Simple shopping trolley difference carpark sparks heated discussion – do you agree?
- Replies 16
The internet has been buzzing about a photo of a shared trolley space between ALDI and Woolworths in a Melbourne supermarket parking lot.
Sharing on the forum site Reddit, a shopper who was just passing by noticed how strikingly different the two supermarket trolley lanes were: the lines of trolleys from ALDI were neat and straight, whereas the trolleys from Woolies were… a mess, to say the least.
At ALDI, customers need to put a gold coin or token in a slot to use a coin-operated shopping cart. In order to get their gold coin or token back, customers must line up their empty shopping carts neatly in front of another cart and attach them using a chain.
On the other hand, shoppers at Woolies don't have to pay anything to use the store's trolleys, so they have 'no real responsibility' to return them to an orderly state after use.
The shopper who witnessed the disparity in the parking lot snapped a photo of the supermarket trolleys, and then went on to upload it on social media with the caption: 'The difference $1 can make.'
The trolley lane for ALDI is so different from Woolies. Credit: Reddit.
It wasn't long before the picture garnered the attention of many Aussies in the forum, all of which had their own opinions regarding the trolley habits of their fellow supermarket shoppers.
One user went on to say nice things about their fellow ALDI shoppers, saying that they usually put their trolleys back in the right place in the cart lanes. 'My local ALDI has two trolley types, both in nice tidy lines thanks to people wanting their dollar/token back,' they said.
A second user who claimed to know the particular parking lot wrote in the comments section: 'The Woolies trollies there are always super annoying.' They added, 'The problem is there are two types of trollies, and as soon as someone gets lazy and puts one on the wrong side, that's it; all hope is lost.'
Meanwhile, a third user pointed out that it's the dollar incentive that makes people willing to comply with the rules and put back their trolleys nicely. 'That's the point; people will all of a sudden stop being absolute s*** c***s to get back what's theirs, even if it's only a dollar.'
'Take that away, and it's total anarchy - as seen in this picture,' they went on to say.
Several users who claimed they work as trolley collectors also shared their feelings about the topic and their thoughts on how some supermarket shoppers use their trolleys.
'As a Coles trolley collector, I can confirm that when people see one that isn't in a bay, they follow suit,' one user wrote under the post, adding: 'It's so troublesome having to rearrange them neatly just so I can come back with the rover to then bring them in. And because we only have one of us on the roster at a time, it's hell.'
ALDI uses a gold coin system to get people to return shopping carts responsibly. Credit: Alamy.
A spokesperson for ALDI caught wind of the trolley discussion that was happening on Reddit and then went on to say that the supermarket is happy with how shoppers have responded to its trolley system.
'It's great our customers recognise the positive impact our coin deposit trolley system has at our stores across the country,' the spokesperson told an online news source.
'If a customer does forget to bring a gold coin, they can use one of our baskets or our reusable $0.99 Trolley Token that can be picked up at the checkout and attached to their keyring, so they'll never be caught without a trolley if they're out of gold coins.'
Well, we have to agree with them on this one, folks, because it's true that most of the ALDI trolley lanes we see are well-organised!
What do you think; do you agree? Are the trolley lanes at Woolies usually messy, or does it depend on the situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Sharing on the forum site Reddit, a shopper who was just passing by noticed how strikingly different the two supermarket trolley lanes were: the lines of trolleys from ALDI were neat and straight, whereas the trolleys from Woolies were… a mess, to say the least.
At ALDI, customers need to put a gold coin or token in a slot to use a coin-operated shopping cart. In order to get their gold coin or token back, customers must line up their empty shopping carts neatly in front of another cart and attach them using a chain.
On the other hand, shoppers at Woolies don't have to pay anything to use the store's trolleys, so they have 'no real responsibility' to return them to an orderly state after use.
The shopper who witnessed the disparity in the parking lot snapped a photo of the supermarket trolleys, and then went on to upload it on social media with the caption: 'The difference $1 can make.'
The trolley lane for ALDI is so different from Woolies. Credit: Reddit.
It wasn't long before the picture garnered the attention of many Aussies in the forum, all of which had their own opinions regarding the trolley habits of their fellow supermarket shoppers.
One user went on to say nice things about their fellow ALDI shoppers, saying that they usually put their trolleys back in the right place in the cart lanes. 'My local ALDI has two trolley types, both in nice tidy lines thanks to people wanting their dollar/token back,' they said.
A second user who claimed to know the particular parking lot wrote in the comments section: 'The Woolies trollies there are always super annoying.' They added, 'The problem is there are two types of trollies, and as soon as someone gets lazy and puts one on the wrong side, that's it; all hope is lost.'
Meanwhile, a third user pointed out that it's the dollar incentive that makes people willing to comply with the rules and put back their trolleys nicely. 'That's the point; people will all of a sudden stop being absolute s*** c***s to get back what's theirs, even if it's only a dollar.'
'Take that away, and it's total anarchy - as seen in this picture,' they went on to say.
Several users who claimed they work as trolley collectors also shared their feelings about the topic and their thoughts on how some supermarket shoppers use their trolleys.
'As a Coles trolley collector, I can confirm that when people see one that isn't in a bay, they follow suit,' one user wrote under the post, adding: 'It's so troublesome having to rearrange them neatly just so I can come back with the rover to then bring them in. And because we only have one of us on the roster at a time, it's hell.'
ALDI uses a gold coin system to get people to return shopping carts responsibly. Credit: Alamy.
A spokesperson for ALDI caught wind of the trolley discussion that was happening on Reddit and then went on to say that the supermarket is happy with how shoppers have responded to its trolley system.
'It's great our customers recognise the positive impact our coin deposit trolley system has at our stores across the country,' the spokesperson told an online news source.
'If a customer does forget to bring a gold coin, they can use one of our baskets or our reusable $0.99 Trolley Token that can be picked up at the checkout and attached to their keyring, so they'll never be caught without a trolley if they're out of gold coins.'
Well, we have to agree with them on this one, folks, because it's true that most of the ALDI trolley lanes we see are well-organised!
What do you think; do you agree? Are the trolley lanes at Woolies usually messy, or does it depend on the situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!