POPULAR retailers risk being slapped with fines thanks to a new shopping cart law that has come into force.
Penalties will be issued after city workers retrieve the buggies that have been dumped.
Cities are tackling the scourge that is abandoned shopping carts[/caption]
Retailers whose carts are found abandoned risk having to cough up $80 per incident, as reported by The Times-Standard.
The law will impact businesses across Eureka – which is a five-hour drive from Sacramento.
Officials will take a photo of the carts that they seize and details of their location will be uploaded to a database.
Previously, city chiefs have struggled to hold retailers accountable.
“It allows us to keep a paper trail and be transparent and be able to account for what we will be billing businesses for,” Brenden Reilly, a Eureka chief building official, said.
The new rule has forced major retailers in the city to take note.
Walmart is just one of the giant corporations with a presence in Eureka. The chain has one supermarket in the California city.
Target has a presence in Eureka, as does Costco.
The law was passed by council members on a split three votes to two basis and it covers the delivery costs.
But, critics of the bill voiced concerns about how it could impact small companies.
Mario Fernandez called for the law to include protections for such businesses.
Renee Contreras-Deloach, a lawmaker, also voiced her concerns.
She suggested it could convey an impression that Eureka is “anti-business.”
“We have a situation where somebody who’s just doing business is being victimized, right?” she explained.
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.
“They’re being victimized by shoplifters or being victimized by people who are stealing their carts.
“And then we’re going to charge you a fee for that and 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.”
Eureka is not the only city trying to tackle the scourge that is abandoned carts.
In July, Dave Cortese, a San Jose state senator, put forward a bill that would see city workers return abandoned carts to respective retailers.
The politician said the program would be an alternative to seizing buggies for 30 days.
“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,” he said.
Cortese believe the proposal could lead to safer streets and cleaner surroundings.
And, he blasted the shortcomings of the current system.
He claimed storing carts in a compound is not only costly, but inefficient as retail officials have to collect them.
Large retailers in the city have been encouraged to make policy changes to prevent carts from becoming abandoned.
“That can be locking mechanisms. It could be a deposit system where you put money in a cart and get it back when you return it,” Matt Mahan, the city’s mayor, said.
But, the rule only applies to retailers that have more than 76 carts.
