"Why Is a Shopping Cart Here?" 'Inconsiderate' Residents Draw Disapproval

Some Unconscientious Residents Take Shopping Carts Home After Grocery Shopping
Sometimes Abandon Them Near Roads Close to Their Houses, Posing 'Safety Accident' Risks
Security Guards Complain About the Burden of Collecting Carts

On the afternoon of the 23rd, a large mart cart was left abandoned near a bus stop at an apartment complex in Seoul. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "I don't understand why carts that should only be seen in marts are found in the neighborhood."

Some customers who shopped at marts have been dragging the carts they used all the way home, causing frustration among residents.

A man in his early 30s, Mr. A, who witnessed a cart in an apartment parking lot, said that a man estimated to be in his 40s took packaged goods out of the cart and casually disappeared into his home. The cart was left abandoned in the parking lot.

Mr. A expressed his anger, saying, "I don't understand why a cart that should be in the mart is in the apartment parking lot. Who will return that cart to the mart? In the end, won't the security guards have to work more because of this?"

Another office worker in his 30s, Mr. B, raised his voice, saying, "It's at least fortunate if the cart is in the neighborhood parking lot," adding, "Some even leave the cart near the apartment entrance road and just take the goods." He added, "It seems like residents living close to the mart are doing this."

A large supermarket cart abandoned in India. Trash is discarded inside the cart. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

◆ Cart prices range from 150,000 to 200,000 KRW... Unauthorized removal is punishable as 'theft'

The price of carts used in large marts such as Lotte Mart is around 150,000 to 160,000 KRW per cart. In the case of E-Mart, plastic carts can cost up to 200,000 KRW.

Removing carts without permission is considered theft and punishable by law. Taking a cart home legally falls under theft (simple theft), which can result in imprisonment for up to six years or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

Nevertheless, some customers remove carts without authorization, and some marts even have staff dedicated solely to collecting carts.

The problem is that it is difficult to track when and where these removed carts disappear. From the mart's perspective, unless the removal process is caught on-site through closed-circuit television (CCTV), it is inevitably challenging to collect the carts.

A shopping cart from a large supermarket is abandoned near the apartment parking lot. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

◆ Some residents avoid crackdowns by abandoning carts near roads and disappearing

Given the situation, apartment security guards who find carts report them to nearby marts. However, it is practically impossible to confirm whether the cart was brought by a resident or an outsider.

A security guard in his 60s at an apartment said, "If a resident of our apartment brings a cart, we can immediately secure it and return it to the mart, but if another resident sneaks a cart to the apartment entrance and leaves it, it's hard to figure out who left it." He added, "If they brought the cart, I wish they would at least leave it somewhere visible."

Someone abandoned a cart taken out from a large supermarket near the road. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

Some residents who remove carts without permission from marts even abandon the carts near roads and disappear. Feeling uncomfortable with the surrounding gaze, they drag the carts close to their homes but ignore them once at the doorstep.

The problem is that if these carts roll onto the road, they can disrupt traffic flow and potentially cause serious traffic accidents.

Mr. D, an office worker in his 40s who saw carts scattered on the sidewalk next to the road, said, "If the carts had rolled onto the road, a major traffic accident would have been inevitable," adding, "Even on the sidewalk, it's a problem. It's really pathetic that such carts are found on the streets."

Security guards expressed their difficulties in collecting carts. One apartment security guard said, "There are occasional cases of carts being removed without permission from marts," adding, "If it is unavoidable to remove them, I wish they would at least organize them neatly in one place." He also urged, "Leaving carts near roads or sidewalks can cause safety accidents depending on the situation, so I hope they leave them in visible places."