Would you expect Target to send someone to deal with the mess in order to pick up this cart?
Three shopping carts discarded on Albany’s Dave Clark Riverfront Path illustrate why it’s so hard to deal with the plague of stolen and then abandoned carts.
I first came across these carts last week. They were on a curved section of the path just east of Main Street, opposite the Willamette Community Garden. They were still there on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
As reported here on Nov. 21, the Albany City Council approved a change in the city ordinance on shopping carts. All along, stores were required to retrieve stolen carts within three days of being notified. Now, if they have failed to do so six times in six months, they also may be required to install “containment measures” to keep people from taking carts off their premises.
The carts on the path make it obvious why carts are not picked up.
One of the three was from Target, and the first time I saw it it contained all kinds of trash including plastic bottles that looked like they might have contained motor oil. Or some other fluid, even more troublesome to get rid of.
Two of the carts had no markings showing their original owners. One of these was filled with bricks, the type of pavers used in the reconstruction of parts of Water Avenue as a plaza street.
One of the unidentifiable carts was encrusted with dirt or rust. No one would want it back even it its original owner could be found.
On the other side of the berm beside the path, there was what looked like an improvised encampment. It might have been occupied because I thought I heard a dog bark when I passed by on the bike on Tuesday afternoon. (Even for November, it was a raw day for a bike ride, but what’re you gonna do?)
Stores can’t be expected to send employees to face the risks involved with reclaiming carts from whoever used them last. And carts like these three can’t be returned to stores. Thorough decontamination would be required before even undamaged carts could be reused.
Maybe Albany stores are in a position to install wheel-stop mechanisms in their carts, and to wire their perimeters to make the mechanisms work. But I’m guessing that if the stores lost enough carts to warrant the extra expense, they would have done this by now.
We’ll see if the city’s code change on “containment measures” makes a difference. I’m not holding my breath. (hh)
One shopping cart with a load of bricks. It must have been hard to push.
Here’s the scene along the Dave Clark Path on Tuesday afternoon.
I’m sure Dave Clark is “rolling over in his grave.” What a mess. But, that is what the world has come to. I’m sure, though, that Trump will fix everything!!!! NOT!!!
Trump derangement syndrome in full effect
Biden sure didn’t. Why would you expect POTUS to give a rats ass about Albany?
Trump didn’t cause this problems, your Liberal friends did.
TDS
“The cost of a commercial plastic shopping cart typically ranges from around $100 to over $300 per unit, depending on size, features, and whether it is purchased in bulk.”
One more reason grocery prices are so high.
Not to mention liberals thinking shoplifting is just fine
How do other cities handle this problem?
Two thoughts: 1) Blaming/penalizing stores in any way for their carts being stolen seems absurd; 2) If stolen/abandoned carts are a major issue in Albany, perhaps the city should hire/contract with someone whose job is it is to quickly deal with carts left in locales like the Dave Clark Path.
We noticed this when visiting Alberta Canada. I think this could help in stopping the problem.
When I was in west Germany in the late 70,s defending our country from the communist hoards, if you wanted a cart to shop with at a grocery store you had to pay the equivalent of 25 cents to get your cart out of the rack.When you returned the cart you got your money back. I if you were lazy and did not return it some one else would do it and pocket the money. The carts wheels would lock up off the parking area.
Problem solved!
Easy solution. you trade a shopping cart valued at couple hundred dollars for a quarter. That solution doesn’t math anywhere.
That equation misses the point.
The real question is: How and why do people “on the edge” get those carts? One likely answer is that the carts are all over the store’s property and a little beyond; the chaos makes it easier to just grab one and walk away unnoticed than if they were properly corralled. Especially after store closing time.
Furthermore, some of the cart-grabbers might have more use for the reward than for the cart. A quarter wayback then equals a dollar or more today. Some of them might even make a living of sorts the way they do with bottles and cans. The reward needs to be high enough. The remaining unknown is how many cart thieves would actually approach the corral and pay to take a cart.
Also, customers have an incentive to grab a stray cart to use on their way into the store. The labor saved (employees retrieving stray carts), along with reduced theft, should pay for the expense of installing and running the system.
“How and why do people “on the edge” get those carts?”
I’ll suggest that a closer look at what is in those carts may be the sum-total of that person’s possessions.
They’re rolling/dragging it around so they have “eyes on” their belongs as they’re looking for another place to sleep that night. Fun life for sure. So they are stopped, rousted, all their belongings dumped on the street to retrieve that gorgeous cart, cited, etc.
