"Somebody stole them all": No carts at Yaletown grocer stuns customer

Urban Fare's Yaletown location (Beth Rochester/Daily Hive)

Some Vancouver grocery customers may face an additional frustration next time they shop: a lack of carts.

Yaletown grocery store Urban Fare was completely out of carts this weekend when Vancouver broadcaster Lynda Steele went shopping, and she said it’s the fourth weekend in a row there were no carts available.

The explanation for the lack of carts? Even more shocking.

Steele told Daily Hive that when she brought it up to the cashier, the young worker said there weren’t any buggies available because they had all been stolen.

“She said, ‘No, we don’t have any carts. Somebody stole them all… Well, we have one, but I think someone’s using it right now,'” Steele said. “Are you kidding? I just kind of shook my head.”

For the 4th weekend in a row my grocery store has no shopping carts available. I ask if someone could please round some up – & the cashier informs me that all of their carts have been STOLEN. 😳 @UrbanFareYT

— Lynda Steele 🎙️ (@steeletalk) June 10, 2023

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Steele had assumed the lack of carts was due to short-staffing at the grocery store, as the carts are kept in the basement and need to be brought up and down.

“Apparently this is a new problem along with shelves missing stuff, I’m paying about 20, 25% more for groceries. And now I’m going to have to drag my groceries in a little plastic cart,” she said. “It’s annoying.”

Urban Fare Yaletown (Beth Rochester/Daily Hive)

Daily Hive visited the store last week and saw a few push-carts being used by shoppers. But when we asked if we could use one, staff said there were none left.

Urban Fare hasn’t replied to Daily Hive’s request for comment about what happened to the carts. Daily Hive has also reached out to the Vancouver Police Department to see if the issue is being investigated.

Steele tweeted about what happened, which garnered a huge response. The lack of carts at grocery stores is apparently annoying customers all across BC.

Same here in Duncan all hand carts with wheels stolen.

— SH (@SherryLHutchin4) June 10, 2023

Could getting rid of plastic bags have pushed customers to steal carts and baskets? Could it be another symptom of Vancouver’s housing crisis, and people without housing turn to carts and garbage bins to carry their things? Could it simply be a grocery store’s disregard for customer comfort?

I noticed a particular spike in that for stores that went bagless. People had no way to carry their purchases, so they took the carts and baskets. I rarely go to Walmart, but they had neither available the last couple of times I was there.

— Karen McCluskey (@ikarenmccluskey) June 11, 2023

“I noticed a particular spike in that for stores that went bagless,” Karen McCluskey tweeted. “People had no way to carry their purchases, so they took the carts and baskets.”

Me, at the grocery store, the last time I was there 👇… pic.twitter.com/DYN0kpHhQ4

— Derek Green (@derekgreen891) June 10, 2023

Either way, buying a large load of groceries in one go is apparently difficult at some BC grocers.

“I can see maybe someone stole one or two, but someone stole every single cart in the store?” Steele said. “I bet the cost of replacing them isn’t worth it.”