3 ms·

> To combat this, grocery retailers in Europe, such as Aldi, Tesco and Lidl, have coin locks on their carts. Thankfully I haven’t been to a Tesco in as long as

> To combat this, grocery retailers in Europe, such as Aldi, Tesco and Lidl, have coin locks on their carts. Thankfully I haven’t been to a Tesco in as long as I can remember where the trolleys have been coin locked. Coin locks were made for a different era. When everything is contactless, there’s little reason to carry cash. If you aren’t paying for things in cash, you don’t have change you can use for a trolley either.

Mashimo 3y ago
People often use little plastic coins. Even though it's worthless piece of plastic they want it back and thus deliver the carts back as well.
- logtempo 3y ago
  Even more if in your childhood memory it is engraved as something fun. As a child, and I believe others too, getting and returning the cart with the little coin your parent gives to you was cool.
  - ttepasse 3y ago
    My parents and me were living near a large supermarket in the very early 90s when coin carts were introduced. I spent the first afternoons with my little BMX bike at the parking lot, looking for carts where people, unused to the new system, forgot their coins. Or I simply offered to return the cart. If I remember correctly, in one afternoon I made somewhere around 25 DM. I invested the proceeds into LEGO pirate sets, of course.
- mathverse 3y ago
  You can unlock the cart with the tip of the sn european key. No coins needed.
  - Mashimo 3y ago
    Huh, I have to try this.
dgellow 3y ago
You can just keep a coin with you. You don’t need to be paying in cash to have a 1€ coin in your wallet. But as others said, it’s common to use a token instead of an actual coin.
Accacin 3y ago
Odd, the large Tesco near me has no coin required for the trolleys. However, the Lidl and Sainsbury's do. I don't carry cash, but I keep a few pound coins in the car just in case. At least with Sains', if you ask the security guard near the door he'll unlock one for you anyway :)

Mashimo 3y ago

People often use little plastic coins. Even though it's worthless piece of plastic they want it back and thus deliver the carts back as well.

logtempo 3y ago
Even more if in your childhood memory it is engraved as something fun. As a child, and I believe others too, getting and returning the cart with the little coin your parent gives to you was cool.
- ttepasse 3y ago
  My parents and me were living near a large supermarket in the very early 90s when coin carts were introduced. I spent the first afternoons with my little BMX bike at the parking lot, looking for carts where people, unused to the new system, forgot their coins. Or I simply offered to return the cart. If I remember correctly, in one afternoon I made somewhere around 25 DM. I invested the proceeds into LEGO pirate sets, of course.
mathverse 3y ago
You can unlock the cart with the tip of the sn european key. No coins needed.
- Mashimo 3y ago
  Huh, I have to try this.

dgellow 3y ago

You can just keep a coin with you. You don’t need to be paying in cash to have a 1€ coin in your wallet. But as others said, it’s common to use a token instead of an actual coin.

Accacin 3y ago

Odd, the large Tesco near me has no coin required for the trolleys. However, the Lidl and Sainsbury's do. I don't carry cash, but I keep a few pound coins in the car just in case. At least with Sains', if you ask the security guard near the door he'll unlock one for you anyway :)