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Original poster

Shopping trolley - will I use it?

24 replies

9millioncansofbeans · 04/10/2020 11:26

Happy Sunday everyone,

I’m moving soon and I will have a supermarket half a mile away. I live alone so I was wondering about getting a shopping trolley and leaving the car at home. But I also want to stop buying things which I go on to never use.

Are they worth it or in reality are they are pain?

OP posts:
Clymene · 04/10/2020 11:27

I love mine. It means I can shop on the high street with ease. Much better for your back too!

BoyTree · 04/10/2020 11:29

I love mine- it can hold loads, it means I'm not constantly overladen with a massive rucksack, and it's perfect for more than just shopping.

Hazelnutlatteplease · 04/10/2020 11:32

I'd online shop

Cassilis · 04/10/2020 11:35

I bought one in a Homebase closing down sale (and they subsequently didn’t close down Hmm ) for £7 (down from £20). The supermarket is a mile away but I’ve only used it once Blush . I like the idea of walking to and fro for shopping but the car is so bloody convenient.

MitziK · 04/10/2020 11:58

You might feel a bit weird taking it there - but by the time you're halfway home, you'll be wondering why you didn't do it years ago.

lanthanum · 04/10/2020 13:13

We used a slightly different strategy when that close to a supermarket. We did most of our shopping by bike, buying only what would fit in panniers/rucksack. Then about every six weeks, we'd go and buy all the bulky/longer lasting stuff (cereal, toilet roll, washing powder, drinks), and get a taxi home. We'd give the driver the "5p per litre off petrol" voucher that came with the receipt, which worked out as quite a substantial tip!

Pipandmum · 04/10/2020 13:16

I used mine alot when I lived near the beach and the kids were small. Great for carrying all the paraphernalia needed. Now I don't live walking distance to the beach and kids are teens.

TweetUsOnFacebook · 04/10/2020 13:18

I adore mine, I have a hoppa. It's so useful! I use it a lot for shopping and it gets used for days out to carry picnics etc. I felt stupid at first but don't care anymore, it means I can get heavy stuff from the local shop without taking the car.

maggiecate · 04/10/2020 13:28

If you’re not sure you’d use it wait until you’ve moved and see how you get on once you’re there, what the walk is like and whether you turn into a “little and often” shopper or only go once a week/fortnight in the car and do a big shop. When I lived near a supermarket I tended to just buy what I needed when I needed it, so bags were pretty light. Also depends on how often you buy heavy stuff eg glass bottles and jars.

And remember if you’re looking to cut your spending having something that lets you carry more might not be a good thing - it’s easier to avoid making an impulse buy if you have to think “do I really want to carry it home though...”

BiBabbles · 04/10/2020 14:20

I agree that trying out other options first can help you both reduce impulse buys and see if a shopping trolley would be most useful.

I don't drive and at times used large backpacks or rucksacks for shopping. This could more limit what you buy and help you think through impulse buys.

When I knackered my shoulders before online grocery shopping was really a thing, I did shopping a few times with a small rolling suitcase. It was weird, though it did fit neatly in the shopping trolley which helped. If this works better than a rucksack, than a shopping trolley specifically designed for this might be worthwhile.

gamerchick · 04/10/2020 14:23

I loved mine, properly loved them. Just don't get a cheap assed one. Many a time a wheel would come off halfway home and it was a tiring experience having to carry the twat. Grin

I did use every available bit of space though.

x2boys · 04/10/2020 14:39

I don't drive ,a friend gave me a shopping trolley ,when her step dad passed away ,it's quite old fashioned and cumbersome looking but so bloody handy ,I hate lugging shopping home I heavy bags .

Thymeout · 04/10/2020 15:32

I bought a Hoppa 15 years ago. Still going strong. I use on-line shopping for bulky or heavy stuff, but prefer buying fruit and veg fresh. No problem getting it on or off public transport. Once took it on a booze cruise. Cheaper to get the bus (London) than pay for parking in town centres for odds and ends.

