Buzz
Whether you opt to grab a shopping cart from the store's designated corral or bring one in from the parking lot, most people expect the cart to be empty before starting their shopping adventure in any retail or grocery store.
Yet, occasionally, you might find an abandoned receipt, a forgotten shopping list, or stray bits of trash left by a previous shopper.
Now picture retrieving a cart from your local grocery store's parking lot only to stumble upon winning lottery tickets and a prize check, a newborn hidden in a backpack, or even a rare boa constrictor making itself at home. While these examples may sound implausible, they are just a few of the astonishing yet real discoveries that have been made in shopping carts across various stores.
Here are ten truly shocking (and sometimes chilling) things that have been found inside shopping carts.
10. Lottery Tickets and a Prize Check
A routine grocery store visit turned into an unforgettable experience for a couple in Cambridge, England, when they found lottery tickets along with a winning check tucked inside a shopping cart.
Richard Haslop and his wife were shopping at a Tesco in Cambridge just after Christmas 2022 when his wife stumbled upon six lottery tickets—both from the Euro Lotto and the National Lottery—along with a $1,888 (£1500) check made out to Barry Levett in a shopping cart outside the store.
When Haslop arrived at Levett’s home, the elderly man was convinced that the tickets and check were safely stored upstairs by his bedside. Upon hearing that the items were in Haslop's van, Levett rushed upstairs to confirm. Moments later, he returned, visibly shaken and fearful that he had lost his prize. Fortunately, his fear was short-lived as Haslop had indeed returned the tickets and money.
9. Boa Constrictor
While Target’s slogan is “Expect More. Pay Less.,” employees and shoppers at a Sioux City, Iowa, store got far more than they bargained for on August 12, 2023, when an exotic snake was discovered. After a shopping cart was brought in from the outdoor corral, a 6-foot (1.8-meter) Colombian red-tailed boa constrictor was found curled up inside.
Lindsay Alvarez’s daughter, an employee at the Sioux City Target, captured photos of the shocking discovery and shared them with her mother, who later posted them on social media.
Animal control was called to the scene and safely removed the reptile. The snake was then transported to the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center, where it was named Targeé (pronounced Tar-Zhay) as a playful nod to the store where it was found.
Although the snake’s origin remains a mystery, authorities suspect it may have slithered over from a nearby apartment complex, escaped from a vehicle, or been abandoned by someone.
Sioux City law prohibits constrictors as pets, meaning any potential owner had seven days to claim the snake by providing proof of ownership and an address outside city limits. However, after a week passed with no claims, Targeé was put up for adoption.
Fortunately, Dan Fogell, a herpetologist and professor from Lincoln, Nebraska, stepped forward and offered the snake a new home at Southeast Community College, where Targeé will be used for educational purposes in the classroom.
8. Dead Body
On March 12, 2023, Chico, California, police received a call about a body wrapped in a white plastic sheet, found inside a shopping cart near the entrance of a FoodMaxx grocery store.
As part of the investigation, police reviewed the store’s security footage, which showed a man, later identified as 48-year-old Timothy Wiechert, pushing the cart into the store around 6:20 am on March 10, 2023. He left it near the store's restrooms. A store employee later moved the cart outside, where it sat untouched for two days until a customer in a wheelchair requested it be relocated to enter the store.
It wasn’t until 4:30 pm on March 12, 2023, that a security guard noticed the cart and called 911 after discovering the body inside. The victim was later identified as 61-year-old David Niles.
Earlier that morning, Wiechert had already been arrested and was in jail on attempted murder charges after a woman came home to find a truck parked in her driveway and Wiechert strangling another woman on the ground.
The truck, which was registered to Niles, had blood splattered inside the camper shell and was impounded for further forensic analysis. On March 20, 2023, Wiechert was formally charged with Niles’s murder and a probation violation after he had removed his ankle monitor in defiance of a previous arson conviction.
The District Attorney believed the two incidents were connected, as both Wiechert, Niles, and a 28-year-old woman were reported to be homeless and living in the area near the FoodMaxx where both events took place.
9. Razor Blade
What started as a routine shopping trip at Walmart in Cedar Park, Texas, ended with a visit to the hospital for one woman.
On November 13, 2019, Silver Taylor was running a routine errand at her local Walmart. While standing in line at the pharmacy, two other customers alerted her that her hands were bleeding. At one point, the blood loss caused Taylor to faint, resulting in her hitting her head.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and discovered a razor blade lodged inside the shopping cart handle. Sadly, the blade was facing inward, making it impossible for Taylor to see. She was rushed to the hospital where she was examined for internal bleeding. While there was no internal bleeding, she sustained three deep, large lacerations to her right hand and one smaller cut on her left, all of which were treated and heavily bandaged.
An investigation was launched by the police to determine whether the incident was an accident or intentional. Meanwhile, Taylor decided to file a lawsuit against Walmart for premises liability and negligence.
6. Newborn Baby
On the evening of June 5, 2017, a pedestrian walking through the parking lot of a Food City grocery store in Tempe, Arizona, made a chilling discovery in one of the store’s shopping carts: a newborn baby girl, swaddled in a blanket and placed inside a small black and pink Jonas Brothers backpack.
