PARENTS and carers who have children with a disability can now access a specially designed supermarket trolley at Coles in Ocean Grove.
The introduction of the additional needs trolley is the culmination of three years of research by Coles to design and manufacture a trolley which can assist parents with children who have disability to shop at Coles with greater convenience and support.
Following the national roll out of additional needs trolleys over the past 12 months, all Coles supermarkets with standard trolleys now have an additional needs trolley.
Coles Operations and Supply Chain director Andy Coleman said he was pleased with the positive response Coles had received from customers who used the specially designed trolley.
“We want to help our customers to shop easily at our stores. The trolley ensures that parents and carers no longer need to juggle a wheelchair and shopping basket during their shop at Coles. It means they are able to place all their groceries in a trolley while also having their child seated safely,” he said.
CEO of the Australian Network on Disability Suzanne Colbert said the organisation welcomed the work Coles had done in meeting the needs of customers that required these trolleys.
“By having accessible shopping trolleys available in stores across Australia, Coles is making it easier for families of children with disability to do their grocery shopping, without the experience causing undue stress or anxiety,” she said.
Originally based on a US trolley known as ‘Caroline’s Cart’, the trolley allows for a child of up to 70kg in weight and has padding on the sides, a harness and additional support in its structure. The trolley is available from the customer service desk at the Ocean Grove store.
