A copy of Takashimaya Singapore’s guidelines on the use of trolleys was posted on the Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Thursday (Dec 1) by a member who understood the repercussions of the limitations.
“How ridiculous is this??!! Friends in the transportation or delivery industry will definitely understand it’s gonna cause major chaos. And the ones to suffer (will be) fellow mates in the same industry,” said the concerned group member.
The guidelines prevented “big cargo and all other trolleys (cage trolleys, roller trolleys etc.)” from being used in the premises during store operating hours from 10 am to 9:30 pm. Furthermore, a minimum of two people are needed to handle the platform trolley, “which is the only type of trolley allowed to be used.”
Other limitations include the maximum height of merchandise positioned on the trolley being used, which is 120cm from the ground, and the maximum walking speed when pushing the trolley, which is 2km per hour.
“Those who don’t work under operations won’t understand the context. It’s so ridiculous having to juggle both time and energy to adhere to such rules and regulations,” said Facebook user Diana Hassan in a comment.
“I am very sure this issue was raised to the highest level, and probably there was an accident that occurred to shoppers for them to instil this.”
Another netizen noted that although Takashimaya’s management imposes some of the strictest rules in the industry, the restrictions heightened recently, especially the “ridiculous” walking speed rule.
“It’s absurd. I did a delivery there. Three cartons, knee level, needed another manpower to escort,” confirmed Facebook user Julie Wah.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Takashimaya management and will update the article accordingly. /TISG
UPDATE: Dec 6, 2022
Takashimaya management has responded and clarified the matter today with the below statement:
Safety in the workplace is paramount for any industry, moreover, it is of utmost importance for retailers to ensure a safe shopping environment for customers, especially elders and children.
We are continuously improving our safety practices and hence these guidelines are introduced. The guidelines are only implemented during store operation hours (10am to 9:30pm) on the sales floor. It does not apply to deliveries before and after operation hours, or during operation hours in our backend warehouse and storage areas (non-sales floor areas).
Takashimaya Department Store is working alongside our suppliers, delivery, and logistics companies on-site to ensure a smooth transition to a safer environment for all.