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Aug 22, 2023

Woolworths and ALDI trolley photo from Melbourne supermarket carpark sparks intense debate on Reddit

A photo of an ALDI and Woolworths trolley bay in a Melbourne supermarket carpark

A photo of an ALDI and Woolworths trolley bay in a Melbourne supermarket carpark has sparked a heated debate on social media.

A supermarket shopper shared the image, pointing out how tidy and straight the line of ALDI trolleys were compared to the disorganised chaos of the Woolies carts.

ALDI shoppers are required to insert a gold coin into a slot to unlock the coin-operated trolley.

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When shoppers are done with their carts, they need to place it neatly in front of another trolley and connect it with a chain in order to receive their gold coin back.

Woolworths customers, on the other hand, can use the retail giant's trolleys without paying a cent and therefore have "no real responsibility" to store the carts neatly.

"The difference $1 can make," the shopper wrote in a Reddit thread.

The photo sparked a heated debate, with many discussing the trolley habits of supermarket shoppers.

"My local ALDI has two trolley types, both in nice tidy lines thanks to people wanting their dollar/token back," said one.

Another wrote: "Returning trolleys for me are the ultimate guide to who's a s*** c*** and who is not. I’ll pass this knowledge onto my kids."

Said a third: "I know this carpark! The Woolies trollies there are always super annoying.

"The problem is there are two types of trollies and as soon as someone gets lazy and puts one on the wrong side that's it, all hope is lost."

A third wrote: "That's the point, people will all of a sudden stop being absolute s*** c***s to get back what's theirs even if it's only a dollar.

"Take that away and it's total anarchy - as seen in this picture."

One more added: "Who doesn't get a buzz from putting a trolley back properly? Especially if there are a few that aren't lined up and you manage to get them to all slot in nicely."

Another said: "I’ve found myself sorting out trolleys into correct bays at my Coles on the odd occasion. I mean really, who puts the shallow trolleys in with the deep ones? We live in a society people!"

Several trolley collectors who work at Australian supermarkets also weighed in on the photo, sharing their opinions on the trolley habits of some shoppers.

"As a trolley collector for Coles, can confirm people see one not in a bay and then they follow suit," the Reddit user said.

"It's a f***ing pain in the ass having to rearrange them neatly so then I can come back with the rover to then bring them in. And being that we only roster one of us on at a time, it's hell."

Another wrote: "As a trolley collector, f*** each of you that leaves a mess out of the trolley bay or just dumps it in the carpark. Stop being a lazy ****."

An ALDI spokesperson said the supermarket is pleased with shoppers’ response to its trolley system.

"It's great our customers recognise the positive impact our coin deposit trolley system has at our stores across the country," the spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au.

"These timesaving, Good Different, systems allow us to continue to bring our customers the best priced groceries in Australia while ensuring our car parks remain tidy and stops trolleys going missing!

"If a customer does forget to bring a gold coin, they can use one of our baskets or our reusable $0.99 Trolley Token that can be picked up at the checkout and attached to their keyring, so they’ll never be caught without a trolley if they’re out of gold coins."