries home and then abandoning them out of convenience.
Some residents who are unhoused also use them to carry personal belongings and are later dumped in vacant lots or alleys.
Currently, it costs US retailers around $175 million a year in replacement and repair costs, per The Food Marketing Institute.
Some cities in California, like Eureka, located about five hours due north of San Francisco, have had enough of abandoned shopping carts being found astray by city workers.
As such, a new law has been implemented that requires any business in Eureka whose cart is found abandoned to pay fines up to $80 per incident, according to The Times-Standard.
The stray shopping carts became a real issue in recent years, and officials had trouble finding ways to hold stores accountable, but that changes with the fines.
Brenden Reilly, a Eureka chief building official, told the outlet that the legislation “allows us to keep a paper trail and be transparent” along with being “able to account for what we will be billing businesses for.”
City workers will now take a photo of the carts that are seized and details about where they were found will be uploaded to a specific database for officials.
Walmart has a supermarket location in Eureka, and there’s also a Target and Costco location.
Lawmakers in the city passed it on a three-to-two vote split, with the fine covering pickup and delivery costs for the shopping cart.
Eureka isn’t the only city with plans recently put in place for abandoned shopping carts.
Dave Cortese, a state senator in San Jose, also introduced a bill that would have city workers return abandoned carts directly to retailers.
This was an alternative from the previous rule, which would require that they were held for 30 days first.
Cracking down on abandoned carts
California stands as the state with the most comprehensive and active local ordinances fining retailers for stranded shopping carts.
Many cities in California have rolled out or are considering legislation that holds businesses accountable for abandoned carts, often imposing fines and requiring containment measures.
However, several cities and counties across the country have enacted ordinances that fine retailers for abandoned shopping carts:
- California: Eureka, Brawley, San Jose, Duarte, Glendale, Fortuna
- Texas: Fort Worth, Dallas, and Bellmead
- New Mexico: Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces
- New York: Greenburgh, Glenville, Bronxville, and White Plains
- Georgia: Atlanta, Warner Robins, and Decatur
- Maryland: Prince George’s County
SHOPPING HAZARD
“Abandoned shopping carts are more than just an eyesore, they create safety hazards, block sidewalks, pollute our creeks, and cost cities time and taxpayer money to clean up,” Cortese said in a statement.
Large retailers like Walmart, Target, Costco, and Kroger were also encouraged to make policy changes in San Jose to prevent abandoned carts.
Many have taken steps already, having wheel-locking mechanisms attached that will trigger if a cart is taken too far away from the store.
There’s also coin-lock systems, like at Aldi, that prevent stolen carts.
Another California city, Brawley, located about two-hour drive due east of San Diego, also unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that would address the issue of abandoned shopping carts earlier this month, per a local news outlet.
“They become potential health hazards and really interfere with some of the pedestrian and vehicular traffic within our city,” Brawley police chief Jimmy Duran explained.
“I think we’ve all seen them from time to time.”
Penalties For Shopping Cart Theft
The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of penalties that can impact shoppers and retailers when it comes to abandoned carts.
For Shoppers
- Misdemeanor Charges: Theft is a crime, it can lead to fines or jail time.
- Community Service: Judges can order community service.
For Retailers
- Stray Cart Fees: You can incur fees for stray carts.
- Retrieval Timeframe: Retailers must pick up carts within a certain period after being notified to avoid fines.
- Costs for impoundment: The city might need to store the cart and the business has to pay for that.
CHANGES CONTINUE
Under the law, businesses would be required to secure their carts and retrieve any that were left abandoned, a little different than the other laws in Eureka and San Jose, as city workers would collect them.
Retailers in the city are allowed a 30-day window to create compliance plans and submit them, and afterward, violations would be a $50 fine per cart each day it’s left abandoned.
In Stockton, about 45 miles from Sacramento, officials also amended a longstanding ordinance, requiring stores to better prevent abandoned shopping carts through citations and fees.
Duarte, Glendale, and Fortuna are making changes as well.
Several cities in Texas, New Mexico, New York, Georgia, and Maryland are doing the same.
COSTS HANDED OFF?
Dominick Miserandino, CEO of Retail Tech Media Nexus, also told The US Sun that these costs for replacing carts and the fines could very well be passed onto shoppers.
The carts aren’t cheap, going for about $100 to $500 each depending on the model.
Retailers have to find some way to make up the losses.
Shoppers in nine states also face fines up to $2,500, but there are three ways to avoid them.
Some “wardrobing” laws in select states can result in $5,000 fines, and shoppers may not even know they’re breaking them.
