Businesses now required to better track shopping carts

DOWNEY -  At their meeting Tuesday, City Council unanimously voted to crack down on businesses who fail to monitor their shopping carts.

Currently, the city only mandates that businesses label their shopping carts and post notices stating that it is illegal to remove a shopping cart off their premises.

According to staff’s report, however, the city continues to experience a high volume of abandoned, lost, and stolen shopping carts, leading to obstructions of pedestrian access in the public rights-of-way and visual blight throughout the city.

The now added Cart Containment Plan will further detract individuals from being able to steal a cart, while adding additional repercussions for store owners who do not monitor their carts or who allow them to be removed from their business premises.

“In the Cart Containment plan, what we are suggesting is that we require the grocery stores and department stores to insert disabling devices on all the carts…or they can use the method that Aldi’s uses, and that’s a security deposit,” said Community Development Director Aldo Schindler during his presentation to council.  

Businesses are also able to pitch other methods as well.

Regardless of which direction they choose, all relevant businesses will also be required to train their staff in regard to the new containment plan, as well as maintain any lock systems that they may utilize.

They will also be responsible for their own cart retrieval.

Businesses now have 90 days from adoption to apply for a containment plan. Plans will be reviewed by staff within 30 days of receipt, and will need to be renewed annually.