Review & Giveaway | Trolleybags

Quite recently I’ve been seeing the infamous ‘Trolleybags’ a lot more in the supermarket and had been saying to myself that I really ought to invest, but the ‘Trolleybags’ Gods stepped in and popped me an email to see if I’d like to review some. Jamie thought I was a nutter when I told him how excited I was to try them out, but he’ll soon be thanking me I’m sure.

A week or two ago, no less than 20 plastic carrier bags and two kids in tow, Jamie and I tottered off to the supermarket to do our food shopping. We decided we’d give the ‘scan and shop’ a go as we’d never used it before and wanted to give it a go; hoping for a more streamlined process.

I don’t think I could’ve been more wrong. Trying to set out plastic carrier bags in the bottom of the trolley was an utter nightmare. They don’t stay up properly and you have to try and manoeuvre all the heavy stuff to the bottom all while trying to remember to scan the food before you pack it away. At least when it’s on the conveyor belt at the till you can unload the heavy stuff first, and pack it all away efficiently. Let’s just say I couldn’t wait for these Trolleybags to come through the post!

What are Trolleybags?

Trolleybags are a system of four reusable bags which have really taken off since the introduction of the 5p charge. The system consists of four different sized bags, which fit perfectly into your trolley (depending on the size you buy) which are connected together with velcro. Once placed in the trolley, the rails extend beyond the trolley keeping all four bags upright and open, allowing you to pack your shopping as you scan it, or alternatively make packing at the till a lot easier since you’re not faffing around with your bags for life. Ultimately, this halves the time at the check out, or almost completely removes the need if you scan as you shop.

What did I love about them?

I love the simplicity and ease of this whole system and I can’t believe I didn’t take the plunge and buy them sooner. I really liked that they use up the whole of the trolley and that I could slot the smallest bag into the end section of the trolley which I usually use for the fragile items – eggs and bread.

They’re easily detached from each other and each have their own handles for them to be lifted out of the trolley, though once not in use they can be stuck back together and rolled up for storage. I always make sure these go straight back into my car now.

You don’t have to use them all! If you’re going for a quick mid-week shop, simply take one or two of the smaller bags – it’ll still save you time at the checkout. I was pretty pleased there were a couple of different colour options too; I opted for the pastel colours as I thought the others were quite bright.

What could make them better?

I think the next natural step for Trolleybags would be to have a solid base. One you can flip down and up so they’re still foldable, but certainly something to make the bottoms a bit more solid. I found that when shopping the bottom of one bag could bulge into the other so I think this would give it a bit more stability.

When I picked out a slightly heavier bag, I did hear a stitch go on the handle. I think it may be a good idea to give these a bit more reinforcement if it proves a problem further down the line, but hopefully if you pack sensibly enough it shouldn’t be a problem. Alternatively, I just held the bag by the rails to spread the weight a bit more evenly.

What else should you know?

You need to pack sensibly! I went a bit over the top packing all my vegetables into one bag, rather than spreading them out a bit, and ended up having to give the bag they were in a good “hoik” out of the trolley. This isn’t so bad if you have a shallow trolley, but they can prove pretty heavy when trying to lift them out of a deep one.

Only wrap your big bag handle around the arched loop at the top of the trolley – the one that’s used to push the child seat out. Do not wrap it over and then under the loop you might hang your loo roll off because when that bag is heavy, it’s a pain in the bum trying to release that loop!

People will stop you in the supermarket and ask you where you got them from. They will tell you they’re a great idea. They will tell you they look fabulous. The first time I used them I literally had 5 or 6 people comment on them! And now you can get some Trolleybag attention of your own as I have one brand new set to give away to one lucky reader – just enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Terms and Conditions

• This competition will open on 10th June 2016 and close on 19th June 2016 at 11.59pm
• One winner will be selected at random to win one set of Trolleybags
• The winner will have 14 days in which to respond to their winning email
• Please allow up to 28 days for delivery
• UK entrants only
• The winner will be announced on Raising the Rings Facebook and Twitter, not on the blog

*I received a set of Trolleybags in return for writing this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.