Q&A: Returning a Lost Shopping Cart
Returning a Lost Shopping Cart
Question
Hello and blessings,
I shopped today at a supermarket belonging to a large chain, and when I went out with the cart to the street in order to transfer the groceries to my car, I noticed that the cart bore the logo of another large chain.
Of course, I don’t have time to drag the cart through the streets to return it to its owners.
The question is: what should I do? Do I need to return it to the place from which I took it, or to its original owners, or am I even allowed to leave it in the street?
Answer
In principle, there is an obligation of returning lost property / stolen property. If you cannot bring it back to its owners, it would be advisable to call them and inform them of the situation.
Discussion on Answer
Not likely. Chains would put their own logo on such carts. But nobody declared them anything. You just need to notify them that this is the situation and that the carts got mixed up.
It could be that the cart was bought from the surplus stock of the other chain. There’s no need to rush to declare them thieves.