ASDA shoppers are facing trolley shortages at stores at the busiest shopping time of the year.
Certain stores are said to have fewer trollies than normal in the run-up to Christmas.
It comes as shoppers on social media have reported that their local stores are facing shortages.
One said on Twitter: “Visited Asda Walton this morning, and your store seems to have run out of trolleys?
“Store isn’t busy, trolley parks in car park and outside store empty.
“Plenty earlier this week. Customer services tell me to borrow one from B&M, says they have 50 trolleys ordered.”
Another customer complained of no trolleys for their Christmas shop at Asda’s Romford store.
Further stores said to be affected are Ashford, in Kent; Runcorn, in Cheshire; and Smethwick, near Birmingham, reports The Telegraph.
Asda has confirmed to The Sun that “a small number of stores” have fewer trolleys available than normal.
While it declined to share a list of affected stores, it said it has ordered additional stock from its supplier.
A spokesperson said: “We apologise to customers for any inconvenience this may cause.
Asda has made an extra trolley order to its supplier in the EU.
It is also encouraging people to report abandoned trolleys to them so they can be collected.
Shoppers can do this using the Collex app and the cart will be returned to the local store.
Supermarkets regularly see trolleys go missing and sometimes bring in measures to ensure there are enough to go around.
At the moment, across its 600 stores, shoppers need a £1 coin in order to unlock a trolley.
In 2019, bosses at the store in Fleetwood, Lancs, were left flabbergasted after 126 of their fleet – worth a whopping £19,000 – went missing in the three months after Christmas.
The store was trying to help customers who struggle to find a £1 coin to operate the locks before shopping.
But the plan saw a spate of thefts of the trolleys, which are valued at £150 each.
The trolley shortage comes as the busiest shopping period is fast approaching with Christmas at the end of the week.
With the news earlier this month that Which? crowned Asda the cheapest supermarket for Christmas dinner this year, shoppers will likely be rushing to their local store to buy.
Meanwhile, Tesco is considering a major change to hundreds of supermarkets.
And, shoppers are not impressed by a big change to Sainsbury’s stores.
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