Sean Page inspects the first trolley trap
Bournemouth’s Castlepoint Shopping Park plans to install up to four new shopping trolley traps in a bid to prevent up to 40 of their trolleys leaving the site each day. Sean Page, Castlepoint’s Contract Manager who oversees the maintenance and collection of the 2500 shopping trolleys provided for the larger stores to use, says the first trap installed is designed similar to the system used to stop the trolleys moving on the travelators. If the design proves to be successful it will be installed at several other key locations.
“It is regretful that we have had to go to these measures to stop the inconsiderate behaviour of a few shoppers. Each trolley is used many times in a single day so every trolley offsite affects many customers and is increasingly likely to be damaged. We also then get complaints from local residents who find trolleys abandoned outside of their home,” said Sean Page. “Fortunately we have our own trolley collection van that searches the area looking for strays and responds fast to any trolleys reported by local residents.”
Each trolley costs £100 to replace. The Castlepoint management have a policy to give each trolley the equivalent of an MOT every six months, to fight against annoying wobbly wheels that are much hated by shoppers.
