Why are shopping carts always broken? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#91

Post by hef19898 » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:05 AM UTC

mk89 wrote: post #90

hef19898 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone, potentially a start-up, should develop an appnfor that! Just imagine how much customer data you could collect! Ideally with some in-store location tracking to improve customer surveill... ahh, I mean customer experience! And so good forbthe environment, because no coins!

You mean something that would unlock carts based on fingerprints? :)

Why not? I woupd focus on lonking it to everything you can get from your average users phone and other online accounts. Improved targeted advertising or something. Fingerprints are fine, too! whatever helps sell it!

Plus, since every cart is matched to a person, no more vandalism or theft!

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#92

Post by nerdawson » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:06 AM UTC

> 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.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#93

Post by Mashimo » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:10 AM UTC

nerdawson wrote: post #92

> 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 eit…

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.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#94

Post by user3939382 » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:16 AM UTC

123ert wrote: post #89

user3939382 wrote: post #69

I recall an episode of some sitcom where the protagonist has had enough and builds some insane super shopping cart.

Could it be trailer park boys?

I think it may have been Married With Children.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#95

Post by knallfrosch » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:19 AM UTC

domh wrote: post #78

daft_pink wrote: post #56

Are those coin locks really to protect the carts from the elements, or because Aldi doesn’t want to pay someone to haul them back and forth.

Little bit of both? Also probably to prevent the temptation of theft. Even though the fee is nominal, it seems to be enough of a detractor?

I don't think "theft" is the correct wording. Rather "taking it with you and not returning."

If it really was about stealing (taking and intentionally keeping), the 1€ or free plastic coin you can get at the counter wouldn't deter you at all.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#96

Post by logtempo » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:22 AM UTC

Mashimo wrote: post #93

nerdawson wrote: post #92

> 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 eit…

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.

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.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#97

Post by justinclift » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:23 AM UTC

mk89 wrote: post #90

hef19898 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone, potentially a start-up, should develop an appnfor that! Just imagine how much customer data you could collect! Ideally with some in-store location tracking to improve customer surveill... ahh, I mean customer experience! And so good forbthe environment, because no coins!

You mean something that would unlock carts based on fingerprints? :)

> fingerprints

Pah. That's so 1800's. Modern times would be face* and retinal* scan, plus matching DNA* sample for good measure.

---

* With the expected Terms of Service stating they're allowed to do whatever the hell they want with the data.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#98

Post by Symbiote » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:25 AM UTC

TillE wrote: post #41

dtgriscom wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the limits? (Asked as a US guy who buys the 500 x 500mg bottles at BJ's.)

Not sure about the UK, but in Europe typically pills are sold as blister packs. I don't think there's a limit per se, you can still buy a box of 50 at least.

> Countries where pack size restrictions had not been introduced were predominantly Eastern European [Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland (Lodz) and the Russia Federation (Moscow)].

https://doi.org/10.1111/bcpt.12959

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#99

Post by smusamashah » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:25 AM UTC

pxeger1 wrote: post #77

ta1243 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it's very rare to have to put a coin in a trolley as the article asserts. It's not 1999 any more.

I wouldn’t say it’s very rare. Maybe 50% of supermarkets have coinless trolleys?

I guess that's a sarcastic comment. It's rare to have coin less trollies. Or may be it depends where you live and which stores you go to for shopping. Tesco, Asda have coin less trollies while Aldi, Iceland don't for example.

Re: Why are shopping carts always broken?

#100

Post by mytailorisrich » Mon, Feb 19, 2024, 9:29 AM UTC

IneffablePigeon wrote: post #74

dtgriscom wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the limits? (Asked as a US guy who buys the 500 x 500mg bottles at BJ's.)

Painkillers are sold in packs of max 16 tablets in the UK (almost always 500mg for paracetamol, 200mg for ibuprofen). In addition they must be sold in blister packs not bottles, and all shops will only allow you to buy two packets per transaction (mix and match, you can’t have 2x paracetamol and 2x ibuprofen). I believe there are some exceptions for prescriptions. Obviously you can still overdose by going to multiple…

> all shops will only allow you to buy two packets per transaction

They do that indeed, though I am not sure wthere it is the law of their own "do-gooder" policies. I don't think it is the law because it happened to me a few times to just pull a sad face and have the employee at the till just go "fine, but just this time".

This is slightly ridiculous, IMHO: You can buy more if you want, just split transactions. And of course no-one stops you from buying a trolley-full of vodka and bleach.