Trolley Wheels get the New Year rolling!
With the sound of Auld Lang Syne ringing in our ears, we welcome the New Year of 2013! In order to get the New Years economy moving many businesses use this time of year to replace their trolley wheels.
With the sound of Auld Lang Syne ringing in our ears, we welcome the New Year of 2013! In order to get the New Years economy moving many businesses use this time of year to replace their trolley wheels. None more so than a supermarket trolley refurbisher based in the midlands. Christmas is traditionally the busiest time of the year in the shops, and rather than investing in brand new shopping trolleys on wheels, many supermarket chains prefer to buy recycled trolleys at half the price. It has been estimated that an additional fifty thousand shopping trolleys are in circulation over the festive period, and this is enough trolleys on wheels to stretch across London from one side to the other.
During the shopping trolley recycling process the frames are stripped cleaned and galvanised to reappear looking as good as new. Replacement trolley wheels and trolley castors are attached, along with any specific supermarket branding. Having more trolleys in circulation during the busiest time of year is clearly a benefit not only to the customers, but also the multinational supermarkets. I myself needed two trolleys during the Christmas shop, full of festive products and lots of cheer. Clearly the more trolleys on wheels available, the more they are likely to be filled! Recycling shopping trolleys is also beneficial financially as well as making environmental sense.
The first shopping trolley on trolley wheels was developed in America in 1937 by the owner of a supermarket chain. This pioneering inventor found a wooden folding chair and put a wooden basket on the seat and trolley wheels on the legs. The shopping trolley was born. This invention made Sylvan Nathan Goldman a multi-millionaire and trailed a path for supermarkets of the future. Interestingly the initial idea of a cart on wheels didn’t catch on in 1930’s America. Many commented on its likeness to a baby’s buggy and pram on castor wheels. However with a few tweaks in the design with the help of an engineer, adding a metal frame and wire basket, the shopping trolley literally took off!
Recycling shopping trolleys has now become big business. Replacement trolley wheels and replacement castors can prolong the life of many trolleys, and maintenance companies have sprung up all over the UK servicing supermarkets fleet of trolleys on wheels. There’s nothing worse than trawling around a supermarket with a defective trolley wheel. They do tend to have a mind of their own don’t they? However when was the last time you can remember pushing a trolley with a defective caster wheel? Supermarkets have realised the effect this has on customers spending patterns and are quick to maintain and replace trolley wheels. With the growth of trolley recycling companies, the unpleasant view of shopping trolleys on wheels on embankments and Town Centre Rivers is becoming a thing of the past. Not only do many supermarkets now rely on customers to return trolleys on wheels for a £1 deposit, but there are also anti-theft mechanisms attached to the trolleys. So next time you go food shopping, spare a thought for your trolley and trolley wheels, as they may have travelled far!
