21 October 2013

Shopping trolley crackdown

| johnboy
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shopping trolleys

TAMS are bestirring themselves on the subject of shopping trolleys:

Over 40 suburbs will be targeted in the search for abandoned shopping trolleys in an end of year crackdown, Michael Brice, Manager of Licensing and Compliance, City Services, said today.

“Ten shopping trolley collections will be conducted in the lead up to Christmas to pick up shopping trolleys removed from shopping centre precincts in Canberra’s north and south, as well as the city centre,” Mr Brice said.

“Prior to each collection day, retailers are given two days warning to advise them that trolleys located outside shopping precinct areas in parkland, open spaces, waterways or on playing fields will be impounded.

“The most recent trolley collection day, undertaken on 10 October 2013, saw only 17 trolleys impounded across the Weston and Curtin areas which appears to indicate that retailers are becoming more active in collecting their trolleys from Canberra’s open space areas.

“Leaving trolleys on the streets has a direct cost to retailers as there is a fee of $112.50 to retrieve a trolley that has been impounded.

“On top of regular collection days, TAMS also places shopping trolley removal notice stickers on abandoned trolleys that are reported by members of the public or identified during general patrols by city rangers.

“Once a removal sticker is issued the retailer is contacted to pick up the trolley which, if not removed within 24 hours, is impounded. The only exception to this is when a trolley is left in a potentially hazardous location, such as on a road, when it is impounded immediately.

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liability said :

Your basic shopping trolley cost the larger retailers around $160. The ones with children’s seats, etc cost up to $300.

I am still surprised that others don’t follow the Aldi line and require a $1 or $2 deposit for the trolley. Aldi has no need to employ trolley finders as all of its trolleys (or very close to it) get returned. Places like Woolies lose about 5% of their trolleys each year, according to the most recent figures. Not only do woolies have to pay people to collect their trollies they are also up for the cost of replacing the 5% that go missing each year.

Woolies at Kippax already does.

Deref said :

Inbuilt tasers, activated when taken out of the parking lot.

Good idea, but how about something less harmful, like one of those scorpion type things that go off when people steal money, so that if the trolley travels more than 100m from the supermarket it goes off andcovers the person in purple dye…..

liability said :

Your basic shopping trolley cost the larger retailers around $160. The ones with children’s seats, etc cost up to $300.

I am still surprised that others don’t follow the Aldi line and require a $1 or $2 deposit for the trolley. Aldi has no need to employ trolley finders as all of its trolleys (or very close to it) get returned. Places like Woolies lose about 5% of their trolleys each year, according to the most recent figures. Not only do woolies have to pay people to collect their trollies they are also up for the cost of replacing the 5% that go missing each year.

At my nearest Aldi, a hundred metres from a Woolworths, the chains are sometimes snipped off so someone can steal $2. The must be very annoyed when they sometimes get an Aldi trolley token.

And I often see idiots (usually dressed like well-off public servants) pushing a Woolworths trolley around inside the Aldi.

IP

screaming banshee11:42 pm 21 Oct 13

Call the store and tell them if it isn’t gone by the end of the day you will stick it on eBay. Shortly afterwards someone came in a people mover, loaded the trolley in and returned to the store

magiccar9 said :

Felix the Cat said :

I’m sure too that the Govt has more important things to do than collect trollies anyway so it wouldn’t be too high on the priority list.

I did realise this, but then they shouldn’t offer the service through ‘Fix My Street’ if they aren’t willing to provide it. Hence the reason I refused their attempt to pass the buck.

To pass the buck to the persons ultimately responsible, you mean? Fair enough, I’m lazy too, but if a trolley were bothering me enough that I’d hassle TAMS over it then I would at least take the extra 60 seconds or whatever and ring Woollies. Points for obstinance though, so well done.

Felix the Cat said :

I’m sure too that the Govt has more important things to do than collect trollies anyway so it wouldn’t be too high on the priority list.

I did realise this, but then they shouldn’t offer the service through ‘Fix My Street’ if they aren’t willing to provide it. Hence the reason I refused their attempt to pass the buck.

Your basic shopping trolley cost the larger retailers around $160. The ones with children’s seats, etc cost up to $300.

