A San Francisco Safeway store transferred all of its shopping carts inside the building after last month’s report showed that 160 of the items were stolen from the grounds.
Many of the store’s customers were surprised to see that there were no carts available in the outdoor bay near the entrance when they arrived at the location. Residents were planning to buy products at the 2020 Market St. store ahead of the holiday weekend.
Stolen Shopping Carts
“Zero shopping carts. It appears they have all been removed including the cart racks that were outside the front of the store. How the hell are you supposed to purchase things like bottled water, canned sodas, beer, seltzers, or wine in the same visit? I tried the Potrero St. and Mission St. stores too. Zero,” Paul Johnson said in a Google review of the store on July 2.
Scott S. a resident from Upper Market also wrote a similar complaint saying that when he asked store staff for a card, he was told that every single one of them was stolen. “They had a shipment of 160 carts last week and all of them have been taken. What good is having security if they can’t stop someone walking off the property with a shopping cart?” he said in a Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Facebook group.
A spokesperson for the grocery chain, Wendy Gutshall, confirmed that branches of the store have changed the availability of their shopping carts to prevent additional theft. She added that customers who wish to take their groceries to their vehicles parked outside will have to request assistance from staff.
“Like other retailers, the disappearance of shopping carts is an ongoing challenge. We continue to explore solutions to address and send additional shopping carts to the Castro Safeway store,” Gutshall said, the San Francisco Gate reported.
