American tourist can't believe what she discovered about Aussie shopping trolleys
- Replies 13
Ah, the great sights, sounds and experiences of travelling overseas when everything feels oh-so new and exciting! Think of the changing of seasons, temperatures, cultures, and the slight differences in everyday items.
This was exactly the experience recently savoured by one American tourist visiting Australia for the first time when she discovered how our shopping trolleys are different to the ones she is used to!
Sharing her experiences in a TikTok video, Courtnee Crews explained that the shopping trolleys (or 'buggies', as she called them) she encountered in the aisles of Kmart were quite different to their counterparts in the US.
‘I’m in Australia and I want to start telling you things that are different here than in America,’ she said in her video.
‘Starting off, it’s the buggies, like, the shopping carts.’
Courtney ‘vented’ her frustration online when she discovered that, instead of merely moving forward and backwards, trolleys in Australia are able to freely spin in circles and veer off-course on their own, no matter how hard you try to keep them straight!
To drive her point, she spun her own trolley in a circle, being careful not to accidentally knock off store shelves as she moved to stop it.
And then she touched the wayward trolley – you know, the ones that veer off-course no matter how hard you try to control them?
‘When you push it, it just does this,’ and at this point Courtney’s shopping cart veers off to the left.
‘So, I always make my fiancé push the carts because I’m too embarrassed,’ she admitted.
Courtney’s video, which garnered nearly 350,000 views on TikTok, had people baffled.
‘Your trolleys don’t move in all directions?’ One confused user commented.
‘You mean to tell me your parents never spun you around in circles in an empty aisle before?’ Another shocked person asked.
Someone jokingly offered this advice to Courtney: ‘It’s like a trailer, mate. [You] need to centre your load, even that weight out. Otherwise, the trolleys are a hazard.’
Others pointed out how Courtney’s statement ‘made sense’ because locals noticed that the trolleys from Costco Australia (which is owned by the US giant retailer of the same name) can only move backwards and forwards.
‘Costco trolleys make so much more sense now we’ve been spoiled in Australia,’ someone mused.
Another agreed but added that IKEA trolleys also move backwards and forwards only. ‘They are hard to operate,’ admitted one user.
Meanwhile, others focused on Courtney’s use of the word ‘buggy’. Someone said that where they’re from, a ‘buggie’ means a pram.
‘The difference in language use is interesting to me,’ shared one.
Watch Courtney struggle in the clip below:
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
This was exactly the experience recently savoured by one American tourist visiting Australia for the first time when she discovered how our shopping trolleys are different to the ones she is used to!
Sharing her experiences in a TikTok video, Courtnee Crews explained that the shopping trolleys (or 'buggies', as she called them) she encountered in the aisles of Kmart were quite different to their counterparts in the US.
‘I’m in Australia and I want to start telling you things that are different here than in America,’ she said in her video.
‘Starting off, it’s the buggies, like, the shopping carts.’
Courtney was amused at her discovery. Credit: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels
Courtney ‘vented’ her frustration online when she discovered that, instead of merely moving forward and backwards, trolleys in Australia are able to freely spin in circles and veer off-course on their own, no matter how hard you try to keep them straight!
To drive her point, she spun her own trolley in a circle, being careful not to accidentally knock off store shelves as she moved to stop it.
And then she touched the wayward trolley – you know, the ones that veer off-course no matter how hard you try to control them?
Courtney vented her frustrations online. Credit: courtneecrews/TikTok
‘When you push it, it just does this,’ and at this point Courtney’s shopping cart veers off to the left.
‘So, I always make my fiancé push the carts because I’m too embarrassed,’ she admitted.
Courtney’s video, which garnered nearly 350,000 views on TikTok, had people baffled.
‘Your trolleys don’t move in all directions?’ One confused user commented.
‘You mean to tell me your parents never spun you around in circles in an empty aisle before?’ Another shocked person asked.
Someone jokingly offered this advice to Courtney: ‘It’s like a trailer, mate. [You] need to centre your load, even that weight out. Otherwise, the trolleys are a hazard.’
Others pointed out how Courtney’s statement ‘made sense’ because locals noticed that the trolleys from Costco Australia (which is owned by the US giant retailer of the same name) can only move backwards and forwards.
‘Costco trolleys make so much more sense now we’ve been spoiled in Australia,’ someone mused.
Another agreed but added that IKEA trolleys also move backwards and forwards only. ‘They are hard to operate,’ admitted one user.
Meanwhile, others focused on Courtney’s use of the word ‘buggy’. Someone said that where they’re from, a ‘buggie’ means a pram.
‘The difference in language use is interesting to me,’ shared one.
Watch Courtney struggle in the clip below:
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Where I come from, a ‘buggy’ is your means of transport on a golf course! 
