Trolleys

The carts (trolleys) in some Sydney markets make me avoid shopping for groceries. 

Although they may look harmless enough, they are hard to control, have a mind of their own, insult my intelligence, and give me a bad attitude!

Trolley stand at Woolies (Northbridge plaza)

One of my favorite grocery stores in Sydney has the worst shopping trolleys.  

They roll on four caster wheels that swivel in eight different directions.

If you push it toward the left, it may go right or straight ahead, but not in any direction you thought.

When I finally get the trolley to go straight, I'm at the end aisle - frustrating!

Rotating casters.

Rotating casters.

It didn't seem to matter how many years of experience I had pushing shopping carts in the US. 

Here, I am out of my league.

But I am not alone.

I've looked for and seen plenty of other shoppers struggling. 

It's not till you complete your shopping and head to the front end of the store that you find plenty of room for wild & reckless trolleys.

Stores front end.

One afternoon, I volunteered to push a trolley packed with groceries to the car while my daughter put my grandson in his car seat. 

The grocery store's car park was large and full of slopes, making it next to impossible for me to control its speed or move it in a straight line on the designated walking/trolly path.

Walking and trolley pathway.

Of course, it didn't help that we parked downhill in the last row of the car park. 

I was relieved when I got the groceries safely to the car but had to return the trolley.

It was so full of trolleys there was hardly room for mine.

Cluttered trolley stand.

So, I tried to shove it into the other carts, and it came alive, taking off on a downward slope with the back wheels foraging toward a car that was waiting in a line to exit the car park.  

It hit!  A Mercedes!

The furious driver hopped out and closely looked over her vehicle.

Lucky for me, there were no damages.  

Weeks later, I was dumbfounded when I learned that the back wheel of this wicked cart locked! 

Somebody could've told me!

On a positive note, at least the trolleys have cup holders. 

But good luck, trying to drink a  cold or hot drink while wheeling the crazy cart.

Red wheel lock on trolleys.

Trolley cup holder.

While I refrain from pushing trolleys in that grocery store, the carts in the local big box hardware store are easier to move, don't get away from you, and they have wheels that snap into the groves of an escalator.   

Big box store's escalator.

Big box store's escalator groves.

Grandson riding down the escalator in a locked shopping trolley at Bunnings hardware store.

 

Since I'm not too fond of shopping, I need all the motivation I can get, and pushing these trolleys helps my mood and gives me a better shopping experience. 

Trolley rage  . . . 

Crazy carts . . . 

Escalators with trolley locks . . . 

I am NOT in Kansas!