Trolleys

Today's spotting of the 85 is a bit of an odd one. It's something that I thought was ridiculous the first time I saw it, but the second time I was just amazed.

On my way home I occasionally decide to spin by Asda to pick up some much needed milk and ginger ale. Let me just point out that if you ever want to see prime examples of the 85 percent in action go to Asda in Leyton, in fact it's more like 97% there. I won't go into detail but it's as if every single person in the store is oblivious to the fact there are countless other people moving in close proximity to them. They will literally attempt to walk through you to get to whatever special offers Asda has decided to put on that day.

Anyway, I could probably write a whole book on the 85 at Asda so I'll go back to my original point; the trolley. So a couple of weeks ago I bought my various wares and decided that I couldn't be bothered to walk home, therefore I wandered over to the bus queue and waited. Stood next to me was a small women holding a trolley wherein nestle a couple of shopping bags. As the bus pulled up she made her way to the door and pulled out her bags stepping onto the bus and leaving the trolley in the way of the door. Annoying I though to myself, especially considering the bus stop was on a little hill.

I then watched as the trolley slowly moved away from the bus down the hill picking up speed before it abruptly hit the front of a fairly nice car from which I confused man stepped out and had to move the trolley off the road. I looked at the woman who, after seeing this, turned around and walked to her seat.

Now, I thought this would be a one off. This woman was clearly a special case as it was evidently clear that any trolley left on the little hill in question would inevitably roll downwards; that's just simple physics. However on my way home tonight something odd happened. As I stood waiting for the bus a woman wandered over with her trolley and sat down on bus stop bench with her two children. After sitting down for her much needed rest after the 50 metre walk from the checkout she proceeded to take the bags out of the trolley and place them at her feet. After doing this (and letting out a deep breath from effort) the woman stood up and pushed the trolley towards the trolley park about 5 metres away. I see what's happening here I thought to myself She's taking her trolley back to where the trolleys should go. As she walked across however I realised I was wrong. Instead she stopped 2 metres from the trolley park and left the trolley on the same slope as the previous woman, then stepped back to her seat.

As I had hypothesised the trolley did much the same thing as the one I had seen previously. However luckily this time there were no cars or buses in the way. Then after a short journey it flipped onto it's side in the middle of the road. The woman looked across annoyed, she was evidently angry that this had happened and decided that since there were other people here she would have to act. Getting up again she wandered over to the trolley now resting on it side and grabbed one of the wheels. Slowly and begrudgingly she dragged the trolley across the road until she decided to rest the wheel on the pavement leaving the rest of the trolley still in the road. I saw the look of "Job Done" in her eyes and she stepped back to the bench followed by two proud children of a hero.

Two seconds later the bus came around the corner and hastily had to swerve out of the way of a trolley that somebody had left resting one metre out into the corner of the road. It parked up and began to allow passengers off the bus. The woman was first. I stepped forward and saw that the same woman was now resting her arm on another trolley as she waited to board the bus. "On you get" cried the cheerful bus driver. The woman lifted her arm off the trolley and saw it begin to move, she looked at it as if it was a poltergeist taunting her yet again and pushed it away. As she was stood lower down the hill the handle rolled back into her hand. Again she pushed it.

I'd like to point out here that I don't like to get involved in the doings of the 85 percent. If I get involved I will just get angry; I'd much rather sit back and watch...no good can come of a confrontation with the 85. However after watching the woman push it a third time I was past my limit. I stepped forward and grabbed the trolley out of her hands and moved it 1 metre behind the bus shelter where it contentedly Lent against the plastic wall. Upon turning around I saw that she was happily now sat on the bus. Mouth agape I stepped on the bus and sat in bewilderment and confusion.