Family coming on NY Day so thought I’d get ahead with shopping.
First, I don’t usually shop at Waitrose, so hadn’t realised you need a pound coin for the trolley, and I didn’t have one, so had to make do with 2 heavy baskets.
Second, about to leave - couldn’t find my car keys! Searched bag and pockets in vain! Beginning to panic, I retraced my steps, no luck, eventually asked at Customer Services whether they’d been handed in.
No.
Eventually realised that my heavy bunch of keys had managed to fall through a small hole in my pocket (I didn’t know there was a hole) and were in the lining.
Phew!
Next, found that someone had parked an absolutely massive monster of a car so close to mine, just a few inches away, that I couldn’t get in, had to clamber in from the other side.
Then, trying to reverse out, with the monster protruding from the space far more than any normal car, and the tiny space between us - I must have performed half a dozen manoeuvres before some nice chap came (shaking his head at the monster!) and helped guide me out.
Was I glad to get home!!
Mojack26
Most trollies require £1 coin??? I have a few tokens which I leave in my car
No, they don't. I think I've only ever encountered one, within about 15 mile radius of where I live.
ferry23
I'm intrigued as to which supermarket you usually go to where you don't need a pound coin? I thought they all do.
Sainsbury at SavaCentre Hempstead Valley Gillingham Kent doesn't
That would make a perfect comedy with the late great Victoria wood or dawn french
No need to go out for st least 24hrs now!
Telax
Am I the only one who has found that sometimes the tokens don’t work in supermarket trolleys?
Awful nightmare, thankfully you survived , you deserve a G and T or 2
Ive had shopping days like this, everything seems to be a challenge, I'm always misplacing my keys and phone, however I only drive a mini but it has a wide door so with my bad back and dodgy knees its hell getting in and out the car no matter what size the car is next to me. I just think its supermarkets particularly more than car parks not considering the space required to open a car door. On some occasions I park furthest away with no one beside me and come out and somebody has thought of doing the same drives me potty.
Most trollies require £1 coin??? I have a few tokens which I leave in my car
ferry23
I'm intrigued as to which supermarket you usually go to where you don't need a pound coin? I thought they all do.
My M&S does not
Imagine my joy when, amongst the discarded cracker presents left on the table, there was the key ring with the coin shaped thingummy for putting in trolleys. The gods were smiling on me this Christmas.
Bazza
I feel your pain Witzend, but at least you didn’t lock your car keys inside the car as I once did. I won’t bore anyone with the details as I posted it when it happened. Didn’t your Waitrose have one of those plastic baskets on wheels which are very handy and no pound required.
No, they don’t have those wheelie baskets - local Asda does though.
I once locked keys in my car - or rather, it locked itself with my bag and keys inside it! I was at the local tip, phone in my bag, had to get one of the tip staff to phone dh at work, so I could get him to ring the AA.
I really thought AA man would think I’d done something utterly stupid, but no, he’d known of the same make of car self-locking before, and managed to get it open with no damage. Phew!
What a stressful experience you had but I think customer services would've given you a trolley token if you'd asked, Witzend and they'd probably have paiged the owner of the monster that blocked you in, if you'd given them the registration number. I have a couple of trolley tokens on my keyring. They are easy to come by.
argymargy I have all those stores near me plus Asda, Aldi and Morrisons and only one that does not need a token is Asda. Apparently trolley locks if you try to take it outwith the car park perimeter hence no token/coin.
ferry23
I'm intrigued as to which supermarket you usually go to where you don't need a pound coin? I thought they all do.
Most of ours don’t , only Lidl .
I always try to park well away from the popular spaces nearest the entry doors, but doesn't matter where you park, some monster truck will come and stop right next you you.
GrammaH
You're lucky to have a nearby Waitrose. For some reason, the owners don't see why those in our county deserve more than one, which is about 35 miles from us. I know some counties - Norfolk, for example - are very well blessed. The key thing must've been terrifying as I lost mine one day after shopping and couldn't find then anywhere, I was practically hysterical as it'd been one of those days...I forget where I found them now but it was the stupidest, most obvious place. As for Chelsea Tractors...!! Their drivers do think normal carpark rules don't apply to them. I can't understand why anyone not living somewhere with severely challenging road conditions would buy one purely to navigate the local supermarket car park and the school run. I see nobody on here has yet admitted to the challenges of parking such a beast in the local Waitrose car park at Christmas time.
Parked DH’s in the upstairs car park of our nearest Waitrose easily, didn’t obstruct any other vehicle.
Our new Lidl just has the blue plastic deep shopping trolley type, no baskets at all. I don't like dragging the monster around so don't use one, which means I buy less as I only pick up what I can carry.
One of the joys of shopping at my local Waitrose is that it is the only one where all the trolleys are free! Plus the great car park sheltered from sun ( for the dogs) and the rain plus the great lift from car park to store.
Where can I get one of those special keys please
You're lucky to have a nearby Waitrose. For some reason, the owners don't see why those in our county deserve more than one, which is about 35 miles from us. I know some counties - Norfolk, for example - are very well blessed. The key thing must've been terrifying as I lost mine one day after shopping and couldn't find then anywhere, I was practically hysterical as it'd been one of those days...I forget where I found them now but it was the stupidest, most obvious place. As for Chelsea Tractors...!! Their drivers do think normal carpark rules don't apply to them. I can't understand why anyone not living somewhere with severely challenging road conditions would buy one purely to navigate the local supermarket car park and the school run. I see nobody on here has yet admitted to the challenges of parking such a beast in the local Waitrose car park at Christmas time.
I shop at Tesco weekly and they have introduced £1 coin trolleys.
Blooming nuisance they are.
The reason being that as we are near a university, the students didn’t bother to bring them back.
I wouldn’t mind too much if they had replaced old trolleys with new ones. But no. Just the £1 coin slot fitted on to old trolleys.
I always carry a £1 coin in my bag for that sole purpose.
We don't need a pound coin at our Waitrose, but do at all the others.
The guy at one of the checkouts in Lidl gave me several plastic tokens for the trolly when I told him I hadn’t a pound coin. I always park as far away from other cars as the car park allows. A few years ago my passenger door was scratched by a trolley. It also means I get a bit of exercise!!!
Witzend
TBH I rarely do such a big shop any more - I usually buy little and often, and take the bus.
Having said that, for ages my local Asda’s trolleys didn’t need pound coins, only suddenly, they did!
So I asked why the change.
Answer, trolleys were being stolen by the dozen at night - presumably for the metal. Thieves were coming in lorries and stealing them.
I really can’t see how the pound coin would deter trolley thieves … I assume they lock together a la coin… but thieves with Lorries would surely bring chain cutting equipment if so.
Supermarkets should build a lockable extension for their trolliesbif this is happening!
I rarely go to supermarkets as I use Ocado but I have a trolley coin on my car key ring. Far easier than having to ensure I have a £1 coin.
We use a blue badge (both me and my son have a badge each) but those big gas guzzlers are often overlapping the spaces..Also they hide the tiny cars behind them so you dont see and you think theres a parking space &see the tiny car hiding so no space available!🤨
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