Finding and retrieving stolen or abandoned shopping carts costs money, and the city of San Jose wants to cash in on the bounty for rounding them up.
San Jose grocers are already required to have a plan to keep their shopping carts on their property or to get them back so they don’t end up in waterways or on city streets.
Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are
WATCH HEREOn Tuesday, the city council will talk about contracting with a company to pick up wayward carts at a cost to grocers.
The California Grocers Association said they already do this, adding that the city’s plan could cost grocers and ultimately consumers.
“Where we’re talking about the city getting into the cart retrieval business and competing against grocers, it’s going to cost more and that is just going to make prices more expensive on grocery store shelves at a time when Californians can least afford that," said Nate Rose with the California Grocers Association.
The San Jose City Council will hear the plan for contracting with a shopping cart retrieval service and a plan for the city to recover that cost from retailers.
The city plan is to integrate 311 so people can report wayward carts that they see.
Local
The plan is to also require stores to strengthen their existing loss prevention strategies like geo-fencing and locking mechanisms, plus provide a penalty for people who unlawfully remove carts from businesses.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news with the Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
SIGN UP 