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Aug 17, 2023

Clever little hack for unlocking supermarket trolleys at Aldi, Asda and Tesco without a £1 coin

It even works with trolleys whose locks appear to be jammed Get our ultimate

It even works with trolleys whose locks appear to be jammed

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We’ve all been there – we’ve gone shopping without a £1 coin and have been unable to unlock a trolley. But now there's a simple way of getting around the problem without having to get a token from inside the store.

No pound coin? No problem. Chained-up supermarket trolleys can be unlocked using a key from a can of spam or corned beef. Can keys even succeed with trolleys where coins or tokens don't seem to work.

A shopper shared the genius trick when a customer struggled to unlock a trolley at an Aldi supermarket in Chester. Noticing her frustration, he fished out a can key that was attached to his keyring.

READ MORE: The 1p challenge backed by Martin Lewis that could save you £600 next year

"You just push it in and the lock pops open," he said, showing how it was done. "It works every time!"

Some supermarkets left their trolleys unlocked during the Covid pandemic, but many did not. Finding new ways to unlock supermarket trollies has since become a popular pastime on sites like TikTok.

One suggestion is to put two 20ps together and push them into the trolly slot. It does work, but some people have complained their 20p coins have a habit of getting stuck.

Using the rounded heads of keys can also do the trick, but the keys need to be the right size – and there is always the danger they could snap or become jammed, causing a rather bigger headache than a coupled trolley.

Other hacks include 3D-printed plastic devices - instructions are online - and folded store loyalty cards that are no longer needed. But for sheer simplicity, nothing can beat a can key. It's lightweight and, if you lose it, it will cost you nothing.

The only fly in the ointment is the upfront cost of buying a tin of spam or corned beef. But if these products are something you enjoy, that's no great hardship.

It's also a great use for a can key that would otherwise be chucked in the nearest bin by most people. Just remember to return your trolley to the right place to save staff the hassle of rounding them up.

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