Walgreens store left with zero shopping carts after thefts

By Mike Hazlip—
A Walgreens store in Citrus Heights is in the process of replacing shopping carts that have all been stolen.

An employee at the Walgreens store at Sunrise Boulevard and Antelope Road confirmed with The Sentinel this week that the store has had all of its shopping carts stolen. The employee, who could not be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said missing carts are a problem for many stores, and that new carts are on order.

One shopper reached out to The Sentinel and expressed frustration at the lack of carts at the store, saying she is disabled and needs a cart to be able to shop. A visit by Sentinel staff to the store on Monday found the shopping cart storage area completely empty.

Citrus Heights Police Lt. Michael Wells said police do not have any shopping cart thefts reported at the 7787 Sunrise Blvd. location in recent months.

“That doesn’t mean that the thefts haven’t occurred, but they may not have been reported,” Wells said.

Theft of shopping carts has been an ongoing problem in Citrus Heights, with the city taking action last year to curb blight associated with carts left all over the city. In October, the Citrus Heights City Council passed an ordinance requiring businesses to have a shopping cart management plan, with identifying labels attached to each cart.

The city’s General Services Director, Regina Cave, told the council in October that the city’s retrieval service collects about 900 carts per year, with an additional 1,176 carts on average being retrieved from within the Sunrise MarketPlace business district, which has its own retrieval program.

From last year: Citrus Heights passes ordinance to curb shopping cart blight; drops hefty fines

Walgreens location at Sunrise Boulevard and Antelope Road has been the subject of an ongoing issue related to debris in the parking lot and surrounding sidewalk, an Aug. 18 report by The Sentinel shows.

In an email to The Sentinel in August, Citrus Heights Police Services Supervisor Debra Nathan confirmed officers had responded to the location multiple times. Most individuals leave the area by the time officers arrive, but police did make one arrest for shoplifting, Nathan said.

“[T]he Walgreens management team and corporate office have been cooperative and were quick to respond and remove the trash and debris left behind on their property,” she said.