Falling Merchandise

Re “ ‘Sky Shelves’ Can Be Lethal for Shoppers,” Aug. 16: I do think about being crushed by the pallets piled above my head every time I enter a Costco or Home Depot, because there would be nowhere to go to avoid them if one of our inevitable earthquakes hit while I was shopping there. Who cares that Home Depot’s “steel racks exceed code requirements”? They aren’t the only problem, and shrink-wrapping the goods stacked on those racks isn’t the solution. No matter how strong the shelves may be, they are not designed to keep pallets or their loads in place, and wrapping merchandise into bundles just creates heavier missiles.

California residents are repeatedly cautioned to prepare homes and offices for quakes by attaching tall pieces of furniture, file cabinets, etc., to walls and by securing heavy objects that could become dangerous if airborne. We are even advised to run straps across our bookshelves, while these stores don’t take precautions to restrain things weighing many times more than a book. I can’t imagine why this state does not require warehouse-style merchandisers to protect shoppers by earthquake-proofing their ubiquitous stores.

LINNEA WARREN

Pasadena

*

The story on big box store shelves gives new meaning to the old saw: “Let the buyer beware!”

RALPH DEARDEN

Santa Maria