I am still surprised that others don’t follow the Aldi line and require a $1 or $2 deposit for the trolley. Aldi has no need to employ trolley finders as all of its trolleys (or very close to it) get returned. Places like Woolies lose about 5% of their trolleys each year, according to the most recent figures. Not only do woolies have to pay people to collect their trollies they are also up for the cost of replacing the 5% that go missing each year.

ScienceRules said :

steveu said :

I would think that by now Coles and Wollies would have woken up to using a deposit based system the likes of which used by Aldi.

This!

Surely it’s in their interests as well as that of the community.

Yep. I suspect the legislation could be partially aimed at encouraging them to take the hint. It’s not as if these two couldn’t afford it, they control most of the food and petrol supply chains in this country.

poetix said :

Deref said :

Inbuilt tasers, activated when taken out of the parking lot.

Deref! You forgot your Garema Place stocks fantasy for once. Surely that could incorporate trolleys?

😀 Good point Poetix! Hmmm – I wonder what uses we could find for shopping trolleys…

ScienceRules4:57 pm 21 Oct 13

steveu said :

I would think that by now Coles and Wollies would have woken up to using a deposit based system the likes of which used by Aldi.

This!

Surely it’s in their interests as well as that of the community.

tikbalang said :

MY SHOPPING TROLLEY MURDERED

MY GROCERIES JUST GONE

I don’t like it.

I would think that by now Coles and Wollies would have woken up to using a deposit based system the likes of which used by Aldi.

Felix the Cat3:04 pm 21 Oct 13

magiccar9 said :

Interesting.
I recently hard a trolley dumped near my place. Reported it through ‘Fix my street’, and got a call telling me I can contact the retailer to collect it. I refused and the TAMS rep accepted and said it will be logged for a ranger. 2 weeks later the trolley still hadn’t been collected so I submitted another request. 2 days after that a ranger moved it and placed a sticker on it. Another 2 days and it was gone. So almost 3 weeks to remove it.
Coincidentally, another trolley has appeared over the weekend… Still tossing up whether to report it and wait another 3 weeks.

Clearly the new laws they brought in a year or so ago aren’t deterring people… Surely there is a better system that maximises efficiency than sending a ranger out to put a sticker on the trolley, then another if it hasn’t been collected.

Probably costs less than $112.50 for the supermarket to just buy another trolley rather than pay someone to drive around every street and park (and creek/river) in Canberra district looking for them or to collect from impound.

I’m sure too that the Govt has more important things to do than collect trollies anyway so it wouldn’t be too high on the priority list.

The problem here is the lazy, useless arrogant pricks in society that think they can take the trolley from the shop in the first place. Laws were introduced to cover this but TAMS don’t get off their arse and fine people for doing the wrong thing.

TAMS spend too much time being reactive and no where near enough being proactive. They need people out in the street fining the trolley thieving pricks. That’s why the laws were introduced.

Why are they not targeting the cause of the problem and targeting the lazy SOBs who are illegally removing them from shopping centres. If there’s known dumping grounds, there should be rangers there writing people fines.

Great, and what will the housewives of Charnwood bring their washing in with?

Deref said :

Inbuilt tasers, activated when taken out of the parking lot.

Deref! You forgot your Garema Place stocks fantasy for once. Surely that could incorporate trolleys?

Inbuilt tasers, activated when taken out of the parking lot.

Interesting.
I recently hard a trolley dumped near my place. Reported it through ‘Fix my street’, and got a call telling me I can contact the retailer to collect it. I refused and the TAMS rep accepted and said it will be logged for a ranger. 2 weeks later the trolley still hadn’t been collected so I submitted another request. 2 days after that a ranger moved it and placed a sticker on it. Another 2 days and it was gone. So almost 3 weeks to remove it.
Coincidentally, another trolley has appeared over the weekend… Still tossing up whether to report it and wait another 3 weeks.

Clearly the new laws they brought in a year or so ago aren’t deterring people… Surely there is a better system that maximises efficiency than sending a ranger out to put a sticker on the trolley, then another if it hasn’t been collected.

MY SHOPPING TROLLEY MURDERED

MY GROCERIES JUST GONE

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