Unexpected reasons for frequent breakdowns of trolleys in supermarkets have been revealed

No matter how you choose a cart in a supermarket, you will definitely end up with a faulty one. This happens to each of us regularly – you struggle with the vehicle for goods until you get everything you wanted. But why does this actually happen regularly? An American expert named the reason.

It no longer seems like an accident when the same thing happens every time. This is where you start to believe in the conspiracy of supermarket workers. However, there is no mysticism or conspiracy theory here; the matter is explained simply.

According to Alex Poulos, director of sales for shopping cart company RW Rogers, problems with loose wheels actually result from the repeated impacts that carts are often subjected to.

In grocery stores, such a defect actually occurs more often than in any other retail outlets (clothing stores, pharmacies, etc.). There they almost never leave the store. And, to be honest, you won’t find them everywhere. According to the expert, the main cause of failure is often not the wheel itself, but the way it is attached to the cart.

Over time, due to dragging the cart through parking lots, overcoming the thresholds of doorways into and out of the store with the “vehicle,” the roller plate—the metal part that attaches the wheel mechanism to the cart body—is deformed.

“If this pivot plate turns just a little bit, it can lift the wheel up without both wheels touching the ground at the same time,” explains Alex Poulos.

In an ideal world where carts are handled with care and used only indoors, a standard polyurethane wheel could last six to eight years, says Alvar Diaz, vice president of sales and marketing for wheel and caster manufacturer P&H Casters. In a 24/7 shop, they will likely last two or three years, while metal casters will last about five years.

Replacing a wheel without paying attention to the plate, nuts and bolts that hold it all together means the new wheel can be just as wobbly as the old one.

Consumers bear part of the responsibility for damaged and damaged carts, writes CNN. Carts left on the street after loading purchased goods into the trunk of a car are exposed to a variety of conditions (from extreme heat to cold, snowfall and interaction with salt that is sprinkled on roads in winter). All this can cause damage to both the cart itself and its wheels.

To combat this, some grocery retailers are installing coin-operated locks on their carts. This system ensures a much longer service life for the trolleys and reduces the likelihood of wheel loosening.

“Coin-operated locks ensure that carts are always where they need to be. They ensure that the carts are better maintained and last longer because they don’t sit in a snowdrift or get blown away,” says Alex Poulos.

One way to improve durability is to change the wheel material from regular polyurethane to more expensive rubber.

Rubber wheels have been the mainstay of motorized shopping carts for decades, says Beth Thieme, president and CEO of Amigo Mobility, which introduced the first motorized cart in 1968.

A smooth and stable ride is absolutely essential for these trolleys used by customers with disabilities. Therefore, these carts use rubber wheels without casters or roller plates, which means they cannot turn or get stuck.

Retailers and manufacturers have taken note of this design. Several foreign retail chains have begun to install rubber wheels on carts. Although they cost twice as much as standard polyurethane ones, Diaz said that natural rubber wheels can last about ten years if customers treat them carefully. In a busier shop they might last four to five years.

However, many retailers choose cheaper parts because the original price is usually higher for the stronger material, Poulos adds. However, this leads to the need for more frequent replacement of failing parts.