WARNING: this entry contains graphic images. Viewer discretion advised.

Folks...I can't express the pain in my heart over what I saw today in Hammonton, New Jersey. I wanted to look away, but for the purposes of this blog and chronicling the plight of carts nationwide (and worldwide), I had to document it.

This past weekend's snowstorm brought forth tragic consequences for the carts you're about to see. This is not for the faint of heart.




There are no words. Please, spare a moment of silence for those lost due to this historic snowstorm.

Caring for carts in inclement weather.

If you live in the Northeastern United States, you are aware of the epic snowstorm we had this past weekend.

But you probably aren't aware of the unseen victims of this December blizzard.

Just one of several I saw over the past few days:



It appears it was waiting for a bus that never came...

Cart in the water...

This cart was unceremoniously dumped in the Rideau river (under the Cummings bridge) in Vanier(Ottawa), Ontario

A month later....it is now submerged and is likely to remain there for it's eternal repose.

More carts on TV!

Caught on MTV's "True Life: I'm Homeless."

Ronnie, who is homeless and hitching from New York to California, is seen here subjecting a poor lost cart to involuntary cart servitude!

I don't care if you are homeless, CARTS ARE NOT CHAIRS. We can't say this enough!!!

A three cart entry!

Friday night was my birthday. I ate some delicious pho in Merchantville, NJ, bought some flavorful new teas at Teavana, but my night was marred by the site in the parking lot Pho 38 shares with an Asian supermarket.




These carts were heinously left out in the lot after the store had closed. Who knows what happened to these carts on that rainy, cold night?

Then, on Saturday, I went out to eat with my family. On the way back from the diner, I saw this guy in front of yet another sketchy Lindenwold apartment building:



It's getting close to winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, and as the year draws to a close, keep these lost cart souls in your heart, please!

Lost souls!

My cousin is the best cart photographer of all time-OF ALL TIME! :) Thanks Hunter!


A cart in the shadows, oooh...

Carts prefer unfried KFC chicken!

This one is my favorite!

Carts on TV

So I was watching "Property Virgins" on HGTV, and spotted this:



This poor cart has resorted to squatting in basements!

Where the Wild Carts Are

That's right ! They are hiding in the woods by the Rideau river in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Vanier...

This one is nicely rusted

Abandoned cart at the Goodwill!

Sorry for the crappy shot, but my phone's camera can only do so much at night!

Here's a cart I saw in the parking lot of the Goodwill in Stratford, NJ.



Seeking assistance, perhaps?

Sorry for the lull in posts lately...

Here's a cart I saw waiting for the bus on the White Horse Pike in Lawnside, New Jersey.

Sicklerville, NJ

Yesterday I went to the Cape May County Zoo with my family. On the way home, we stopped at Checkers in Sicklerville, NJ on Cross Keys Road and I saw this guy in the parking lot:

Carts on Google Street View

Soooo....

Ottawa finally got Google Street View.

My first thought on this was "Hey, maybe this could help us locate lost carts !" Well, it did ! In a very short time I had identified 2 lonely carts captured by the street view cameras. Sadly the driver did not stop to offer assistance. Both of these where found In the neighborhood of Vanier in Ottawa, Canada.

Blossom

APPALLING

This picture is a bit different, as the cart has not left the parking lot...

HOWEVER! A cart in a parking lot shouldn't be treated in so callous a manner!



This poor cart...he really is just one step up from being used as a chair.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR CARTS!!

Cart Updates!!

Sometimes I ride by places I've seen carts which have been featured here at Runaway Carts. More often than not, these carts go missing. It's a sad, sad thing. So many carts go missing, never to be heard from again.

This entry is an update of the cart spotted on September 9, the one spotted in the senior residence facility in Blackwood, New Jersey.



As you can see, it's still there! I see it on my way to class nearly everyday. It's heartbreaking. Someone stole this cart from it's corral and then proceeded to abandon it! Who does that??

Also related to the September 9 entry...the sketchy apartment building featured in that entry is now runaway cart free! I'm not sure what happened...I hope there wasn't a raid!

Lindenwold, NJ: Haven for Cart Crime

This is a really bad picture, and I apologize, but I've seen this cart in Lindenwold along the White Horse Pike on my way to school every day this week.


It's been carelessly discarded near these sketchy apartments (Lindenwold is full of sketchy apartments, FYI).

When will people wake up??

