Elderly shoppers at Leyton Mills Asda have said the ban makes their shopping trips ‘very inconvenient and inaccessible’, reports Rana Rastegari
A new policy banning customers from taking in external shopping trolleys to Asda in Leyton Mills has received numerous complaints from local residents.
Elderly residents have said that the policy makes their shopping trips very inconvenient and inaccessible as many rely on their trolleys for weekly shopping and even for walking.
According to the Daily Telegraph, people bringing in external trolleys are being asked to leave them next to the security desk on their way in, and can only collect them on their way out.
Jeannie Bailey, who is a Leyton resident and has been shopping at the local Asda since it opened, told the Echo: “They say it is because of shoplifting but to be honest most of us that use trolleys are elderly ladies and we are certainly not going to shoplift. I have seen people going in with empty buggies and large backpacks and they do not stop them. This is discrimination against the elderly.”
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She continued: “Most people with [external/granny] trolleys are elderly people and it’s making our shopping hard work. It’s like having to do your shopping twice. It’s killing my back, I think it’s wrong that they’ve done this”.
Complaints have also been made online in public forums from multiple residents. One person wrote: “I have just had my 90-year-old mother on the phone in tears, as she relies on this to walk and sit and she puts the basket on it to shop, she collects her medication from there, AND CANNOT WALK WITHOUT IT!”
The Echo is aware that shoplifters have previously attempted to use trolleys to shoplift and this is the reasoning for the new policy.
An Asda spokesperson said: “Our top priority is to keep our customers and colleagues safe which is why our stores will implement policies that seek to deter shoplifting including the use of external trolleys. We hope that our customers understand the need to keep our stores safe for everyone, however if any customer has any concerns then they should contact Asda directly.”
Jeannie, who contacted the manager, was told that the policy would not change in order to prevent shoplifting. She also stated that the supermarket chain “needs to be careful” it could lose customers to Aldi who are planning a new store at the old Matalan site in Leytonstone.
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