Reduce shopping trolley theft and vandalism with a shopping trolley shelter
If you operate a supermarket, convenience store, or other retail property for which you offer trolleys to your customers, it can be difficult to know how to prevent theft and damage. Most customers are sensible with their trolleys, but a select few can leave them where they might get damaged or “forget” to bring them back to the store once they’re done with them.
This is why an investment into a dedicated shopping trolley shelter, such as you’ll find at Shelter Solutions, is such a good idea for your business.
Why do you need to protect your trolleys?
You need to protect your trolleys from vandalism and theft for a number of reasons. First, of course, because you didn’t get them for free! You had to invest your business capital into purchasing trolleys for your customers to use, so it’s important they remain in good condition. The longer service life you’re able to get out of them, the better your investment proves to be.
It’s also important that they remain in good condition. A grubby, battered trolley does not present a very good image about the rest of your business. It’s not just customer damage that can lead a trolley to look past its best, either – weather damage can cause serious problems. Rust can begin to set in and ultimately your trolleys will look grimy and undesirable to touch.
How does a trolley shelter help?
A trolley shelter can help by giving customers a designated place to return their trolleys to. If you make sure your shelter is as close to your store as possible, customers will be more inclined to return their trolley once they are done with them, rather than just leaving them anywhere. Remember that most people won’t go out of their way, so shelter placement matters.
A shelter will, quite obviously, provide you a safe place to store your trolleys outside without risking them getting totally damaged by the elements. They will be protected from rain, which will help extend their usable life without them falling victim to rust. This means the investment you make in your trolleys will ultimately pay dividends for much longer.
It can also improve safety, if you install a chain across your shelter for example it can help further prevent access after your business has closed. The shelter walls will render most of the trolleys inaccessible, to help reduce instances of vandalism.
What shelter should you invest in?
Reliability and long lasting protection is what you should be aiming for when looking for a trolley shelter. At Shelter Solutions we use aluminium for our trolley shelters, as opposed to the more traditional steel, which makes them lighter weight and less time-consuming to build. We also use 6mm glazed toughened safety glass along the sides, and tinted UV-stable polycarbonate on the roof.
A trolley shelter from Shelter Solutions is a long-term investment to keep your trolleys safe and pleasant for your customers to use, and to help prevent theft, damage, and graffiti. Contact us to learn more.