Time to Clamp Down on Shopping Cart Thieves

Abandoned shopping carts continue to irk more than just cities. Kimi Yoshino’s article “Roundups Rise as Shopping Cart Rustlers Irk Cities,” Aug. 27, chronicles the magnitude of the problem.

The time has long passed for grocers and cities to take the blight of abandoned shopping carts more seriously than they have with many failed, Band-Aid fixes. Law enforcement and grocers continue to skirt the main issue of enforcement of state law, which prohibits removal of carts from the owner’s premises. A Catch-22 situation exists whereby law enforcement contends that they do not cite offenders because grocers will not support them in court. Grocers are reluctant to stop the removal of carts for fear of offending customers and losing business. Permitting customers to freely remove carts is tantamount to approval and results in aiding and abetting the crime of littering.

Those who take the carts are well aware that it is a crime to do so but have no fear of adverse consequences. The law is not enforced.

What is a solution?

One seems straightforward: Enforce the existing law. Stop the subsidized retrieval programs and deal with any resulting social and moral issues which may result.

Another solution is for the grocers to strictly prevent removal of carts from their premises and offer to sell or give away less expensive two-wheel carts to those customers who truly have a need. Take the excuses away from the chronic offenders.

Bob Ball

Anaheim