January 6

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City and Retail Alliance Partner to Offer New Service to Residents

Janurary 6, 2005

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation has partnered with Retail Alliance, the retail merchant association for Hampton Roads, to ensure abandoned shopping carts are removed from public areas in Virginia Beach neighborhoods.

Residents call one number and these organizations coordinate the retrieval of abandoned carts within 48 hours. This pilot program, which began last November, assists both merchants and residents. Businesses are able to maintain an adequate number of shopping carts for customers and reduce losses. For residents, this program helps to reduce safety hazards and create aesthetically pleasing neighborhoods.

"The retrieval of abandoned carts was identified as a need in our community,” says Andrew Friedman, director of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. “To date, about 50 carts have been retrieved throughout the city because residents called and we responded."

The pilot program will undergo a review in March to evaluate the program’s success. “While the program is still being piloted, we have already received positive feedback from retailers on the program,” says Retail Alliance President/CEO Donald Porter. "They appreciate finding a solution that involves voluntary cooperation between city staff and retailers."

To report an abandoned shopping cart for removal, call the department of housing’s Code Enforcement Division at 427-4421.

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