Tesco and Waitrose make key change to trolleys in 'trial'

Two major supermarkets in the UK are planning to introduce a noticeable change for shoppers in their stores, as a new trolley is reportedly on "trial". A new American-style plastic shopping trolley is being trialled at Tesco and Waitrose stores, it has been reported.

The latest trolley designs are reportedly more lightweight and offer smoother manoeuvrability, making them less noisy. Tesco is believed to be testing hybrid models-featuring a metal frame with a plastic basket-at its Sheffield Infirmary Superstore. Meanwhile, Waitrose is understood to have introduced fully plastic trolleys at its Brent Cross branch.

Hannah Lewis, managing director of trolley supplier Formbar, told The Sun: "Trolleys are important, they are the first thing you see as you go into a supermarket. The plastic ones are more cost-effective to maintain, as well as being fully recyclable.

"We'll be seeing them much more in the future which I think people will like as they are easier to push around than the steel ones, and they are quieter too with no metal rattling sounds."

Tesco is understood to be carrying out the trial at a single store to get feedback from its customers. There is no official confirmation if the move will be expanded to other stores.

Earlier this year, Tesco introduced its Scan As You Shop (SAYS) system in a limited selection of stores across the UK. With this setup, customers collect a handheld scanner at the entrance and use it to scan items as they add them to their trolley or basket.

Once they're done shopping, they can head straight to payment without needing to go through traditional staffed or self-service checkouts.

However, some users may be randomly selected for a "service check" to confirm all items have been scanned properly.

The upgraded checkouts reportedly include scales that weigh the trolley to verify the scanned items match the total weight.