The Great Cart Migration

A long-standing nuisance has once again become highly visible around Century Village East: shopping carts from the CVS pharmacy at Military Trail and Hillsboro Boulevard are routinely showing up inside the village and being abandoned in parking lots, along walkways, and near buildings.

According to store management, the issue has persisted for years. Carts are regularly taken from the store and rolled into the village, often used—one manager speculates—as makeshift walkers to help residents move back and forth. But once the carts arrive inside CVE, they rarely, if ever, make the return trip.

“They never come back,” a CVS manager said, noting that the store has reached a point where staff simply assume the carts are gone for good once they leave the property.

The abandoned carts create an eyesore for residents and an ongoing operational frustration for the drugstore. Replacing them is costly, and retrieving them from inside the village is impractical and time-consuming. As a result, management has accepted the losses as part of doing business at this location.

However, CVS leadership says they are open to working with Century Village East on a more coordinated system to help return the carts and reduce the number being left behind. No formal discussions have taken place yet, but CVS management expressed willingness to partner with the community if a viable solution can be developed.