Tagged Shopping Carts

At one time or another we’ve all seen college kids on the street after a night of partying, messing around in a stray shopping cart they had found just moments earlier. At this point in their night – next to the large orange cone – this cart is the center of attention.

Where did the carts come from? Surely the shopping center that previously owned the cart can’t be pleased.

The loss of shopping carts has been an ongoing problem that can cost stores thousands of dollars a year. Typically, the carts cost between $150 and $200 each. When a customer takes a cart off the premises and walks home with it, for example, most stores pay a management company to round up missing carts and return them to the store.

Systems integrator Intelligentz, Inc. is testing an RFID-based tracking system known as the RFPro Series, which includes an active RFID tag attached to the lower front axle between a cart's wheels. To track carts that leave the premises, stores are considering installing antennas with a longer read-range – up to 1 mile – that attach to light poles in the store parking lot.