In an increasingly common phenomenon across Doha and its suburbs, shopping trolleys are being 'stolen', officials of several leading hypermarkets have told Gulf Times.
On a closer investigation, it has been found that the practice is more evident at outlets near residential areas as it is convenient for customers living in the neighbhourhood to take the trolleys to their villas or apartments stealthily without attracting the attention of the hypermarket employees.
Several such trolleys have been located at places such as fish markets and souqs and being used for other purposes, complained officials of the hypermarkets.
Ummer Aboobacker, purchase manager, Family Food Centre, said they were left with only 37 of the 500 trolleys purchased for their Frij Al Nasr branch a few months ago.
“We have noticed that many customers take the trolleys away very discreetly and use them at their premises for various purposes. They are using it for transporting LPG cylinders and for carrying waste to the garbage containers on the roads. Many newspaper vendors and people who distribute flyers have noticed many trolleys at various villas and apartments,” he explained.
“We have located many such trolleys at different areas such as the fish market at Corniche or being used for selling food at souqs and many more. Given that a trolley costs about QR600 it is a big loss for the company,” Aboobacker added.
A shopping trolley is being used to dispose waste materials.
LuLu Hypermarket D Ring Road general manager R Krishna Kumar said the theft of trolleys is an annoying fact that has been going on for some time.
“We have engaged several security personnel to check if customers are taking the trolleys beyond our outlet's premises. Still we find that several trolleys are missing. Our staff also go around in vehicles around the hypermarket early morning daily and retrieve a large number of trolleys abandoned at various places.”
According to the official, the trolleys are very costly and especially the superior quality ones imported from Germany cost about €300-500.
A supervisor from Safari Mall at Abu Hamour, echoed similar concerns and said that they too have deployed security personnel to watch out for customers who take the trolleys beyond the allowed limits. "We have manned two major exits of the mall but still find that the trolleys go missing," he pointed out.
An official of Quality Hypermarkets said that they have been facing this problem for a very long time. “One day I got a call saying that one our of trolleys was found at a money exchange. Every day we go around every hypermarket with a pick-up to collect trolleys left at various locations around our outlets.
“Generally we allow customers who stay nearby to take the trolleys to their accommodation and ask them to bring it back. Most of them oblige but we still find that many trolleys go missing. We also find many of them left abandoned at very distant places every day,” he added.
Several such trolleys have been located at places such as fish markets and souqs and being used for other purposes, complained officials of the hypermarkets.
Ummer Aboobacker, purchase manager, Family Food Centre, said they were left with only 37 of the 500 trolleys purchased for their Frij Al Nasr branch a few months ago.
“We have noticed that many customers take the trolleys away very discreetly and use them at their premises for various purposes. They are using it for transporting LPG cylinders and for carrying waste to the garbage containers on the roads. Many newspaper vendors and people who distribute flyers have noticed many trolleys at various villas and apartments,” he explained.
“We have located many such trolleys at different areas such as the fish market at Corniche or being used for selling food at souqs and many more. Given that a trolley costs about QR600 it is a big loss for the company,” Aboobacker added.
A shopping trolley is being used to dispose waste materials.
LuLu Hypermarket D Ring Road general manager R Krishna Kumar said the theft of trolleys is an annoying fact that has been going on for some time.
“We have engaged several security personnel to check if customers are taking the trolleys beyond our outlet's premises. Still we find that several trolleys are missing. Our staff also go around in vehicles around the hypermarket early morning daily and retrieve a large number of trolleys abandoned at various places.”
According to the official, the trolleys are very costly and especially the superior quality ones imported from Germany cost about €300-500.
A supervisor from Safari Mall at Abu Hamour, echoed similar concerns and said that they too have deployed security personnel to watch out for customers who take the trolleys beyond the allowed limits. "We have manned two major exits of the mall but still find that the trolleys go missing," he pointed out.
An official of Quality Hypermarkets said that they have been facing this problem for a very long time. “One day I got a call saying that one our of trolleys was found at a money exchange. Every day we go around every hypermarket with a pick-up to collect trolleys left at various locations around our outlets.
“Generally we allow customers who stay nearby to take the trolleys to their accommodation and ask them to bring it back. Most of them oblige but we still find that many trolleys go missing. We also find many of them left abandoned at very distant places every day,” he added.
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