Walmart: Rolling out a shopper’s cart out of a grocery store seems cool, but it can now cost you thousands of dollars.
We all use the carts provided by Walmart and many other grocery superstores for shopping with ease. However, a new issue has been raised in recent months that will shock you to the core.
In several states of the US, many issues regarding missing carts have been reported by Walmart and Target retail stores. However, this act is now considered a crime that can cost the guilty one a fine of $2,500 or even lock them behind bars.
The major retailer stores, Target and Walmart, have taken strict measures to control the increasing missing carts at their stores. As per the data, both the retailing stores lose about 2 million carts every year and have increased their operation costs. It drives away about $175 million from their operating costs just to replace them. To uproot the main cause of their losses, they have introduced new measures to control it.
Actions taken by the states of the US on the shocking crime
To deal with this issue, the states have proposed passing some bills with the expectation of controlling the roots of the cause. One of the solutions they could think of was to regulate the cart system by keeping track of the carts moving out of their premises. This issue is not a new one on the list. However, it has made the retail stores incur high operational costs due to shoplifting and other losses.
New methods are introduced by the retailers to stop cases of shoplifting. The best of the methods introduced are bar code technology and some advanced methods, like a robotic parking lot security guard, which ensures no unchecked item is taken away.
Retailers try to do everything they can to decrease the cases of shoplifting and other loss-incurring crimes. However, some states still do not tolerate the missing cart cases that have costed millions to them millions.
Arizona
Arizona has imposed strict laws, including fines and imprisonment, in case any shopper is caught stealing. For cart theft, each thief will have to pay a fine of up to $250, while first-time thieves will have to pay a fine of up to $500. Other than that, the city is on the verge of installing GPS devices on the carts to track their location.
California
In case of any cart theft, the authorities will charge the accused with a misdemeanor. On this charge, the accused will have to pay a fine of $1000 or, worse, have to spend 6 months in prison.
Florida
In Florida, for stealing a cart from a retail store, the individual could be charged a fine of $100 for the misdemeanor charge. Moreover, the fine can be increased if the accused possessed the cart for a long time.
Hawaii
If you try to steal a cart or abandon it in public places after your use, it will be considered a crime in Hawaii. For committing this illegal offense, the accused can be charged $500 fine or a imprisonment of 30 days straight.
Illinois
The strictest measures on this issue are imposed on the individuals of Illinois. Those who will be found stealing the shopping carts will have to pay a fine of $2,500 to the authorities. The fine will be determined based on the price of the cart, as well as the history of theft by the individual.
New York
In case of a cart theft, the thief will be charged with a charge of $100, with respect to the extent of the theft. However, if the theft is expensive, the individual is bound to pay a fine of $1000 or serve a year in jail, depending on their behavior.
Texas
Here, the theft of a shopping cart is considered a low-risk misdemeanor for which the individual will have to pay a fine of $500. However, if the crime is expensive, then the fine can hike up to $1000, or the individual will have to spend 180 days in Jail.
Conclusion
Shoplifting and Cart theft are now considered a serious issue among the states and the retailers. To control it, several measures have been taken by the state and the retailers, including fines, jail, and ways to detect the carts leaving their premises.
