CRISFIELD, MD — A growing concern over shopping carts being taken from the Dollar General on W Main Street in Crisfield has prompted community members to brainstorm solutions. Customers have been using the store's carts to transport groceries home, periodically leading to a cart shortage.
Matt Tomlins of Crisfield said he became more aware of the extent of the problem when the store manager posted on Facebook requesting help returning the carts.
"I basically responded to her 'help wanted ad' on Facebook and told them the next time I was off, I would be more than happy to go and pick them up," Tomlins said.
On Friday, March March 7, Tomlins and other community members collected nearly 60 carts. Tomlins transported 52 of the carts back to Dollar General from the maintenance shop of residences managed by the Crisfield housing authority.
"We know times are tough for a lot of people," Tomlins said. "They have to get their groceries and you have to be sympathetic to that."
Shawna Kearsley said this issue requires the people of Crisfield and Dollar General to exercise empathy.
"It's easy to point fingers at the people that are doing it," Kearsley said. "The compassion and the grace is let's find the solution to the issues."
Kearsley said Dollar General's corporate responsibility extends beyond securing the carts to addressing the root cause of their relocation. She said she walked from the store to different points within the housing authority to understand why people took the carts.
"Then I imagine myself doing that on a winter day, and I imagine myself carrying my groceries, unloading my groceries and then taking the cart back," Kearsley said. "The process itself is prohibitive."
After collecting the carts on Friday, Tomlins posted about the number of carts returned on Facebook in a Crisfield-specific group. Since then, Tomlins said community members are seeking potential solutions for those without a means to transport their groceries.
"Through some community outreach and some, hopefully, some private donations, we're going to try to get little carts that you see," Tomlins said. "So that they can get their groceries to wherever they may live in Crisfield."
In addition to community donations, Tomlins said grant funding could be an avenue worth exploring to fund the purchase of collapsible carts.
The Crisfield Housing Agency declined to comment. Dollar General did not respond to a request for comment.