A passerby alerted a store manager, who immediately contacted the authorities. The newborn, still partially attached to her umbilical cord, was estimated to have been abandoned just one to three hours prior, a mere 50 feet (15 meters) from a designated Safe Haven location. Arizona's Safe Haven Law, introduced in 2001, permits individuals to safely hand over an unharmed newborn within 72 hours at various Safe Haven sites, with no questions asked.
Despite the temperature that evening reaching between 103°F and 104°F (39-40°C), the newborn was remarkably in good health when she was transported to a nearby hospital.
The Tempe police reached out to the public in an attempt to gather information on the identity of the newborn, her parents, or any details regarding the backpack she was found in. Eventually, the baby girl was placed into foster care.
5. Two Thousand Dollars in Cash
In June 2023, Army veteran Robert Sneed and his young daughter went on a routine evening shopping trip to Walmart in Gallipolis, Ohio, to pick up some groceries.
While pulling a shopping cart from the corral, Sneed spotted what appeared to be a piece of paper. Initially thinking it was a discarded shopping list, he was about to throw it away when he realized the 'paper' felt heavier than expected. Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was actually an envelope.
Inside the envelope, Sneed found a bank receipt and several one-hundred-dollar bills—totaling $2,000. Without hesitation, he decided to do the right thing and return the money.
Sneed's first plan was to return the cash to the Ohio Valley Bank inside the Walmart, where the withdrawal had occurred. However, since it was already after hours and the bank had closed, he enlisted the help of a door greeter to find a store manager. Sneed handed the envelope over to the manager, finished his shopping, and headed home.
4. Mouse in a Bread Bag
Parents may be familiar with the surprise of finding items in your cart that you didn't pick. But one woman in Hamilton, Ontario, received an unpleasant shock when she discovered a rodent hidden among her groceries.
On November 6, 2018, Michelle Hill was at Franco's No Frills grocery store. While unloading her cart at the checkout, she placed a loaf of D'Italiano bread on the conveyor belt, only to discover a live mouse inside the bag, nibbling on a slice of bread.
On November 7, 2018, Hamilton Public Health Services sent an inspector to the store. The inspector confirmed that the store met all required health regulations.
Loblaw Companies Ltd., the owner of No Frills, issued an apology, stating that they would cooperate with a third-party pest control team to conduct daily inspections of bakery items. Additionally, they would work closely with their supplier to investigate the cause of the incident. Weston Foods, the brand behind D'Italiano bread, also personally apologized to Hill and offered her a $50 Visa gift card.
3. Gun Wrapped in More Than Ten Thousand Dollars
On July 11, 2017, Omar Allen, 22, Kimoy McDonald, 25, and Jovoni Coombs, 27, tried to purchase $80 worth of groceries at Fairway Market in Stamford, Connecticut. After their payment card was declined several times, they decided to leave the store without completing the purchase.
Unaware of their blunder, the group left behind a plastic bag in their shopping cart. Inside the bag was a gun wrapped in over $10,000 in cash. Once they realized their mistake, they returned to the store, claiming they had forgotten a phone. Unfortunately for them, a store clerk noticed the gun, and the manager contacted the authorities.
While the men's intentions remained unclear, all three were apprehended. Allen faced charges for criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, carrying a pistol without a permit, and reckless endangerment. McDonald and Coombs were each charged with reckless endangerment.
2. Box of Ashes
In September 2015, a box of ashes was discovered in a shopping cart at a Walmart in Kilgore, Texas.
Following the discovery, Officer Angela Burch, a property and evidence officer with the Kilgore Police Department, initiated an investigation to determine the ashes' owner. The investigation revealed the remains belonged to U.S. Marine Donald Krell, a Korean War veteran. Krell was supposed to be buried in Van Zandt County, but tragically, his ashes had been missing for years and never reached their intended resting place.
After the remains were identified, Officer Burch dedicated a year to locating Krell's family and friends to ensure he received a proper funeral. She eventually tracked down Krell's daughter, who lived in England, and obtained permission to bury him locally.
Burch then acquired Krell's death certificate from family members and tirelessly worked until the city of Kilgore provided a cemetery plot at Kilgore Memorial Cemetery for Krell's remains. On Veteran's Day in 2016, Krell was laid to rest, with police officers and fellow veterans attending the service.
For her unwavering dedication and kindness, Officer Burch was honored with an Achievement Award for her efforts in securing a dignified burial for Krell.
1. Meth and Other Illicit Drugs
In April 2023, deputies were dispatched to an H-E-B grocery store in Spring, Texas, following reports of lost property.
Though one might expect lost items like a purse, wallet, cellphone, or car keys, this particular case involved an especially unusual 'property' that had been abandoned.
Upon the officers' arrival, they discovered 85 grams of methamphetamine, 60 grams of Xanax (a medication for anxiety and panic disorders), along with Adderall (used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy) and Gabapentin (prescribed for seizures), all left behind in a shopping cart.
