Many supermarkets require patrons to "rent" a trolley by putting a coin into a slot allowing the trolley to be detached from the rest of its herd.

It is necessary to take the trolley back to the start point to retrieve the coin.

But for the asocial and terminally idle, why not buy a bag of disposable trolley tokens ? These small disks, of exactly the same shape as the coin required to release a trolley, are sold in bags of 100 at a very low price; they are made of a cheap material such as recycled plastic or cement.

To use, simply insert into the release mechanism, then after shopping and checking out, load up your vehicle, abandon the trolley, and just drive off.

If there's a slight slope on the car park, even better. Aim for a BMW. They won't be expecting it .....
-- 8th of 7, Sep 28 2009

Slug (coin) at wikipedia.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(coin)
[phoenix, Sep 28 2009]

erzatz coin slug on ebay http://i.ebayimg.co...NRdX3sbc/s-l300.jpg
[not_morrison_rm, Feb 26 2017]

disposable version http://i.ebayimg.co...AYtWOG~8/s-l200.jpg
[not_morrison_rm, Feb 26 2017]

[evil laugh]

what supermarkets should do is pay you to use them... say you return the trolley get your original £1 plus 20p bonus.
-- po, Sep 28 2009


[righteous frown]

plenty of people abandon them anyways: not worth the 25c to return; let somebody coming in pick it up.
-- FlyingToaster, Sep 28 2009


{Removes monocle} You mean some people reuse pound coins?! Fascinating!
-- Dub, Sep 28 2009


So you invented the slug?
-- phoenix, Sep 28 2009


Better still, trolleys should be privatised. I do not know why the government has to get involved in such petty matters. Sell off the whole trolley system and allow each respectable family to purchase one or more trolley for their own personal use.
-- vincevincevince, Sep 29 2009


if all customers were tagged with a belt with an attached slug / £1 coin thingy then they would need to return the trolley to the proper place to be detached from their tagged belt - they could also be monitored for shoplifting, inappropriate behaviour, money wasting, clothes that don't fit/look good, attempting to purchase cream buns for the overweight, cigarettes for people coughing/wheezing, booze for the under 16's...
-- po, Sep 29 2009


$2? Man, that's better than recycling. Why aren't these in America?

...Oh... because it's better than recycling, and we hate our poor.
-- ye_river_xiv, Oct 01 2009


Bring your own trolley or two on trailer towed behind your car. Then you don't have to unload, it until you have rolled it into your kitchen or garage.
-- popbottle, Feb 25 2017


How do we get to the powerful complex expensive robotic trolleys if the population doesn't want to give a care?
-- wjt, Feb 26 2017


When the time is right, they will build themselves.

We are working on a press tool to convert a used crown cork (bottle cap) into an ersatz trolley token.
-- 8th of 7, Feb 26 2017


Erm, there are erzatz coin slugs on the market, my sister's been using them for years..come with carabiner link. See link.
-- not_morrison_rm, Feb 26 2017


Yes, but they cost money, and are intended to be re-used.

These are much more antisocial, allowing the trolley, once unloaded, to just be abandoned without bothering to recover the "token".
-- 8th of 7, Feb 26 2017



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