In an effort to reduce abandoned shopping carts in neighborhoods, the city of Phoenix is weighing the implementation of an ordinance that would require merchants to fit their carts with locking devices.

City officials indicate that close to 8,000 shopping carts were collected within the last year alone. Interestingly, 75% of those came from merchants who already have retrieval systems in operation. Fifty percent of the carts collected by the city belonged to just two of the top merchants: Walmart and Fry’s, says Neighborhood Services Director Spencer Self.

“Seven of Walmart’s 15 locations employ locking wheels, and Fry’s does it at 27 of their 28 locations,” Self informed at a recent city meeting. There were discrepancies, however, he noted, as his staff reported some locations implementing a combination of carts—with locks on them or not.

A standard retrieval fee of $50 is charged for recovering a cart for that does not have a retrieval system in place at the business, or $25 for one that does. The carts are collected within 48 hours of their report by a contracted supplier. It is unclear how many carts were retrieved that had locking devices on them at the outset.

As an optional provision within a possible ordinance, the city could take cues from other municipalities that have locking devices but permit opt-outs if the store has its own functioning cart retrieval system in place. Not everyone on the city’s governing bodies is convinced that would be the optimal path, however.

Councilwoman Ann O’Brien spoke out on the efficiency of existing retailer systems:
“Considering Fry’s assures us they have lock mechanisms on 27 out of their 28 locations, but they still collect 24% of the city’s collections, we need the entire picture. Not cherry-picked information. What works, what does not, and where?”

Trish Hart, an Arizona Food Marketing Alliance representative, indicated retrieval demand differs widely among stores.
“There may be some that are doing just a once-a-week pickup, while others do multiple pickups in a week,” she noted.

But she is pleased with the prospect of arriving at an amenable solution, adding the group is eager to work with the city.

In addition to potential legislative measures, local businesses are stepping up to tackle the problem. America’s Cart Service, based in Phoenix, specializes in recovering lost, stolen, and abandoned shopping carts for retail and grocery stores. Their services include cart recovery, GPS tracking, and inventory management, aiming to reduce replacement costs and improve customer experience.

As Phoenix weighs locking down the problem—literally—it’s evident that both public officials and shopkeepers share a common objective: cleaner neighborhoods with fewer stray carts on the streets.