A Barberton couple is concerned for shoppers and children after they found a razor in a Walmart shopping cart handle.
The incident happened at the Walmart located in the 200 block of Smokerise Drive on July 1 in Wadsworth, Ohio.
According to local reports, Cheryl Johnson said she and her husband were shopping at the giant retailer around 9:10 p.m. when her husband went to move an abandoned shopping cart out of an aisle, so they could pass through.
That’s when Mel Johnson was cut by a razor sticking out of the shopping cart’s handle.
The blade was upside down, but he was pricked by it’s edge.
The Johnsons reported it to Walmart staff and management, and filed an incident report/claim with the store. Cheryl Johnson says she’s afraid something is going on nationally, and that shoppers should beware.
“What if someone had put a baby in the seat and they grabbed the handle?” asked Cheryl.
Local media reached out to the Walmart corporate office, which confirmed the Wadsworth incident and stated razor blades being stashed in shopping cart handles is something that happens across the nation at many retailers from time to time.
Speaking on background, Walmart Inc. reports a shoplifter might cut a security tag and stash the blade in a shopping cart handle. It seems to always be stashed with the blade facing into the handle, so as to not harm anyone.
Walmart admits that it’s something they look for as they collect carts throughout the day.
In a statement Monday evening. Walmart offered the following: “We take this situation seriously and work hard to make sure our customers have a pleasant shopping experience at all of our stores. We have inspected all of our shopping carts for safety, and will continue to do so.”
The Johnsons did not file a police report at the time, just the incident claim report at Walmart.
Mel Johnson suffered a minor cut to his finger, but it could have been much worse. The Johnsons are concerned for children and others who may come into contact with a stashed razor blade.
According to local reports, Walmart checked surveillance footage at the Wadsworth location, but they could not trace the suspect.
