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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Trolley wars

55 replies

Trollied · 10/05/2019 12:57

Sorry for the length!

We have really inconsiderate neighbours, who constantly bring back trollies from the local supermarket (at the end of our road) and abandon them against our back garden fence/gate which is on a public footpath.
We share a gate with our wheelchair bound neighbour so obviously blocking the gate is a major inconvenience for him.
This has been ongoing for a year, about 5 trollies a week abandoned. Sometimes there will be bin bags left with the trollies overflowing with rubbish.

I left a note a month ago on one of the trollies, asking them to please stop leaving them here as they restrict access and the bin bags of rubbish that occasionally join the trollies have attracted foxes.

Note was ripped off eventually and trollies were shoved back against our fence.

Reported to the supermarket, they sent out a team to collect promptly. But I dont want to have to report every single trolley, theres too many!

Reported to the council for fly tipping. They're looking into it.

I move the trollies every morning so I can wheel the buggy down the path. They get pushed back.

AIBU to write their house number on a new note and put it on the trolleys again? In thinking that if they realise everyone knows its them they might be shamed into taking the trollies back to the shop 2 minutes away?!
They dont leave them there in the day anymore, they wait until its dark then wheel them out 😂
We have clear view of this from inside the house, so I know 100% which house it is.

DH thinks another note is too passive aggressive, I think constantly moving the trollies back against our fence is more passive aggressive!

OP posts:
Darkstar4855 · 10/05/2019 13:02

I would complain to the supermarket (with photos) and put pressure on them to get the coin locking trolleys.

I would also put a big sign up at the bottom of my garden saying “number X are lazy fu**ers who keep dumping these trolleys here” - preferably in a position where they couldn’t reach it to remove it.

ZippyBungleandGeorge · 10/05/2019 13:03

Type a letter on headed paper with the logo of the shop, and say you are aware and have CCTV of numerous thefts of trollies which have been tracked to their address, any further thefts will be reported to the police accordingly.

You can mock up a fake header quite easily, we did it once to a promiscuous housemate from the local GUM clinic telling him he had been in contact with someone with gonorrhea. He didn't think it was as hilarious as the rest of us...

ZippyBungleandGeorge · 10/05/2019 13:03

Oh and post it, don't hand deliver

englishdictionary · 10/05/2019 13:03

thinking that if they realise everyone knows its them they might be shamed into taking the trollies back to the shop 2 minutes away?!

People that do this won't be shamed. They have no awareness.

my2bundles · 10/05/2019 13:04

I would contact the supermarket again telling them it's a daily occurance along with a photo/video of the neighbours in action.

Damntheman · 10/05/2019 13:04

Perhaps you could arrange them in some kind of trolley art blocking their car into their driveway in the night? Or if they park on the road then park the trolleys all around their car so they'll need to move them all before they can go anywhere. If no car then I'd arrange them in their garden in the most inconvenient way I could think of. Any rubbish bags should be left on their doorstep and artfully slit with a knife down the side once placed.

maddening · 10/05/2019 13:06

Put them on their front door step up against their front door

Original poster
Trollied · 10/05/2019 13:07

@ZippyBungleandGeorge
I wanted to do this but DH says that's plagiarism posing as a company 😂

The trollies are left round the back, our gardens back onto garages. Not easy to go to their garden as it's slightly down an alley behind the garages. I just push them that way as they're the only ones who use the alley 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
Trollied · 10/05/2019 13:09

I'm going back to the supermarket today to speak to the store manager as advised by the council, so will update on how that goes later!

It's getting increasingly more ridiculous. I moved the trolleys last week, 5 mins later they were back! So I moved them later when I went out... came back... and they're bloody back again 🙈

So I'm not unreasonable to leave another note with their door number on? 😂

OP posts:
Damntheman · 10/05/2019 13:10

If tip them over and stack them and then empty the rubbish bags on top of the stack I'll warrant they won't be pushed back quite as quickly Grin

GhostsInSnow · 10/05/2019 13:13

No help, but around the corner from me is a large block of flats. I noticed a trolley outside them when we first moved here. Over the years I've seen different people pushing it. It appears to be a 'communal' trolley which all the residents push up to the Asda up the road and then return with. It's genius to be fair 😂

As for your issue, I'd just keep reporting. It's the supermarket that needs to deal with it.

Snowflakes1122 · 10/05/2019 13:15

Can you put cctv up, facing the alleyway? Might put them off, or enable you to get them caught?

Original poster
Trollied · 10/05/2019 13:17

Cant put up CCTV as it's on a public footpath :/

OP posts:
wigglypiggly · 10/05/2019 13:17

They belong to the supermarket, report each time and let them sort it.

Original poster
Trollied · 10/05/2019 13:18

I've just sharpied "PROPERTY OF # ROAD" onto a bunch of sticky labels that are a bastard to remove off of anything though. Will slap them on the 2 trollies currently abandoned 😂

OP posts:
TixieLix · 10/05/2019 13:18

Get a dummy CCTV camera for out back and put a sign up saying "WARNING: CCTV in operation. Anyone seen dumping trolleys or rubbish outside this property will be reported."

wigglypiggly · 10/05/2019 13:18

You can buy fake CCTV cameras

Sirzy · 10/05/2019 13:19

All the trolleys at our local supermarket now have locks on the wheels which kick in if they are taken out of the grounds of the supermarket. Sounds like yours needs similar

MummyBear2352 · 10/05/2019 13:19

Yes I would post a note through the door. Also try to get a picture/video of them doing this. And let them know you have evidence x

hatemyhairhun · 10/05/2019 13:20

Agreed that you should get the supermarket to deal with this, it’s their property being stolen and abandoned after all.

The council will takes ages to act upon this, and will try to pass the buck as much as possible - eg asking you to talk to the manager of the store!

TixieLix · 10/05/2019 13:22

How about a large halogen light that goes on when anyone approaches your gate/fence? If they're relying on the cover of darkness, it may deter them a bit.

GhostsInSnow · 10/05/2019 13:22

@Sirzy they have those at mine too, doesn't stop it. There must be a simple way around it.

Original poster
Trollied · 10/05/2019 13:27

Supermarket does have magnetic locks but they take them out through the car park which doesn't have a magnetic strip on

OP posts:
DishingOutDone · 10/05/2019 13:29

Is this private ownership or do you all rent? If the latter report to the landlord, its anti-social behaviour, like a form of harassment.

MikeUniformMike · 10/05/2019 13:34

Your husband is wrong - plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

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