Abandoned shopping trolleys are a problem that never seems to go away. Supermarkets – both in Singapore and overseas – are constantly grappling with the issue, as they try to minimise the cost from lost trolleys or the extra time spent having to retrieve them. It is a problem that seems to have grown over time. While public education seems to be the main strategy in Singapore, could there be other methods to nudge more shoppers into returning their trolleys? FairPrice told CNA that it has previously tried solutions such as installing proximity auto-locking systems and collecting identity cards in exchange for trolley usage. “However, recalcitrant and socially inconsiderate customers would find ways to bypass these measures, which were costly to implement,” the spokesperson said. A Sheng Siong spokesperson said that the launch of the OneService app in 2016, which allows people to report abandoned supermarket trolleys, has helped them “a lot”. TP’s Dr Tan Wah Pheow, who heads the polytechnic’s Centre for Applied Behavioural and Social Sciences suspects that people are doing so because they think it is “harmless”.... Continue Reading