Back home, shopping cart theft of a big problem. Homeless people steal them to live out of, kids take them just to dump them in canals, crippled people use them to haul their groceries all the way home – the excuses are endless.
Those carts aren’t cheap either, they cost hundreds of dollars each. It’s no wonder that stores want to keep them.
The latest attempt is a wheel-locking device. If the cart is pushed past the edge of the parking lot, one of the rear wheels is locked, and has to be manually released by an employee. Sounds like a great idea except that three wheels and skid are better than carrying the groceries all the way home.
it’s not uncommon to see someone pushing the cart, locked wheel and all, down the streets. Better yet, when the carts do get returned, the locked one has been worn flat, which makes for a pleasant thumpy push in the store.
In Taiwan, they’re trying a different approach, seen here. The carts are all locked together and to release one you have to put a NT$10 in. When you return the cart, you get your money back. You never see carts in the parking lots or on the streets.
Seems like a great idea, but, somehow I doubt I’d waste my time pushing the cart back to the lock up for US$ 0.30. Perhaps this is the way to finally get the Sacagawea $1 coins in wide usage.