A Shopper's Fear

• Caitlyn Grant, Grade 5, Terranora Public School
• Short Story
• 2012

1st in the 'Far Out 2012' competition

It’s vicious, its wild, it’s ferocious, it’s untamed, it’s, the shopping trolley! I know none of you reading this think of a harmless shopping trolley in this way, but to me the Coles or Woolworth’s trolley can be likened to a tiger, just waiting to pounce on the nearest toe or ankle as it moves from aisle to aisle filling itself with specials and unnecessary items that innocent shoppers are victim to.

Babies are plonked into the wire seat, unsuspecting of the germs that they are contracting from chewing the handle. Mothers fall victim to the up and coming personality of the shiny silver creature they have just attached themselves to. Attempting to trolley whisper in the hope that the trolley will behave on the hour long journey ahead is…completely useless.

On more than one occasion I have been involved in the usual argument of who just banged into whose leg with those giant castors, mercilessly scraping your heel to the bone. But we all know that it really is never the fault of the person pushing the trolley, it is clearly the trolley’s fault, even though we can’t ever say this out loud.

If a family can survive this indoor experience in the war against tiger trolleys, outside is another story. Not only does the shopping trolley have a mind of its own inside, outside you can often see this plastic and steel specimen rolling, around the car park, uncontrollably, or prowling, around, without a sign of a human, waiting to scratch or dint cars or other vehicles that may stand in its way.

Those poor trolley boys put up a big fight with their ropes and tractors in an attempt to muster these savage beasts. Even in their fluoro orange vests they are not protected from the wrath of the wire menace.

Too many times, the battle is lost. Trolleys escape the car park, let loose in society. To pollute our waterways, block our paths and waste our money. They have to be captured and returned to captivity. While ever these creatures remain at large, there is a risk of extinction of this rare, misunderstood creature.

As you can see from this warning, when you look around, trolleys in our society are a community monster, on the loose and needing tranquilization. Be aware of their power and ability to affect your next shopping experience. Choose and park carefully (never next the bay where people just push and run away), and always remember - return your tiger to the cage where it belongs in an orderly fashion!

By Caitlyn Grant
From Shopaholics Anonymous;)