Don't know why there's such a stigma about them in the UK. All ages, even students, use them on the continent.

melj1213 · 04/10/2020 20:34

I love mine - I first got one when I lived in Spain as the supermarket was literally a 5 minute walk from my flat but I was sick of having to go shopping every day as I just couldn't physically carry a weeks worth of groceries in shopping bags and keep control of (then toddler) DD and there was no way I was getting a taxi for what would have literally been a 2 minute ride.

It was also a great transition from having a buggy - when it wasn't practical to take a buggy (eg if we were going on the bus somewhere when the stops were a minute or two walk from home/our destination) or when DD no longer needed it, the trolley was so handy to take and use to sling everything into for the day, as I used to do with the buggy basket, without having to carry it all in my handbag.

When I moved back to England one of the first things I bought was a shopping trolley because they are so handy. I bought one with decent heavy duty wheels as the pavements around my flat are very uneven and it is also insulated so I don't have to worry about frozen/chilled stuff spoiling.

Serena1977 · 04/10/2020 20:41

I love mine. Great for when I go to the market for fruit and veg then to the butchers. I also use it to and from the allotment.

FrancoBranco · 04/10/2020 21:11

Oh I really want one! Currently I carry my shopping in jute bags but it's hard on my shoulders. Which one does everyone recommend?

Top tip: if you go shopping without it, remember to use a basket, NOT a trolley. That way you'll know when your shopping is getting too heavy to carry home.

bookstearocknroll · 04/10/2020 21:37

It really is strange, the stigma shopping trolleys have here! I lived in Holland for a while and they're so commonplace, with people of all ages, that their supermarket trolleys even have a special place to attach them to as you shop. Embrace the shopping trolley!

Macncheeseballs · 04/10/2020 21:59

Bike with a basket?

Thymeout · 05/10/2020 12:07

Even a bike with 2 baskets doesn't carry as much as a trolley. And you can't take one into a shopping centre. Or a library. Trolleys v useful for library books.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/10/2020 12:16

@bookstearocknroll

It really is strange, the stigma shopping trolleys have here! I lived in Holland for a while and they're so commonplace, with people of all ages, that their supermarket trolleys even have a special place to attach them to as you shop. Embrace the shopping trolley!
^^ This.

They're such an obvious solution to the problem of the shop being in walking distance but not when you have more than a few bits to carry, especially for someone like the OP. Why wouldn't you have one?

We rented an apartment in Tenerife and there was one provided, which was brilliant as there was a supermarket about 10 minutes walk away, so we could go and buy all the beer, wine, water, snacks and other bits we needed without needing to take the car.

They would not let you take the trolley into the shop so you had to leave it behind the tills and you loaded it from your wheelie basket after you had paid. There was several trolleys all waiting together so obviously the way things are done there.

everybodysang · 05/10/2020 12:18

I love mine so much - it was my very best lockdown purchase! We couldn't get online shopping slots and I didn't really want DH (he's older) to drive to the nearest big supermarket so I got it for shopping trips to our local Co-op, which is about 20 minutes walk away. I didn't want to be going loads so thought if I got a trolley it would cut down on trips, and it has. It's great!

seayork2020 · 05/10/2020 12:19

We don't have a car so only buy what we can carry so we have bags over our shoulders I love the idea of a shopping trolley but know it would just sit there.

I do work over the road from the supermarket so shop before work daily so we don't carry too much heavy stuff

Enchantmentz · 05/10/2020 12:49

I used to have one years ago that I used for weekly food shop, I was early/mid twenties at the time. Supermarkets are about a mile downhill and buses aren't convenient as they are still 10 mins walk away. When I got my car I didn't use it anymore and then gave it away. It was great at the time as I didn't have to struggle so much up the hills.

VeganVeal · 05/10/2020 14:45

I love mine as well. It only cost £1 at Tesco's, a bargain

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