Introducing the Feral Shopping Carts ( my first blog post, evah !!! )

Hi,

Blossom here.

I live in Canada's capital, Ottawa. I founded a group called the Feral Shopping Cart Society in order to track the infamous feral cart(mostly in my neighbourhood of Vanier, but elsewhere as well). I have been doing this on Facebook for almost a year now and have compiled an extensive research portfolio that I will be sharing with you periodically. This is my first blog post ever so bear with me if the formatting is a little wonky.



Welcome to Vanier, a neighbourhood in the centre of Ottawa Canada that has a large feral cart population.

Thanks for letting me share with you

and.....

Ye Olde Shopping Cart, Candid Cart Wrangler Photo Op, Exciting News

I feel fortunate to have seen the below photo of what appears to be an ANCIENT SHOPPING CART. It was at a local elementary school...I could have gotten a better photo but I was afraid of seeming creepy (kids were still being dropped off for school, etc). As you can see, this cart is constructed of pieces of wood, instead of the newer steel or plastic!


Speaking of creepy, I was able to inconspicuously capture this photo of a local shopping cart wrangler. I know he's just a kid trying to make some money, but I still wonder if he ever feels bad for forcing these carts into their corrals, loading them up with groceries, etc.

Lastly, some exciting news! Fellow runaway and wild carts awareness group, The Feral Shopping Cart, may soon be contributing to the Runaway Carts blog! Runaway Carts is excited to partner with another fine group to help bring about change in the lives of carts everywhere.

:)

Can one cart make a difference?

This New York based cart seems to have found a way to contribute to society as a Nanny! Perhaps this represents the seeds of a new generation that will be able to accept and value carts?

Is your home a prison for runaway carts?

I hate to play the blame game, but it seems that condominium and apartment dwellers are turning a blind eye to shopping carts that have gone astray. Surely these residents notice the runaways on their way out the door or when checking the mail! You have to act people, be an advocate for the poor defenseless carts in your neighborhood!

Here we are at Palm Terrace Condominiums, where I was shocked to find a shopping cart turned upside down right outside the entrance to the homes...

Next I arrived at Country Club Apartments. How appalling, no real "country club" would wait idly by as not one but TWO lonely shopping carts sit outside in the rain...

Disgusted, I packed up my camera and headed home. On the way I saw this runaway cart attempting to get to the other side of road and escape the grocery-carrying abuse it had endured at the hands of Publix employees...

I pulled over and pushed it the rest of the way across the street, hugged it goodbye and told it to enjoy it's new life of freedom!

Runaway Carts Internationale

It's official: Runaway Carts is HUGE in Mexico.

The following countries need to up their game: Oman, UK, Italy.

Raising awareness!!

Wendy and I are pleased that our message of hope for runaway carts is spreading!

My friend Aly sent me this photo of a troubled cart attempting to escape oppression at a Sam's Club in Lady Lake, Florida.



When I see this poor cart...desperately trying to escape servitude...trying to attract the attention of a nearby automobile...well, it just tugs at my heartstrings. When we will wake up and bring forth change in the lives of these troubled carts??

Thanks for helping to spread awareness, Aly!

This apartment building is a HOTBED of runaway cart trafficking. I will attempt to capture all of them on film tomorrow and tell their tale, but for now, here's one I saw out front of the building.

Blackwood, NJ has a serious runaway cart problem!!

Here's one I saw tonight on my way home from school. It was in front of the TD Bank at Little Gloucester Rd and College Drive in Blackwood, NJ. It was by the side of the road, no doubt hustlin' or waiting for the bus.

CVS Employee resting on a defenseless cart (Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach)

It was a very productive weekend for capturing stray cart photos.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Carts are not chairs!:

A hungry K-Mart cart heading over to the Boston Market drive-thru:

Another K-Mart cart, apparently unconscious...

A rare, outcasted blue K-Mart cart attempting to make it to the main road and escape prejudice:

More disturbing evidence of cart servitude outside a business in Deerfield Beach, FL:

A second cart at the Deerfield Beach business...

A mixed color cart couple found along the road in Deerfield Beach:

I'm just a cart in the world...

Gwen Stefani, mocking the plight of runaway carts everywhere:

First Ever Texan Runaway Cart!

I proudly present to you RunawayCarts first Texan shopping cart!:

RunawayCarts is proud to represent wild Texan carts, in addition to those in Florida and New Jersey.

Good work Kathleen! :)