Mum’s clever key hack to Aldi shopping trolley coin problem

It’s a frustrating issue many of us have faced when shopping at the supermarket — fortunately one woman has a genius way to fix it.

We’ve probably all been there — you arrive at Aldi and go to grab a trolley, only to realise you have no gold coin to use as a token.

The frustrating situation is all the more likely now with less of us carrying change as retailers move to cashless payments due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fortunately one mum has come up with a solution to the problem — and it’s so simple, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before.

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The gold coin needed to use an Aldi trolley can often cause an annoying problem when you forget to bring one. Picture: Supplied

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Posting in the Aldi Mums Facebook group the woman shared how she used a key instead of a gold coin as a trolley token.

“This is an old hack of mine, if you ever find yourself without a gold coin or a token, look no further than a suitable key on your key ring, you’re welcome,” she wrote, alongside a photo of her trolley.

The mum’s post soon attracted plenty of comments with people praising the solution as a “life saver”.

“Wow would never of thought of that,” one person wrote, while another added that it was the “best life hack ever”.

However one mum has revealed you could use a key instead of a gold coin. Nifty. Picture: Aldi Mums/Facebook.

Others shared what they used, revealing you could purchase reusable trolley tokens from both Aldi and online.

“You can get a trolley key off eBay. You don’t have to leave it in the trolley while you shop either,” one wrote.

But not everyone was a 100 per cent sold on the solution, pointing out that you could get the key stuck or forget it was there if you weren’t careful.

“Knowing my luck, the key would get stuck and I’d just look like a big idiot haha,” one person wrote.

Others shared how they used reusable tokens. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Daniel Leal-Olivas

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WHY DOES ALDI USE TROLLEY TOKENS?

Unlike its competitors Coles and Woolworths, Aldi has used trolley tokens since it arrived in Australia in 2001.

While the decision to have trolley tokens might annoy some shoppers, according to Aldi it’s one of the reasons they can keep their prices cheap.

“Our coin deposit trolley system helps prevent dumped trolleys and keeps our prices low,” Aldi said in 2018.

“On your first trip, be sure to bring along a $1 or $2 coin, which you can retrieve at the end of your shop.

“Many of our customers love our reusable $0.99 Trolley Token that you can pick up at the checkout and attach to your key ring, meaning you’ll never be caught without a trolley if you’re out of gold coins.”