Do you use a shopping trolley for your shop

[july1st]

Does anyone use a pull along shopping trolley? I don't see many of them, please usually use bags for life. Im thinking of getting a trolley, but I am reluctant for some reason. It would make things so much easier on my shoulders! I am 27 in London

I got one for my SIL years ago when we lived in the Netherlands, where they are a lot more common. It is in a very funky fabric, really solid and holds loads. It has become one the the most favourite presents we ever bought her and she uses it weekly to bring groceries home from her local shops. We must have bought it 15 years ago, when she was about 38.

Why do some people push them instead of dragging them behind like you're meant to?

@Caramelsmadfuzzytail I sometimes push, sometimes pull because people don't always notice the business end of the trolley at ankle level and either kick it or trip over it. In crowded situations, it's often safer to push.

But I love mine. I rely on public transport, so need to be able to carry large amounts easily. And it makes shop assistants laugh when I say I'm okay for a bag because I have the Batmobile.

Spidey66 you need a Sodastream too!
Anyone who thinks they'll look silly or old, the reality is that no-one is looking and no-one cares. Do yourself a favour and get one. I buy much heavier items, which go in the bottom, and lots more than I could carrying.
I think pushing or pulling depends on the design

I've returned to add, I sometimes put a black bin liner inside mine then put the wet laundry in it to take down the garden to peg out, then do the same bringing it back in when dry.
Easier than a heavy basket.

You see, Europe again! There's no (ageist) "granny trolley " embarrassment there, it's just normal

My mother is nearly 94 and says exactly the same!

Absolutely, initially to transport food and drink to picnic sites and beaches and festivals, so easy and convenient. I walk everywhere possible and it made sense to use it for shopping.
I felt like crying when mine broke and I couldn’t weld it back together again.
I am on the hunt for another one of similar strength, the ones I have seen recently are quite flimsy and wouldn’t stand up to a weld repair so at the moment I am using a small sack truck with a plastic crate and a bag for life attached.
Looks a bit heath robinson but is strong and reliable over the unmade roads and tracks where I live.

I have one because I can't drive. Use it all the time and wouldn't be without one.

A couple of decades ago they became rather trendy, possibly in an “ironic” way. A shop on Old Compton Street started selling them.

I have a natty leopardskin patterned one. A tenner at Walthamstow market. Best money I’ve ever spent. I can’t believe I used to schlep 12 kilo bags of cat-litter plus groceries home on the bus every weekend.

I’m toying with the idea of one of those nifty stair-climbing ones as I live three flights up

I like the look of these ones! They're not cheap but if they're sturdy then I'd be very tempted.

@BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted I came to say the same. Although I thought it was a more recent trend? Like maybe a decade ago? I don't think they've ever gone back to being just for old ladies. I'm 32 and I perceive it would be perfectly socially acceptable for me to use one. I think people have collectively realised their convenience and worth!

I usually just use a massive backpack when I go shopping though. I like to be hands free.

I did a work course on moving/ handling apparently it’s better for your spine if you push rather than drag.

I have one.
I really hurt my back carrying bags so it became a necessity. I was the only young person in my area with one, but they seem to be catching on because I’ve noticed more young people pulling them along recently.

For the granny-look conscious I highly recommend Reisenthel "Carrycruiser". Expensive, but oh so worth it! Top can be closed with a drawstring hood as well.

I bought mine 20 odd years ago in Selfridges to do my Christmas shopping. I kept seeing trendy little Japanese girls in the West End using them.

Ooh that is nice. I've looked at that brand and mine is similar to the Suitcase one with the same kind of handle as in the picture

www.reisenthel.com/en/trolley-m-NT-V-baroque-marble-7061?c=19200000

Found mine!

I use one in winter (in the summer I go on bike and use my backpack and saddle bags instead) when I'm going to town to get some things (big shop still gets done in the car with OH driving but if I'm going to the library and then some little shops I'll use the trolley)

Its made of reflective material so it also doubles as a safety feature when its dark.

I am 52, just bought this one: don't care what anyone thinks, I have arthritis and struggle to carry bags

They're really common round us. Perfect for carting shopping on the bus. I've got one for the rare occasions I don't have the pushchair. My mum, though, wouldn't be seen dead with one because they're for old ladies.

I first got a £7.99 one from Home Bargains about 11 years ago, it lasted about a year, a wheel came off, got another one, a year later, a plastic part snapped so the wheels kept jumping out, went up to a £15 one from a suitcase shop, not much better, now have a Rolser one that cost £50 from John Lewis. Built like a battleship. Rolser have their own web site. I think the cheap ones don't take well to being overloaded and then bumped up & down kerbs. I see quite a few locally and they aren't all grannies.

DD got one when she started uni....very handy for transport laundry to and from the laundrette, when she wasn't using it for shopping. 12 years on and she still uses one.

I wouldn't get a four wheeled one in a tartan pattern, they look so grannyish, like a walking aid.

I keep a big woven-type stiff shopping bag inside mine to avoid getting dirt or leaked liquids on the inside of the trolley bag.

No, a basket one with a handle that looks like a walking stick 😂