“LOST” SHOPPING TROLLEYS
Albeit that the flow of vagrants with shopping trolleys have become an increasingly common sight to see in Leonardo Village, Bothasig and surrounding neighbourhoods.
The responses on WhatsApp groups seems to indicate that it can be traced back to various factors which goes beyond “just” a trolley theft issue.
In this Blog, we’ll look at a few interesting points aimed at the trolleys itself as most feel that it’s a problem with a lot of confusion, open ends and get out of jail cards.
Those who observe and report the sightings of stolen shopping trolleys in the area has also realized that the frenzy to get someone to chase after a trolley might be met with a lull.
Sometimes the person receiving the information might be well informed and realize from the description or photo that it’s not a trolley associated from that specific shop being contacted.
The plastic and metal trolleys below are for example being used by Checkers in Bothasig, but they do differ from the fully plastic version in service by Checkers De Grendel in Burgundy Estate.
The trolleys themselves also don’t have any identification. If found and retrieved, one can’t really pinpoint where exactly it came from unless the culprit divulges that info when getting caught in possession of a trolley.
The recovered trolleys sometimes simply get divided amongst the businesses associated with the use of that trolley i.e. if 5 gets found and 2 are missing in Bothasig and 3 in Burgundy then they receive that ratio from the trolley management company.
All the shops in the area around the village also confirm that the shoppers at their stores are not allowed to take trolleys home under any circumstances i.e. its only provided for convenience between the shopper’s car and the associated store the purchase/shopping event took place.
As one delf deeper into scenarios around the all familiar shopping trolley as we know it. Then one can theorize that an individual’s capacity to self-govern depends on whether they are the type to return the shopping cart or leave it next to their car or remove it from the parking lot completely.
The behaviour observed will be a testament to someone’s moral character and although the theory is debatable, it does raise an interesting question. What scenario is going on that would cause a person to leave the cart in the first place, return it or take it from the parking lot completely?
What’s their history/story and how that influenced the person’s behaviour or willingness to do something or do nothing. Behaviours change based on the situation. In some instances, certain situations can influence a behaviour that tests a person’s moral character and even lead to them breaking the law.
When doing trolley observing, one occasionally notices the odd resident stealing a trolley which seems to be for their personal convenience.
Reasons for stealing shopping trolleys by local residents can vary as per their personal reasons and motivations. Mostly they will be doing it for their convenience by using the trolleys to transport items like their groceries, especially if they lack transport or having easy access to transportation.
Overall reasons for stealing shopping trolleys can vary and the action reflects broader social issues such as homelessness, joblessness, lack of access to resources and the general community’s social needs albeit a neighbouring area.
Individuals experiencing homelessness may use shopping trolleys to transport their belongings or use it as makeshift storage. They also use these same trolleys to move from area to area working their routes according to the dirt bin collection schedules per area. They use trolleys to transport goods that they collect to sell, either legally or illegally.
Some might even think of this whole scenario as a career and see themselves as some sort of entrepreneur! Others simply move disposed materials from an area where the disposed items are still in the dirt bins awaiting collection, to nearby open areas to sift through it and then simply leave most of it behind as is…
