M’sian Man Returns Stray Supermarket Trolleys At Car Park & Earns RM7

Man returns abandoned supermarket trolleys

It’s basic courtesy to return shopping trolleys to their designated bays for others to use after you’re done with your grocery run. However, it’s far too common to see trolleys scattered throughout supermarket parking lots and causing inconveniences to customers and premise staff alike.

A man in Penang highlighted this issue recently with an amusing story. He managed to collect RM7 after rounding up 14 abandoned shopping trolleys at a local supermarket car park in just under 10 minutes.

Here’s how the story unfolded.

Man collects RM7 from returning stray supermarket trolleys

TikTok user @helmi_juhari posted a video on 21st March 2022, showing a number of shopping trolleys scattered around a parking lot at the Seberang Jaya Lotus’s Supermarket in Penang. The empty trolleys were presumably left behind by irresponsible shoppers in various locations – one was even found obstructing an OKU parking bay.

Image adapted from: @helmi_juhari

Irked by the sight, the TikToker proceeded to wheel the unreturned trolleys back to their designated bays.

As the stray supermarket trolleys still had a 50 sen coin lodged in each of their locks, he was able to claim a ‘reward’ for his good deed. He amassed a total of RM7 upon returning 14 supermarket trolleys in all – and in just under ten minutes too.

Image credit: @helmi_juhari

Showing his total collection of coins in the video, he playfully revealed that he earned RM7 but this could possibly have gone up to RM50 if it had been the weekend.

Image credit: @helmi_juhari

Netizens call out irresponsible shoppers

Helmi’s Tiktok video has received a ton of attention since, for various reasons. Though the majority of the netizens found his ingenuity amusing, a handful of others berated the irresponsible shoppers in the comments over how inconsiderate they were.

Image credit: @helmi_juhari

Ed. Emmanuel Lee commented that Helmi deserved the extra ‘tips’ since he put in the work to properly return the trolleys, as the shoppers should have done.

Image credit: @helmi_juhari

Another Tiktok user, Hak Milik Boyka Amhb, assured Helmi that there might be some saying that it was not his money to take, but it should be an actual income to him, since the original shoppers were too lazy to return the trolleys to their bays properly.

Image credit: @helmi_juhari

With clashing opinions in the comments, Helmi posted a reply to assure everyone that he did not spend the money, but gave it to the needy instead.

We should be more responsible as shoppers

We should always be responsible when it comes to things for public use, such as supermarket trolleys. Instead of leaving the work to supermarket staff – who have to go through the hassle of locating and returning every one of the trolleys in large parking lots – we ought to return what we use, as this is common decency.