A CONTROVERSIAL new law has officially been passed in an effort to crack down on abandoned shopping carts.
Lawmakers sparked fury when they imposed $50 fines not on thieves who steal the buggies, but on the apparent victims of the crime.
A new law was passed that cracks down on abandoned shopping carts (Stock Photo)[/caption]
Shoppers who steal carts will not be punished under the law (Stock Photo)[/caption]
On August 19, city councilors in Eureka, California, about five hours north of Sacramento, voted 3-2 to impose fees on retailers who have abandoned carts.
The fines would be doled out by city collectors who pick up the buggies throughout the town, the Redheaded Blackbelt reported.
Locals can catch the supermarkets by posting a picture of the carts and tagging the city on social media.
City crews will also take photographs and enter the information into a tracking database to monitor the offenders.
Businesses will be hit with the $50 charge whether the cart is returned or trashed.
City leaders behind the bill said the measure is all about saving taxpayers’ money.
Mayor Kim Bergel argued residents shouldn’t be forced to subsidize the shopping cart collection.
She asked, “So do you feel like then, just to clarify this, that the general population should be paying for that out of the general fund – our taxpayers should be paying for that?”
City Attorney Robert Black said that the fee isn’t a tax. However, store owners insist the move is unfair and could push small shops closer to the edge.
A council member, Renee Contreras-DeLoach, said the policy punishes stores that are victims of theft.
“They’re being victimized by shoplifters or being victimized by people who are stealing their carts,” she said in a meeting.
“I think the impression from some of the people that I talk to is that it is another move and a series of moves by the city that is not friendly to business and does not understand the pressures that they’re under.”
Her colleague Mario Fernandez agreed that thieves are not being punished, but businesses are.
Some store owners express that the fees could be passed on to shoppers through higher prices.
Officials promised to publish regular reports showing which businesses are hit with the most recoveries and how many carts are collected.
Fines For Shopping Cart Theft
For Individuals
-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.
-Containment Plans: Some cities require stores to have a shopping cart plan, and fines can be granted for not following it.
SHOPPING CART CRACKDOWN
This California City enacting shopping cart laws, is just one of the many instances where lawmakers look at reforming the way shopping carts are used.
Around 2 million shopping carts are stolen annually, costing retailers up to $175 million in replacement and repair costs.
This is a growing problem that stores and states are trying to tackle.
In nine states, Walmart and Target faced up to $2,500 fines from customers who remove carts from store premises or abandon them elsewhere, covering states like California, Texas, Florida, and New York.
In Sacramento, California, businesses and shoppers faced fines of up to $1000, and laws required carts to include anti-theft devices.
In Stockton, California, a long-standing ordinance was brought back to compel retailers to prevent carts from leaving their property through different methods, such as signs, wheel locks, or enforcement.
Abandoned carts are also taking up sidewalks in Arizona, with locals complaining about it, and in other instances, shoplifting rings across the United States use stolen carts to wheel out merchandise and dump it.
From July 1, shoppers will face $2,500 fines for unauthorized cart usage in California, New York, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Hawaii, Arizona, Illinois, and Washington.
In Arizona shopping carts are used to wheel out merchandise (Stock Photo)[/caption]
