Supermarket trolleys

Quasar

Sounds silly, but this is really beginning to get my goat. :mad:

How come there are always NO damn shallow trolleys available at supermarkets, whilst there is an over-abundance of those deep, family-of-6 carts that almost need a donkey to move around?

It is plain to see that the shallow version is by far the most popular, so why don't supermarket cotton on and revise the availability of their trolleys?

Or is it that that deeper the trolley, the more customers are apt to put in it and therefore the more they will buy, but are customers really that daft?

skylight

We need to swap supermarkets!

I have one that is overflowing with shallow trolleys and not many double seaters (I was told they have about 20 in total!)

nads

Quasar wrote:

Or is it that that deeper the trolley, the more customers are apt to put in it and therefore the more they will buy, but are customers really that daft?

yup :money:

Quasar

Well, I've always known life ain't fair.

gizmoleeds

I saw one of those "Back to the Floor" programmes a few years ago where one of the bosses of Sainsbury's went to work on the shop floor.

It became apparent in the programme that the Sainsbury's head office deliberately undersupplied stores with shallow trolleys, as they thought that shoppers would then take bigger trolleys and would pschologically see the trolley as being more empty and so would buy more.

In fact, when they ran out he found customers were picking up more baskets instead (which meant staff had to ferry them from the checkouts back to the doors), and were also subsequently buying less. He made a point of this at a board meeting at the end where he summarised his experiences and recommended they end this policy immediately.

So, I ask, what supermarket is it where you shop?

Queenie

It's to make you spend more.

And it's amazing how many times you can pass people having a chinwag (with an almost full deep trolley! ) and you'll hear one say: " I only popped in for one or two bits"

It's working then

Quasar

gizmoleeds wrote:

So, I ask, what supermarket is it where you shop?

Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose, Somerfield. Wherever I happen to be as I work all around London. The big big stores overflow with deep trolleys.

Today at my local Asda there were NO shallow trolleys available at all, and about a dozen or so customers were hunting for them. In the end I did use the mule 'n cart thing, but did not buy more than I had planned to because I make a point not to.

Oh well, more pushing means harder work means more calories burned, I suppose... See? there's a good point to everything.

Still annoyed though.

elisebutt65

I go everyday now and always use a baket - if it gets too heavy then i know i've got too much

It's helped me cut right back on the shopping bill

Wig

My store's the same (tesco) I haven't used a big trolley for donkeys. I always go for a basket if there is no shallow trolley. but quite often I do get a shallow one even if it is the last one.

And having used a shallow one I try to ***leave it at the front door*** for other people to use. I carry my bags to the car. There must be many shallows dotted around the car park.

The above story of back to the floor..if the customers use baskets they have to be returned by staff to front door. If customers use shallow trolley, they have to be returned by the trolley staff. So they can't win really.

cattie

The Asda I sometimes use rarely has the shallow trolleys available & there is usually a multitude of people hanging around waiting to 'baggsie' an empty one being returned. There are always what seems to be hundreds of the large trolleys available though.

I've noticed the local Sainsbury's seems to have increased it's stock of the shallow trolleys & I don't have much problem getting one there, so I'm more inclined to shop in there now.

Not having to waste time hanging around for a trolley is worth the few extra pennies I may spend in Sainsbury's compared to Asda.

Bogof_Babe

I find this at our local bigger Co-op. Unfortunately if you are wanting to buy half a dozen 2-litre bottles of Lemonade, the basket option isn't viable.

I think we should start a movement on behalf of all back-pain sufferers, as I notice it is much more uncomfortable to retrieve things from the bottom of the deep trolleys, which is why I (and I expect many people) look for a shallow one.

Also the wheels seem less liable to wonkiness on the shallow ones. I had to take a deep one a couple of weeks ago, but never again - in future I will hover around someone packing their boot in the car park, or take my custom elsewhere.