Since they do NOT have the $$ to pay any sort of fine, nor clothing, transportation, etc. to get to a job-site — even if they did qualify for it. That will assist or help them exactly how?
….”So they are stopped, rousted, all their belongings dumped on the street to retrieve that gorgeous cart, cited, etc.”….
That would certainly make Corvallis a more attractive option.
I’m trying to juggle in my head what both you and Tim (below) write. You’re both right. Because of national politics, the attitude toward the homeless needed for conservative buy-in is “We will help them for OUR benefit, NOT THEIRS.” Forget about dignity, compassion, and all the other liberal claptrap (meant only half ironically).
The solution will come when we realize that the total social cost, including the dumped carts and much more, is greater than the cost of providing a minimally satisfactory existence for the homeless. Yes, government. Yes, taxes. But still cheaper than what we are enduring now. The punitive situation you describe is clearly unhelpful to ANYONE.
I don’t know how much we can or should try to distinguish between those who are unwilling to live by the rules and those who are simply down on their luck, though some segregation along these lines might help.
Anything we do must be wide enough geographically to avoid the problem shifting from place to place.
I love this! Good example of smart economics benefiting society in exchange for a minor cost or inconvenience. It’s in a category of ideas that seem difficult to introduce — particularly in America? — that would help a lot. Other examples are congestion pricing and pay-for-parking everywhere (to help fix referendum-enhanced potholes).
Since others have mentioned it, it’s time to confess my severe case of TDS. As a Democrat at the time, all it took for me to turn against Bill Clinton in 1994 was the firing of his Surgeon General. Republicans now face greater outrages from their President — every day, every HOUR!
The city passing this off to the business is ludicrous. Simply put, it us possession of stolen property. Theft II as they are not cheap to replace. You contact a person off the property with a cart and have the business sign such, you cite or arrest the person and the business retrieve the cart. Straight up. Puts the burden on the criminal.
We are johnny on the spot cleaning out “homeless camps”, hazardous materials accidents, spills, and public toilets. I am sure we have protective gear (hospitals/fire department might be a source to locate additional). Stop making everything a penalty. They also might be a source to dispose of those “dangerous” waste products. See the mess, clean it up, as simple as that. We do pay employees to work for the city. As for the carts they go back to the store to deal with. We do have trucks to transport them too. Again an elitist attitude here does not help. Tired of the political party to blame comments. They are useless. See a problem, find a solution, act of the solution, end of problem.
Let me get this straight. If a person with a house, a job, a car, and some savings in the bank steals $200-300 from Target, they would face some serious trouble from law enforcement.
But, if a person with no home or other valuable possessions steals $200-300 from Target, they are not punished, or even forced to return the stolen property. Not only that, but the STORE is punished for not recovering their stolen goods.
I’m guessing the stores don’t want broken carts that have been pushed miles from the store, defecated in, set on fire, used to cook meth, and thrown in a creek.
Well said HH! This is a perfect example of letting capitalism work.
BTW, I’ve ridden my bike up there and one would be wise to about the encampments up there. They are not occupied by typical displaced people. There are potential dangers up there.
When I was a kid, there was no problem, you weren’t allowed to take a cart out of a store.
GREAT STORY HASSO…..MAYBE FORREST GUMP WYDEN CAN HELP….HE GOT THE HELICOPTER BACK….TOO BAD HE DIDN’T SAVE THAT WHALE..OH NO,,I’VE GOT R.W.S….OH MY..
To be sure, the carts are an expense for all stores. Not mentioned so far is that virtually all retailers do plan for losses such as this. We called it “shrinkage” when I was with JCPenney for 24+ years (including Albany & Lebanon). It could be from shoplifting (aka carts, clothing, etc.), internal theft, etc. Our goal was to minimize it to anything less than 1% for the year – and we were doing good. Our personal ratings partially depended on it. It is possible the carts we see fall within the acceptable range for that store…
Mr. Walter is right. My kiddos know what goes on because they talk to other kiddos and I know from past experience living in homelessness. The bulk of the homeless in town were drawn here by the low barrier shelter plans. They are hard core career criminals and grifters. They sell drugs, alcohol and sex to your kiddos. Many in the shelters do too. They are not displaced families or people down on their luck. All this “homes” before they are treated only works if the people are highly controlled and have constant supervision. They use living under the grid and anonymity to keep out of jail. The carts are but a symptom of their lack of lawlessness. The people truly deserving and needing help are left to fend for themselves amongst those who would harm them.
Some stores have numbers to call to pickup their carts. I know Fred Meyer does but don’t have the number right now.