A holistic solution to end abandoned supermarket trolleys once and for all.

[bic_cherry]

A holistic solution to end abandoned supermarket trolleys once and for all.


Government should make the supermarket pay for citizen return of discovered abandoned trolleys, using technology of the rental bicycle service.

This would give income to poor citizens, reward good community service etc. The payments can be conveniently donated to charity if the recipient wants to.

Unemployed / available Singaporeans can volunteer to return these trolleys to the supermarket whenever they spot one and the supermarket has to pay for the return service of these trolleys, by the distance from the supermarket, where the trolley is found (Google maps can advise the appropriate route and calculate the distance covered to return the trolley to supermarket or nearest collection point etc).

A trolley return app can be created, so if u spot the trolley, u can take a photograph, register your service and then proceed to push it back to the supermarket. The app GPS will confirm that u have pushed the trolley to the supermarket and u can scan a digitally refreshed QR code with the relevant supermarket counter staff computer/phone etc upon arrival and receive e-payment of vouchers for the service.

Supermarket can also provide (in tie up with national trolley rental vendors) rental of trolleys to those who want to bring home, like rental bicycles. Need app to release the trolley, First hour use inside supermarket is free, then u need to pay hourly rental or even loss penalty, if u fail to return it at designated trolley return points.

Supermarket that don't want to use app to rent trolleys can also have trolley alarm that would sound beyond a short range from the supermarket. They still have to pay distance return service charge to citizens who return their trolleys.

LTA Cisco officers and bus ticket inspectors who are attuned to spotting illegal devices or free riding passengers will issue fines to those caught with non rental designated supermarket trolleys, non rental trolleys used outside of the approved use zones and also not registered in the community service app that they are returning the trolley with GPS tracking (your direction to return trolley must be in direction of supermarket obviously) will have to pay a penalty of $100 with $50 rebate (pegged to $50 for evasion of public transportation fare payment) with the $50 rebate obtainable if trolley thief is able to return the marked trolley to supermarket using the trolley return app within 24 hours after the summon is issued.

For those trolleys on public rental scheme, best provided by independent vendor, the public can borrow and drop off the trolleys at various designated points at their convenience.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...eys-a-costly-150000-headache-for-supermarkets

 

[bic_cherry]

[QUOTE="12bucklemyshoe, (HWZ)]
why not just a barcode scanner that scans your nric then release a trolley. then scan again when you return. by end of day can tell which ones are missing.

we can't have nice things one la. i'd rather inconvenience myself a little and see those trolley stealers get punished.
[/QUOTE]
Insufficient manpower, vandalism of equipment. Barcode is too easy to vandalize by scratching it off. No staffs will routinely issue/ enforce return of the trolley due to manpower costs.

Probably need to adapt from the rental bicycle scheme where all trolleys just self lock if beyond the WiFi signal of a location or route served (HelloRide the latest bike sharing company has tamper proof, hidden hub brakes that disengage when unlocked vz app, instead of the bar lock system which is easily jammed/ physically removed by thieves who steal bikes).

More sophisticated trolleys allowing unrestricted use will be provided by 3rd party company if demand prevails.

Anyway, think NTUC , decathlon now is providing plastic basket trolleys as maybe it's cheaper to provide and better plastic materials avail. These has such small wheels, they cannot be pushed except on very smooth floors or carried with handel so nobody steals them.

 

[bic_cherry]

I don't understand why kaypoh about profit making organisations spending money or losing money? you got share? they save a few millions got give you 1 dollar? last I heard they are going to charge for all plastic bags liao.... did they think of you?

Not worry for them. Worry they overcharge us due to others inconsideration.

The trolley retrieval and repair costs add to price inflation, since those who have stolen/misplaced the trolleys are freeloading and the costs is borne by all.

The public, road users pedestrian and cyclist are inconvenienced or endangered by trolleys placed where they shouldn't.

So supermarkets need to be responsible for keeping these wasteful costs low and government also needs to supervise and monitor so inflation is reduced and road users protected.

One day, if a car or cyclist bangs into an abandoned supermarket trolley at night, the supermarket might be held responsible too (e.g. if some wayward teenagers placed an almost invisible supermarket trolley in middle of expressway at night and it caused injury or death as a result, then the question becomes if the supermarket should have controlled it's trolleys better because they could easily be misused as deadly weapons to hurt others, especially if the perpetrators cannot pay for their actions or remain at large). If technology for plastic (more visible) trolleys or trolleys with theft proof auto locks is available, then the plaintiff lawyers will ask why the supermarket did not change to safer and more responsible trolleys to provide.

Likewise if your car is stolen and the joyrider injures or kills someone, your insurance has to compensate victim immediately, in what proportion compensation is claimed from joyrider for his theft or owner for not locking his car is determined by the facts on case by case basis.

If the trolley ended up blocking a canal and causing a flood, the owner supermarket might be billed for damages and the trolley disposal service as well too.

 

[Semaj2357]

wah piang, too complicated and onerous lah.
i suggest that only pg citizens are allowed to enroll for this scheme as i) they use trolley to store the cardboxes, drink cans etc and bring to the supermkt collection point for points, vouchers or money, ii) collecting cardboxes etc keeps the elderly healthy and is oso a form of exercise per tcjin, iii) the trolleys doubles up as a walking aid and if it comes with a horn and signal lights, the better, iv) the folks then wait at collection point for their children or a van to pick up - if from an old folks home (can oso be an outing for them). anikuan ehsai boh?

 

[bic_cherry]

first post idea sure got exploited. People can just push the trolleys far away from supermarket then report it as abandoned to claim the money.

I already said, minimum $50 fine if caught, maybe collected by ministry of transport (fat minister incharge), he has so many LTA Cisco green man to spot e-scooter, he lacks no manpower.
Those COVID-19 mask enforcement and ambassadors also so many, easy to spot someone pushing trolleys away.

Anyway, after thinking, I now think that those decathlon plastic trolleys are the solution. They probably cannot be pushed out of the supermarket because even the HDB area walkway is too rough and the whole basket will topple etc.

For those big buyers, supermarkets can still provide those big trolleys, but with WiFi location use only, in locations without the signal, the brakes will self lock, so the trolley can only be used at designated locations. Or maybe a $50 deposit is collected to exchange for a uniquely shaped token with RFID features etc, maybe dispensed by machine.

Then, there would not be the need to maintain the trolley return app, so no creation of job for jobless citizens here.

But that's good to reduce supermarket costs too.

So the future is in decathlon type plastic baskets with castors. Metal trolleys will be rare or even rented out with a high deposit payable and subject to long queues at specific counters.

Perhaps economics will prevail because supermarket rentals will increase, which means lesser trolley parking spaces so all trolleys need to be accounted for properly. So it will make sense for trolleys to have WiFi unlocked brakes, which will not be usable in locations where the supermarket WiFi no longer covers. The braking device can also have a LCD screen showing push distance range available and mart WiFi signal strength. After the mart WiFi signal is not detected, the trolley has a push distance of just 50m and then an alarm will sound.
Maybe cameras can photograph the shopper retrieving the trolley and also at the cashier counter, so if the trolley is later abandoned, then the person responsible is quite obvious and with facial recognition required to release the next trolley, this person will be unable to get one.

 

[laksaboy]

Wow, $150k... they must have pulled that number out of their arse. Expect some form of cash grab regarding the trolleys in the near future.

Frankly, I wouldn't mind having Turkey's earthquake hit Sinkieland.... perhaps that will once and for all stop the bellyaching over such frivolous 'first world problems'.