Trolley locks at supermarkets like Woolworths, Coles and Kmart are frustrating shoppers who rarely have a $1 or $2 coin

Supermarkets and major retailers like Woolworths, Coles and Kmart are in a constant battle to ensure shopping trolleys stay where they are meant to be

Supermarkets and major retailers like Woolworths, Coles and Kmart are in a constant battle to ensure shopping trolleys stay where they are meant to be — in stores.

However, a growing trend of locking them up in Australia to prevent them from being dumped is causing growing frustration among shoppers who rarely have a $1 or $2 coin required to operate them.

Recently, regular Woolies shopper Stefan was fuming after his arm was hurting from having to lug a heavy basket around the store to do his weekly shop because he didn't have a coin on him to access a trolley.

"My arm was killing me, I couldn't get a trolley because they have the coins and I never carry coins," he told Yahoo News.

"I went to customer service and said 'I wish I had a token for the trolley' and they were like 'oh yeah, here you go' and gave me a token. I was like 'oh my god, how did I not know about that?'"

While the supermarket remained tight-lipped when approached by Yahoo News, it's understood customers who don’t have a coin to use for the trolley locks are welcome to enquire about the tokens.

Why are trolleys being locked in Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Kmart?

Trolley dumping is a widespread issue, with supermarkets spending "significant amounts" on maintaining their fleets. Brisbane-based Ocean Crusaders' Ian Thomson recently told Yahoo it costs roughly $300 to replace a trolley, and stores "don't do much" to recover missing ones.

"That's often being paid for with our groceries," he said, suggesting it's everyday Aussies who bear the brunt of the ultimate costs of the problem.

Coles recently told Yahoo News they have teams of people collecting trolleys removed from the premises.

"Abandoned trolleys are a nuisance to local communities and we are continually working to make this better across all our stores, including regular collections of abandoned trolleys with vehicles on the road frequently," a Coles spokesperson said.

"We are always reassessing our trolley management and take local feedback into account when deciding what methods to employ at any of our stores, including the use of coin locks and electronic wheel lock systems."

Aldi, well known for using coin-operated trolleys, told Yahoo News Australia they too use them to prevent trolleys being dumped, as well as to save money.

"The Aldi trolley token system is a key preventative measure against trolleys being dumped in backstreets, waterways and public areas. As a result, we find almost all of our trolleys are returned to our stores," a spokesperson said.

"By incentivising customers to return their own trolleys, we save money on trolley retrieval services and pass those savings on to customers in the form of our low prices. It’s part of our Good Different operating model."

The store sells a trolley token for 99 cents.