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Store managers discuss stolen carts during designated month
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| Staff photo by Ashley Rhodebeck A lone shopping cart sits in the Cub Foods parking lot. While an employee will probably round up the stray, some carts never return to the store, a problem that has prompted February to be called “Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket” month. |
By Ashley Rhodebeck
Daily News staff writer
February is Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
Most grocery stores have seen it: a forlorn shopping cart miles away from the store, complemented by a shrinking supply of carts.
Often, stores count their losses and move on, knowing a missing cart here and there is expected, but perhaps that trend will reverse this month and people will actually return stranded carts they've taken or found about town: February is Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month, which includes milk crates and bread trays, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We've had to replace quite a few of them,” said Mary Pittner, assistant manager of Save-A-Lot. “We've lost over 100 since we opened (two years ago).”
Losing a cart or two may seem insignificant to some, but the metal contraptions aren't cheap to replace. Save-A-Lot, 1223 Park Ave., recently bought 150 carts at $300 a piece, Pittner said.
And it's not just the stores that feel the pocket pinch.
“Unfortunately when you take the cart it causes prices to go up, whether here, Wal-Mart or Woodman's,” Pittner said.
To combat theft, Pittner said Save-A-Lot has installed a wire under the property's perimeter that causes the shopping carts' wheels to lock if people try to roll them off the grounds. However, she said, some people bypass the security by picking the cart up, placing it in their car and driving away.
Some may not understand the appeal of owning a grocery cart, especially those with the wobbly wheel, but Pittner explained some use the carts to tote their “junk” while others try to cash in the metals for money. Junk yards know not to accept the carts without the store's approval, she said, and noted one facility contacted her when somebody brought in a cart.
Such activity appears rare in the Stateline Area, though. Employees from St. Dennis Recycling, 1956 S. Royce Ave., and Joseph Behr and Sons, 201 Wheeler Ave. in South Beloit, said they haven't had people come in with carts.
Although Save-A-Lot has seen the number of its shopping carts dwindle, other Beloit stores said cart theft isn't a huge problem.
A manager at Cub Foods, 20 Park Ave., said everyone has some sort of a problem with it, but it's not much of a concern at Cub Foods. Employees at ShopKo, 2761 Prairie Ave., used to count their carts every month, a manager said, but have since stopped because the corporate office viewed it as a waste of time. The manager couldn't remember the last time ShopKo ordered new carts.
Most grocery stores have seen it: a forlorn shopping cart miles away from the store, complemented by a shrinking supply of carts.
Often, stores count their losses and move on, knowing a missing cart here and there is expected, but perhaps that trend will reverse this month and people will actually return stranded carts they've taken or found about town: February is Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month, which includes milk crates and bread trays, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We've had to replace quite a few of them,” said Mary Pittner, assistant manager of Save-A-Lot. “We've lost over 100 since we opened (two years ago).”
Losing a cart or two may seem insignificant to some, but the metal contraptions aren't cheap to replace. Save-A-Lot, 1223 Park Ave., recently bought 150 carts at $300 a piece, Pittner said.
And it's not just the stores that feel the pocket pinch.
“Unfortunately when you take the cart it causes prices to go up, whether here, Wal-Mart or Woodman's,” Pittner said.
To combat theft, Pittner said Save-A-Lot has installed a wire under the property's perimeter that causes the shopping carts' wheels to lock if people try to roll them off the grounds. However, she said, some people bypass the security by picking the cart up, placing it in their car and driving away.
Some may not understand the appeal of owning a grocery cart, especially those with the wobbly wheel, but Pittner explained some use the carts to tote their “junk” while others try to cash in the metals for money. Junk yards know not to accept the carts without the store's approval, she said, and noted one facility contacted her when somebody brought in a cart.
Such activity appears rare in the Stateline Area, though. Employees from St. Dennis Recycling, 1956 S. Royce Ave., and Joseph Behr and Sons, 201 Wheeler Ave. in South Beloit, said they haven't had people come in with carts.
Although Save-A-Lot has seen the number of its shopping carts dwindle, other Beloit stores said cart theft isn't a huge problem.
A manager at Cub Foods, 20 Park Ave., said everyone has some sort of a problem with it, but it's not much of a concern at Cub Foods. Employees at ShopKo, 2761 Prairie Ave., used to count their carts every month, a manager said, but have since stopped because the corporate office viewed it as a waste of time. The manager couldn't remember the last time ShopKo ordered new carts.
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