Trolleys are annoying to return. Also, teams of trolley boys cost serious money. A solution is use specially trained retriever dogs to fetch discarded shopping trolleys in car parks. Each trolley could be fitted with a small harness that the dog simply slips into and pulls it back to the appropriate place in the shopping centre. "Who's a good boy then eh eh?"
-- lukecleland, Jun 08 2005

what next, a Labradoor opener ? (+).

a Shitzu massage ?
-- neilp, Jun 08 2005


Dolphins could be used in areas of the UK where it is traditional to throw trolleys into canals.
-- hippo, Jun 08 2005


They would love that game.
-- wagster, Jun 08 2005


It costs money to house dogs. It costs money to train dogs. It costs money to pick up dog shit. It would be unsafe for a bunch of dogs to be wandering around a parking lot. It costs money to feed and water the dogs. As a store owner I would rather spend 5.15 an hour for a pre-pubescent kid to do the work.
-- 10clock, Jun 08 2005


I'd rather have a lot of dogs running about. They're so much more fun than spotty teenagers.
-- wagster, Jun 08 2005


and they're much more reliable.
-- neilp, Jun 08 2005


Back to the dolphins, they could play all of the discarded grand pianos thrown into the canals.
-- skinflaps, Jun 08 2005


Since when did it cost money to pick up dog shit? This concept could also allow dogs to pull shopping trolleys chariot-style around supermarkets.
-- hidden truths, Jun 08 2005


The dogs could pay for themselves by charging for their charioteering services. The dolphins will just have to fall back on their busking.
-- wagster, Jun 08 2005


I don't get the core of this idea://Trolleys are annoying to return\\ If you don't return the trolley you don't get your money back right? (where I live you have to put a fifty cents piece in the locking mechanism to free the trolley and when you put it back you get your money back. Don't they do this all over the world?)
-- zeno, Jun 08 2005


No. When we were kids we'd steal trollies and use them for races. They broke. They all broke.
-- daseva, Jun 08 2005


[zeno] no they don't.. there's still loads of places where trolleys are a free-for-all.
-- neilp, Jun 09 2005


Robots would be cheaper -- but I like the idea of monkeys feeding the dogs and worms cleaning up after both. The dolphins would also need sea horses to tend to their HR needs.
-- not_only_but_also, Jun 09 2005


You'd also need buzzards and falcons (or any bird of prey with fantastic eyesight, some intelligence and the ability to hover) to act as 'spotters' and guide the dogs and dolphins to the trolleys.
-- hippo, Jun 09 2005


The trolleys might have to be impregnated with some sort of scent to facilitate tracking.
-- hippo, Jun 11 2005


//I'd rather have a lot of dogs running about. They're so much more fun than spotty teenagers.// There wouldn't be any point with this idea if teenagers were more fun now, would they? And unfortunantly, I'm one of those spotty teenagers as [wagster] eloquently put it... 15 today, yippee, what fun...
-- froglet, Jun 11 2005


Happy birthday [froglet]! Have a good one.
-- wagster, Jun 11 2005


Many happy birthdays to you, [froglet].

[zeno] in Springfield , Missouri, USA, there is only one store chain that puts money-locks on their shopping carts, and that is Aldi's, which someone told me originates in Germany. Everybody else puts up with their carts spreading through town. Aldi's requires a 25-cent piece, which really isn't worth my time to retrieve--I realized that one night after returning the cart, threw the quarter on the roof of the building, and never bothered about the carts again.
-- baconbrain, Jun 11 2005


Well you know what they say. Missouri loves company.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 11 2005


I think robotic trolleys with "Flocking road cone" technology would be more efficient in the long run.
-- hidden truths, Jun 11 2005


Over here you need to insert £1 to get a trolley ($2-ish). The homeless do well by hanging around the car park and offering to take your trolley back for you.
-- wagster, Jun 11 2005


//Over here you need to insert £1 to get a trolley ($2-ish). The homeless do well by hanging around the car park and offering to take your trolley back for you.// For some reason, I can just imagine this going on...
-- froglet, Jun 11 2005


The dogs would listen better, and probably smoke by the entrance less than the teens.
-- moPuddin, Jun 12 2005


+ and maybe a Pointer to show the way...
-- xandram, Mar 25 2008


Aren't most dolphins saltwater dependent? would this not preclude their use in canals?
-- jhomrighaus, Mar 25 2008



random, halfbakery