Simple supermarket photo proves disappointing habit among Australian shoppers

A simple photo of supermarket trolleys has sparked a debate about grocery store etiquette.

Shoppers in a Melbourne centre were put on blast in a Reddit post, which compared how Aldi and Woollies customers put their trolleys in the bay.

The photo, depicting two bays of trolleys in a supermarket car park, showed the neat line of Aldi carts next to a disorganised clump of Woollies ones

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It was taken at the Woolworths and Aldi car park in Carnegie, a suburb in south-east Melbourne. 

"The difference $1 can make," the viral post was titled, commenting on how Aldi customers are forced to put their trolleys back properly in order to retrieve their gold coin.

It prompted a lively discussion in the comment section about the superior design of Aldi trolleys – as well as complaints about shoppers who dump their carts.

"Aldi trolleys are like a Rolls Royce in comparison," one person wrote. 

"My local Aldi has two trolley types, both in nice tidy lines thanks to people wanting their dollar/token back," another commented.

One added: "I know this car park! The Woollies trolleys, they are always super annoying. The problem is there are two types of trolleys and as soon as someone gets lazy and puts one on the wrong side that's it, all hope is lost."

"Who doesn't get a buzz from putting a trolley back properly? Especially if there are a few that aren't lined up and you manage to get them to all slot in nicely," another said.

One commenter, who works as a trolley collector, said shoppers who make a habit of dumping their carts anywhere are his biggest pet peeve.

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"As a trolley collector for Coles can confirm people see one not in a bay and then they follow suit," they wrote. 

"It's a pain in the ass having to rearrange them neatly so then I can come back with the rover to then bring them in and being that we only roster one of us on at a time it's hell."

And it seems the issue of runaway trolleys isn't just affecting Melbourne shopping centres.

One disgruntled customer noticed a pile of trolleys at his local Perth grocery store and snapped a photo.

"Perf's Banksy down in Mandurah creating magic," the photo was ironically captioned on Facebook.

A fellow shopper shared a similar photo of a tangle of shopping carts at his local centre, pointing out it was a common issue.

In June, Aldi Australia announced it would be offering half-size trolleys for customers, as Coles and Woolworths already do.

One customer told Facebook page Aldi Mums had already already seen them in her local store.

"I went into my local Aldi and they have small trolleys like Woollies and Coles," she reported on the page.

Aldi currently offers large trolleys which are 1.1 metres high, with some shoppers saying they struggle to use them.