Weis Markets halts its shopping cart rental pilot

East Coast-based Weis Markets is ending a pilot that involved shoppers paying to use shopping carts, reports Sunbury, Pa., radio station WKOK.

Weis Markets said that, though the test is over, the retailer is still planning to explore using a shopping cart rental system. Weis added though, that it’s not planning to implement such a system chainwide anytime soon.

The company tested out the rentable carts at four locations in Pennsylvania —Williamsport, Milton, Bloomsburg, and Mount Pocono.

Shoppers dispensed a quarter into a cart device to use the cart in the store. Once finished, the shoppers returned the cart and retrieved the quarter. 

Weis, headquartered in Sunbury, Pa., said it was hoping the system would minimize shopping cart thefts and damage to cars caused by loose carts.