Shortage of Shopping Carts at San Francisco Safeway
On Monday, NBC Bay Area counted about five or six shopping markets in the Safeway at Taraval Street and 17th Avenue.
“I always park on the roof, there’s usually a stack,” said Jim, a Safeway customer. “I can see a dozen usually, right? Not today. I’m about to ask one of the checkers and see what’s going on.”
A Safeway employee said the carts may have been stolen, but he couldn’t say much more than that. NBC Bay Area also spoke with the store’s assistant manager, but he immediately referred us to corporate.
NBC Bay Area reached out to a Safeway spokesperson but did not immediately hear back.
In July of last year, customers at the Safeway on Market and Church streets started noticing a shortage of shopping carts. At the time, the company confirmed the carts had been stolen.
When that Safeway got new carts, the company had large poles installed on them to make it impossible to take them outside the store.
Carts and Parts is working on a new cart tracking system that would help combat this problem.
Sergio Quintana NBC Bay Area contributed to this post