Shopping trolleys

My children all ate their peck of dirt when young. Maybe it helped their immune systems.
However, ai still find it disquieting to see children in hard shoes put in trollies... and I, too put my shpping packages on the kitchen table when I get them home.
Even worse , though, was to see 2 such small girls... aged ? 2 or 3, in a shopping trolley. They turned up at the checkout in front of us and demanded a ride on the food conveyor. The father placed them there where they balanced precariously, watched by the check-out girl. Following complaints that it wasn't hygienic, the father was quite abusive and asked why we should hate children to such a degree.
The checkout girl shrugged when they left, said it wasn't the first time and sloshed Dettol all over the belt.
Worse, the father was waiting for my ancient husband when we got to the car park and threatened him with raised fists. We escaped but obviously this father had felt too overawed by Waitrose to threaten my husband there

There is no way children should be allowed to sit on check out counters. They could get their little fingers trapped or even cut off on the moving belt. The check out girl should have said it was Company Policy. As for children standing in trollies I can see a harassed mother resorting to that if she has more than one, but these trollies are not made for that. Only little children should be sat in the seats. The child should be taught to hold on or wear a reign. The older ones would not like that so would comply.

I have witnessed a small toddler placed on belt at checkout when asked to remove her for safety reasons the checkout girl got a mouthful with mum saying she would let her child play where she wanted begga s believe see a lot of children sat in trolley don't like to see it .

It isn't the hygiene aspect that bothers me but, like other posters, it's the safety issue. I've seen so many children left alone in the actual trolley part whilst the parent wanders off further down the aisle. I actually mentioned it one parent as her child was desperate to climb out - I expect you can guess the reaction!!! The seat and straps are there for a purpose and I used to strap my children in with their own straps - but toddlers don't seem to have straps and a lead like mine used to. If anything they have a rucksack with a lead attached which is great but doesn't help with the small space in the trolley seat.

In retrospect, I don't remember taking them both shopping, not quite sure how I managed that, but with a four year age gap, the older one was at school or somewhere else When they were little they'd sit in the seat bit at the front and I kept them quiet with breadsticks. I don't think I ever had one standing in the shopping contents bit. I haven't noticed anyone else do that. Personally I'm more bothered by the occasional child whizzing round on scooters. I was glad when a manager at our local Waitrose told child's mother that her child must stop right away.

I would think it more of a safety issue, but yes can see the hygiene side of it. I work in big chain supermarket and few weeks ago there was a lad in the trolley he is about 10 maybe going on 11! sat inside the big trolley with another youngster of about 11 pushing him, he is just a normal lad and coudnt think why his mum would allow him to sit in a trolley! my gs is 10 n half and would not dream of getting and sitting in a trolley!
It is up to the customer to make any complaints to customer services or email, enough complaints and I would imagine the store would then put notices on the trolleys Im not sure!
But if a child was in the trolley and somehow injured themselves I'm sure the parents would be the first to "act upon it" ie..making a claim against the supermarkets.Then maybe the supermarket would be liable for not putting notices on the trollies..so I would have thought that they would have notices on the trollies (ours don't).

Never given it a thought, and certainly the germ aspect wouldn't cross my mind!

I have a huge Sainsbury locally but I haven't noticed them. Will certainly be on the lookout now though!

PRINTMISS ... it is not too much to expect that older children should be able to walk round the store. ... Perhaps the problem is with parents who can't be bothered to control the bigger children whilst out shopping?

My DGS is 7. He has autism. He can't cope with the noise, size of venue or number of people in a supermarket and runs to find a quiet safe place. Impossible. His parents do their 'big' shop online and one will stay at home with DGS while the other goes to a 'corner shop' for items needed between deliveries. If he is staying with me and I need to shop I haul him into a supermarket trolley for everyone's safety and whiz round the store asap. What I'll do when I can't lift him in and out I don't know.

However, I do agree with you that we seem to be obsessed with hygiene these days. It makes me wonder how we've all survived as long as we have without this paranoia about dirt. No wonder so many germs are resilient or resistant to disinfection.

It doesn't bother me at all, and I feel that worrying too much about germs and hygiene can be unhealthy in itself. I had three children under 4 and one certainly sat in the trolley in the early days. Were there notices warning against it? I don't recall any, but it is longer ago than I care to remember .

Penstermmon I puzzled by your statement if I saw one available I assume you don't use larger supermarkets then. As they have half a dozen each at our local Tesco, Asda and Morrisons.

I don't need a mobility scooter (yet) but would be quite tempted to have a go if I saw one available!

RE OP..yes u r being unreasonable to worry about germs/contamination.
Safety of children,when with adult family member, is the responsibility of that adult. I agree if it says 'no kids in trolly' supervising adults should enforce the safety rule.

Not a trolley subject, but yesterday I saw a store with mobility scooters parked outside, for people to borrow, with notices attached to each basket saying that children were not allowed in the basket. It had not ocurred to me that a child would be put in a basket, but then, it takes all sorts.

There are seats for younger children on the trolleys, and it is not too much to expect that older children should be able to walk round the store, some of them seem to be quite savvy shoppers, which is good to see. I don't think there is a problem with hygiene, we seem to be obsessed with that these days. Perhaps the problem is with parents who can't be bothered to control the bigger children whilst out shopping?

Children in trollies don't really bother me as it stops the little treasures from running amok around the store and trying to navigate my own trolly around them,most of the produce on display are left outside stacked prior to going on shop floors so all manner of germs are lurking about as are in the transportation of the produce,what we have to be sure to do is fully wash our purchases when we get them home.
I always use hand gel when taking a trolly or using a bus or train

The hygiene risk is minimal IMO, but just like feet on seats it seems rude and disrespectful to other users.

The hygiene aspect hadn't crossed my mind. I too worry about the danger aspect. However as the supermarkets make it clear that children shouldn't be in the main body of the trolley then be it on the parent's heads. What does annoy me though is the fact the parent's are teaching the children to ignore instructions if they don't suit them. This attitude extends into all aspects of life. Do what you want to do not what you've been asked/told to do.

Sorry, forgot to actually answer your question, yes, you are being unreasonable, in the hygiene aspect.

We can take this germ thing too far, for example someone has been to the lavatory, not washed their hands, goes to the supermarket, gets a trolley, puts their hands on the handle, picks up various packaged items, looks at them,puts them back on the shelf....

Grannymac, hopefully you will get my point! It could even be staff handling stuff with less than "sterile" hands, basically it is practically impossible to live in a germ free way.

I may have mentioned this on that other thread

www.gransnet.com/forums//forums/chat/1231835-Acceptable-or-Unhygienic

but my biggest worry about children in the main section of the trolley is that they can tip over - as happened to my children when they were about 2 and 4, one in the seat, one in the trolley. 4-year-old stood up and over it went. I think I put the shopping in a bag, so his feet wouldn't have touched it, but I can't remember exactly now - it was 30 years ago!

Ok what about this, Something is transferred to packaging, Package is put on worktop. Does everyone wash worktop after unpacking shopping? I doubt it. Perhaps I have an overactive imagination. I still think it's dirty. Along with feet on train seats etc.

I agree, yggdrasil. Much as I dislike seeing children who are really too big to be in trolleys at all, what on earth do you buy in a supermarket that could possibly be contaminated by what's on their shoes?

Since everything you put in your trolley is wrapped in more packing than it ever needs, I don't see the problem. I worry about those who stand in case they fall out, but if it keeps them from running around and lets mum get through shopping easier, it's ok with me