Shopping cart abuse in Vienna: high prices lead to grill iron theft!

Shopping cart abuse in Vienna: high prices lead to grill iron theft!

Christina Lindemeier, a doctor from Vienna, witnessed a strange incident while shopping that upset people's minds. In a supermarket in Vienna-Landstrasse she noticed that the right side wall of her shopping cart was missing. This mishap resulted in produce falling out of the cart when placing a fresh iceberg lettuce. At the checkout she informed an employee about the damaged car, who didn't exactly have good news. “This is the third or fourth incident,” he explained, drawing the customer’s attention to a frightening trend: the car’s grilles are being cut out with a flex and used as grill grate. A grill grate from Weber costs over 35 euros - no wonder that this is becoming the focus of attention when shopping in times of rising prices.

The sad events surrounding shopping carts are symptomatic of the current situation in many supermarkets. In a branch that previously had 200 shopping carts, there are currently only 60 left. The employee reported that some customers take the carts home and don't return them. These practices result not only in clear loss, but also in widespread loss of respect for community property. “I feel sadness about the disrespect and misuse of shopping carts,” said Lindemeier, expressing her dismay.

The legal framework

In Germany, according to regulations, it is not allowed to take shopping carts from the supermarket. Annual reports show that around 100,000 shopping carts are stolen every year, which leaves supermarkets with losses of around 15 million euros due to lost revenue. The value of a shopping cart varies and is between 100 and 250 euros, which illustrates the loss incurred. Some supermarkets are trying to combat this by implementing systems that allow wheels to lock as soon as you leave the premises.

Borrowing a shopping cart without permission is considered “usurpation of use,” which is not a criminal offense but can result in civil law consequences. In the case of genuine theft, i.e. if a shopping cart is not returned, this can be punished with a prison sentence of up to five years, as can be read on the strafrecht-mv.de blog. These legal frameworks highlight the problem that must be considered not only morally but also legally.

An isolated case and its implications

A special story from Germany underlines the dilemma: An 80-year-old woman took a shopping cart from the parking lot of an EDEKA store, invested 50 cents in it and used the cart for her shopping. After use, the car went to her apartment and was used for further shopping. The legal considerations in this story show how difficult it is to draw the line between permitted use and theft. The question remains whether the supermarket has actually made a declaration of intent to transfer ownership.

In summary, dealing with shopping carts is an issue that is much more than just a banal issue of discipline in the supermarket. It raises questions about social behavior in today's times of inflation. It remains to be hoped that education and awareness-raising will promote a more respectful treatment of shared property - so that shopping carts are not reduced to a symbol of our time.