Shopping Cart Thefts
Lately, I’ve come across several shopping carts left in the community. My assumption is that people are doing their shopping at local stores and ‘borrowing’ the carts to bring groceries or merchandise home. Then the carts are abandoned on the University Apartments grounds.
There are two important reasons people should not do this.
First, it’s theft. The shopping carts are the property of the stores. The value of the average shopping cart is typically $100 to $200. Being caught with a shopping cart off the premises where it belongs can result in a fine costing nearly $200.
Second, it’s rude. When the carts are left in the open, University Apartments staff are the ones responsible for recovering them, finding out where they belong, and returning them to the stores. This is time and effort that I think most would agree would be better spent doing their regular responsibilities.
Please help spread the word that this behavior is inappropriate and should stop.
Jeff Kirchman
University Apartments Community Police Officer
608-264-2677 | jeff.kirchman@wisc.edu
University Apartments Community Center, Room 131