Scattered shopping carts create quite a few inconveniences not only for the store owners but also for the customers. When carts are not stored in the proper location, they are not available for customer use and are often scattered in the parking lot, requiring store personnel 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 manage their shopping carts or they will be fined. Each collection solution has advantages and disadvantages which are detailed below.
There are several effective ways stores can get their carts back. Stores may use a team called a cart pusher, puller, 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 drive them back to the appropriate destination once they have finished using them. Corrals and search teams can also be used to help control errant carts. Lastly, a tow 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 puller, retriever, or cart manager, makes retrieving shopping carts safe, fast, and easy! Here’s how one type of available retriever works: It first places 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 shopping cart from damage that can occur when bolted 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 in the nesting cups so that everyone can be safely pushed 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 high volume of carts and it only takes one person to operate one. Motorized pushers can retrieve 3-4 times more shopping carts than a single person, reducing store labor costs. Repossessors also reduce liability for injuries, as employees can retrieve cars effortlessly using this type of equipment. There is no tension when pushing or pulling a full row. The initial cost to purchase a machine is quickly recouped from reduced labor and liability costs.
Another method of collecting shopping carts is to hire additional staff to go around the parking lot to retrieve the shopping carts by hand and bring them back 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 exhausting for the person assigned the task of picking up and clearing the parking lot. The additional staff that is collected in the parking lot is also not available for the needs of customers in the store while they are retrieving carts.
An additional option to recover shopping carts is to offer store customers an incentive to return carts. Prize systems that include a counter and a target can 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 triggered 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 do not even know that the system exists and the customer who brings the count to the target number is rewarded solely based on chance.
Cart corrals give customers a more convenient direction of where shopping carts should go once they’re done using them. Customers often bring the shopping cart to their cars to easily transport their merchandise. After transporting their goods, they tend to leave their carts in the parking lot near their car rather than bother to push them to the store and then walk all the way back. Placing cart corrals around the parking lot provides customers with a convenient and effortless alternative. Cart Corrals provide a solution to help keep parking lots clear of clutter. Cart pens still require additional store personnel or a cart pull, pusher, or recovery team to transport shopping carts from the cart pens back to the store.
Shopping carts can be expensive to replace. People taking carts off store property create a need for stores to buy more or must hire a search team or recovery company to go around town and retrieve shopping carts that have been taken off their property . While hiring a company to recover lost items is effective, the cost can add up quickly as costs are often based on a recovered cart. Stores may also be liable for impound fees imposed by the city 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 once. One end of the rope is attached to the last car while the clerk stands at the other end of the line 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 injury and liability for stores.
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. Crowded parking lots also increase liability problems for retailers. It is extremely important that stores devise an effective cart recovery method to provide clutter-free parking, 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.