Grocers roll missing cart problem to state lawmakers.

Property | A bill aims to help retailers and get rid of abandoned four-wheeled eyesores.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALEM – From parks in Portland to canals tin Klamath Falls, shopping carts often end up far from the supermarket.

Though stolen and abandoned carts might seem like a minor inconvenience to grocers, they say it’s a major expense. To help solve the problem, the Northwest Grocery Association has proposed state legislation that would help retailers get their carts back.

The proposal calls for a 24-hour, toll-free phone number that residents could call to report abandoned carts. Retailers would have 72 hours to retrieve their cart or face a $50 fine.

The legislation also would require retailers to display signs on their carts that give the store’s name, the toll-free number and a warning that taking carts is a crime.

The proposal comes in response to concerns about abandoned carts in Salem. A task force was formed last fall to deal with the nuisance.

The grocery association, a trade group of 1,200 retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, came up with an idea and presented it to the task force. From there the association took its plan to the state level.

State Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, sponsored the bill. “The neighborhood looks better, and the grocers get their carts back,” she said.

If the proposed legislation is signed into law, cities could adopt a local ordinance, which would have to contain the requirements listed in the law. Currently, cities and stores deal with shopping carts in a variety of ways. Some grocers hire outside services to retrieve carts. Some cities fine stores for abandoned carts.

The association says 3,500 carts tar taken from stores in Salem and the Portland area each week, and they can cost more than $100 apiece

Tony Mounts, the chief financial officer and administrative services director for Salem, said he and other city officials have concerns with the proposal. He said not every retailer is a member of the grocery association or would choose to use its services, which would include an association-funded toll-free number and retrieval service.

Salem officials also say the proposed $50 fine would not completely cover the cost of handling the carts not returned by retailer employees.