VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Plenty of shoppers have witnessed the sight during a trip to their local grocery or department store — empty shopping carts, left out in various parts of the parking lot by people too lazy to return them.
It’s a sight that may annoy some, but it begs a pretty important question.
Can you get in trouble?
Funny enough, Florida state law actually addresses this. Per the statutes, it’s considered perfectly legal, though specific rules for shopping carts may vary depending on the store.
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However, state law does prohibit customers from taking shopping carts off the store’s premises or parking area.
As such, customers who try to walk a cart full of goods all the way home can face a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison.
But that’s not all. That state law also applies to the following:
Laundry carts
Dairy cases
Egg baskets
Poultry boxes
Bakery containers
Florida state statutes also forbid customers from removing, obliterating or alterating any serial number affixed to a store’s shopping cart.
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