You might get in trouble if you take carts from supermarkets! Everybody is familiar with Walmart and Target because they are so porpular in the U.S., but what they are doing now is implementing strict measures against the theft or disappearance of carts at supermarkets.
This might seem silly, but this situation is causing the loss of millions of dollars.
So, if you want to know what are the consequences when you take a cart from a supermarket like Walmart or Target, you should keep reading. Let’s get started!
Economic impact of stolen carts
According to Daily Mail, around 2,000 carts disappear every year at retail stores in the United States. This might seem like nothing because the country is so big and there are so many of these stores all over it, but the reality is that these thefts cost the industry around $175 million per year.
We sometimes take for granted these carts have a process and companies have to pay for the restocking, but there are also logistics and transport expenses.
You could be fined!
As this situation is costing companies money, what Walmat and Target have decided to do is fine everybody who takes their carts with no authorization. This is no joke because these fines won’t be directly imposed by stores, but by local legislation – you will have to face the police or the court if necessary.
Wondering about how much you will have to pay if you get caught? The amount is up to $2,500 for taking their carts. So, I would think twice before doing it…
A different fine depending on the state
As we mentioned before, fines are up to $2,500, but this is not the same for everybody since the misuse or theft of carts are different depending on the state. These are some of the examples:
- Illinois: up to $2,500.
- California: up to $1,000 and 6 months of prison.
- New York: $100 fine, but in more serious cases it can lead to a misdemeanor and fines will increase up to $1,000 or a year in prison.
As you can see, every state has its own rules when it comes to cart theft so it’s riskier if you don’t know what the consequences are in each state.
Other safety measures
These cart thefts are just a small part of a bigger problem: the higher number of robberies in stores. So, companies have decided to use fines as a strategy to reduce those carts’ losses. In addition, they have come up with other measures to protect what’s inside the stores:
- Block system of carts’ wheels.
- Awareness campaigns.
- More cameras and security staff in stores.
- Restrictions at self-service checkouts, Target only accepts scanning up to 10 products.
- Basic needs products, even baby formula, are in locked displays.
What did customers say?
These decisions haven’t been well received by clients because some of them are bothered about having to ask for help every time they want common products. Of course people have commented the situation on social media and they are so annoyed by these measures that they even posted about not shopping at stores where they don’t feel treated with confidence.
Every time we see an institution, a company or authority making changes and implementing new measures, it’s because the situation they want to change is happening more than it should.
So, these thefts must have been so evident that they didn’t want to keep losing so much money just for the sake of people taking their carts. I know sometimes it’s more comfortable to carry your purchases in supermarket carts, but you should be careful now.
