DAVIS (CBS13) – Police are getting involved after dozens of shopping carts disappeared from the Davis Food Co-op.

They think someone may have taken 45 carts to try to make some money.

Why would anyone take 45 shopping carts?

“College frat prank,” said one shopper.

That’s one guess. Police want to know if thieves wanted scrap metal.

CBS13 contacted several recyclers with no luck.

“Our policy is we don’t take shopping carts,” one recycling center told us.

Although some might buy the scrap metal, there’s a chance they could still be around.

The co-op realized the carts, worth $5,600, disappeared last month after employees counted them.

“How on Earth do you steal 45 carts of this size at one time?” employee Lis Harvey asked.

The 45 carts, weighing 1,800 pounds, are enough to fill four of the co-op’s cart corrals, or fill the truck beds of five Toyota Tacomas.

“We hope they come back home, we miss them a lot,” said Harvey.