Editorial: Government looks in wrong direction

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002 | 8:42 a.m.

Recently Las Vegas City Councilman Michael Mack proposed an ordinance that would fine supermarkets if their shopping carts were found abandoned on city streets and in vacant lots. The Clark County Commission, meanwhile, is considering an even stricter measure, requiring all retail stores to build confinement systems so that the carts stay where they are supposed to belong. Supporters of the proposals say that the situation has gotten out of hand -- that the carts are creating a nuisance for local residents who live near the department stores and supermarkets. Clark County government created a hotline two years ago so that residents could report stray carts, a hotline that generates hundreds of calls a year.

Stranded carts can be an eyesore, but we think local governments are misdirecting their aim. Government should be dealing with the people who are responsible for taking the shopping carts, not the retail stores. Shopping carts can cost as much as $100 apiece, so there certainly is a financial incentive to keep them on the premises. But retail stores can only be expected to do so much, especially since barriers or high-tech detection systems can cost upwards of $100,000. What's next? A requirement that Global Positioning System receivers be used to track down errant carts?

Still, the retailers shouldn't be off the hook completely. Errant carts may no longer be in their parking lots, but the businesses have a responsibility to quickly retrieve their property once it's been found. That's something we'd expect out of any neighbor -- and supermarkets and department stores should be no exception.