The plastic bag charge that the government brought into effect in October has had an impact on stores around the country. Baskets and trolleys have gone missing as people decide that the 5p charge is either too much, or are rejecting it on principle. A store in Stockport have come up with an inventive way to stop customers from stealing.
After a number of customers simply walked out the store with the trolleys they were using and didn’t bring them back, the Iceland store in Woodley instigated a plan to stop the thefts from happening.
Fastening 8 foot metal poles to the trolleys seems to have done the trick, as now it is not possible to take a trolley through the door of the supermarket as it simply won’t fit.
This move has been met with a public backlash, as customers are not happy about having to carry their shopping from the store to the car, whereas before it was possible to wheel it out in the trolleys.
One irate shopper reportedly said: “My mum’s elderly and she said it was a real struggle to walk with all her shopping to the car, and I’m sure she’s not the only one.”
Another shopper added that “It’s absolutely idiotic. It looks like the dodgems at a fairground. Who thought up this idea? It defies belief that they couldn’t find a better way to stop people stealing their trolleys. We look right nerds walking round the supermarket.”
The 5p charge will take some getting used to for everyone in the country, although whether it has done any good for reducing the amount of plastic bags used, and whether it has simply cost the supermarkets more in theft, will have to be seen when enough data has been collected.
