Shopping trolleys on a short leash

In 2009 at least 17 US cities passed decrees to regulate the problem of abandoned shopping trolleys. Retailers and shoppers who break the rules will have to pay serious fines. Some retailers mounted Gatekeeper Systems’ radio frequency wheel blockers on trolleys, which block the wheel when the trolley leaves a designated area. Others opted for a solution by Carttronics: an underground electronic fence and a locking sensor in one of the trolley’s wheels, activated when it nears the fence.