How to get supermarket shoppers to return trolleys? NTUC FairPrice will report them to police

Singapore – “It’s about time this behaviour stops,” was one reaction that mirrors others from the  online community in response to news that NTUC FairPrice will report people to the police if they don’t return supermarket trolleys.

NTUC FairPrice will take stern action and report those who fail to return its trolleys, said FairPrice Group CEO Seah Kian Peng in a letter to The Straits Times Forum pages on Jan 18, 2022.

Unreturned supermarket trolleys have been an ongoing issue in Singapore, with many being found abandoned by the roadside, at void decks or in common  corridors.

Back in  2015, it was reported that FairPrice stores had lost about 1,000 trolleys. in all  It cost the company more than S$150,000 then to repair and replace trolleys, and  additional manpower to retrieve unreturned trolleys.

A system was launched in 2016, allowing people to report abandoned trolleys through the OneService app. The Municipal Services Offices (MSO), which is supervised by the National Development Ministry said it received 6,559 reports of abandoned trolleys last year.

Abandoned trolleys from five supermarkets, FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Mustafa Centre, Giant and Cold Storage, as well as furniture chain Ikea, can be reported through the app.

The issue of unreturned trolleys was recently highlighted on social media when  Teo Siew Lan, wrote in the Facebook page My Home in Simei Tabout an elderly man “faithfully pushing NTUC trolleys from all over Simei back to NTUC supermarket every day”.

“Rain or shine, he’s out there looking for trolleys which have been pushed to homes in Simei. This morning, he was caught in a slight drizzle,” the netizen said on Feb 9.

Ms Teo explained that the trolleys are not easy to push. They are heavy, and sometimes the wheels don’t go in the right direction.

“The roads and pathways in Simei are not always level or dry. Pushing these too often will eventually take its toll on the uncle’s legs and knees,” said Ms Teo, urging Simei residents to “have a heart” and push their borrowed trolleys back.

Netizens said stern action needed to be taken against errant trolley users. “It is high time to hit hard on this selfish act! It’s gone on far too long! Ridiculous!” said a Facebook user.

“These inconsiderate customers should be punished. The poor staff have to go all over the HDB area to push the trolley back. And some people have the cheek to keep the trolley with them for their personal use. I have seen it in our block,” added another netizen.

A Facebook user said similar behaviour was spotted in Jurong West. “High time this behaviour needs to stop.” /TISG

Read related: Abandoned trolley issue costs supermarkets S$150k; netizens suggest to install an alarm or barcode

Abandoned trolley issue costs supermarkets S$150k; netizens suggest to install an alarm or barcode