Scattered shopping carts create quite a few inconveniences not only for store owners but also for customers. When carts are not kept in the proper location, they are not available for customer use and are often scattered throughout the parking lot, requiring store staff to run and collect them. Lost carts found throughout the city are a public nuisance as ordinances are being put into effect requiring stores to drive their shopping carts or be fined. Each collection solution has advantages and disadvantages that are detailed later.
There are several effective ways that stores can get their carts back. Stores may use equipment called a cart pusher, pull, retriever, or cart manager. Stores may also hire additional staff to physically retrieve shopping carts scattered throughout the parking lot. Reward systems are also used to provide customers with incentives to take them back to the appropriate destination after they have finished using them. Pens and search teams can also be used to help control errant carts. Lastly, a pull rope can help employees retrieve shopping carts more efficiently than collecting them individually or just a few at a time.
A motorized cart pusher, also known as a cart pull, retriever, or cart manager, makes retrieving shopping carts safe, fast, and easy! Here’s how one type of disposable retriever works: You first place the cart’s rear wheels effortlessly into the nesting cups of the cart’s cradle. Some systems require the cart to be bolted to the pusher, but the nested cup option protects the grocery cart from damage that can occur when bolting down and gives you availability to use your entire fleet at any time. The rest of the fleet is then collected and nested in the first one found in the nesting cups of the carriage cradle. A safety strap is placed over the entire row and attached to the first one found in the nesting cups so that they can all be pushed safely to their destination. Some of these pushers use a remote control to push the row in the designated direction. Many motorized retrievers are built with a strobe light and brake light to provide increased visibility to surrounding cars and pedestrians. These retrievers can retrieve a large volume of carts and it only takes one person to operate one. Powered pushers can retrieve 3-4 times more shopping carts than a single person, reducing store labor costs. Retrievers also reduce liability for injuries, since employees can effortlessly retrieve carts with the use of this type of equipment. No stress is produced when pushing or pulling a full row. The initial cost to purchase a machine is quickly recovered from reduced labor and liability costs.
Another method of collecting shopping carts is to hire additional staff to scour the parking lot to retrieve shopping carts by hand and return them to the appropriate location so they can be made available for customer use. However, this method is more time consuming due to the fact that the store keeper cannot retrieve a large amount at one time. Having less control over shopping carts can also lead to potential damage to the carts themselves or surrounding vehicles. This method increases responsibilities and can be physically taxing for the person assigned to pick up and clear the parking lot. Additional parking lot pickup staff are also not available for in-store customer needs while they are retrieving carts.
An additional option for retrieving shopping carts is to offer store customers an incentive to return the carts. Reward systems that include a counter and a target may be used. The counter is used to keep track of the number returned to a destination. The goal is the number of carts the store wants the count to reach when it returns to a designated area. In each of the supermarket carts there is a sensor. The sensor detects its return to the designated area. When the return count reaches a predetermined amount, an alarm is activated indicating that a prize will be awarded to the person who brought the count to the designated target number. Although this system provides an incentive, many customers don’t even know the system exists and the customer who counts to the target number is rewarded solely based on chance.
Cart corrals give customers more convenient direction on where their shopping carts should go once they are done using them. Often customers bring the shopping cart to their cars to easily transport their merchandise. After transporting their goods, they tend to leave the carts in the parking lot near where their car is instead of bothering to push them to the store and then walk all the way back. Placing cart corrals around the parking lot provides customers with an effortless and convenient alternative. Car corrals provide a solution to help keep parking lots clear of clutter. Cart yards still require additional store staff or a cart puller, pusher, or recovery team to transport shopping carts from the cart yards back to the store.
Shopping carts can be expensive to replace. People who remove carts from store property either create a need for stores to buy more or they must hire a search team or recovery company to go around town and recover shopping carts that have been removed from their property . While hiring a company to recover lost items is effective, the cost can add up quickly as costs are often on a per cart recovered basis. Stores may also be responsible for city-imposed impound fees if the city has already found and collected them. The risk is that there is also no way to guarantee what kind of condition each one will be returned in, as they often end up in waterways or have been used by the homeless population.
Lastly, pull ropes can help employees collect more carts at one time. One end of the rope is attached to the last cart while the employee stands at the other end of the row using the rope to help pull the rope. More shopping carts can be collected at one time, however, the physical nature of this method increases injuries and stores liability.
Abandoned carts left behind by shoppers lead to overcrowded parking lots, resulting in fewer parking spaces available for customer use, as well as increased damage to vehicles and shopping carts. Overcrowded parking lots also increase liability issues for retailers. It is extremely important that stores find an effective method of cart retrieval to provide clutter-free parking lots, decrease liability, and increase the number of shopping carts available for customer use. A cart pusher, puller, retriever, or cart manager seems to be the most effective solution by providing the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to keep both customers and retailers happy.