Shoppers say “a serious amount of trolleys have gone missing” at the Surrey Quays Tesco, making it “hell” for customers.
Visitors to the Rotherhithe supermarket say the “ridiculous” situation has left them “scratching around” for carts since the summer.
A rumour is circulating that a man in a van stole stacks of trolleys from the car park during the summer.
Tesco has not confirmed this report, adding that it encourages “all customers to return their trolleys once they have finished”.
Rotherhithe resident Terry, who is in his sixties, said: “We’re talking about a serious amount of trolleys gone missing.”
“People are having to scratch around for trolleys asking people to give them a trolley before they’ve unloaded into their cars. It’s getting ridiculous,” he added.
“Come Christmas, it’s going to be absolute bedlam in there.”
Terry claims a customer assistant informed him that a van with covered number plates had stolen stacks of trolleys. It’s understood that Tesco has no record of any such incident.
Some customers, like 64-year-old Rotherhithe resident Simon Pearce, said a cart crisis had forced him to shop elsewhere.
Standing by an empty trolley shelter while waiting for his wife, who’d gone “hither and yon” to find one, he said: “We’ve started going to Asda because at least you can get a trolley… it’s a very strange situation.”
However, 71-year-old Thora Foy, who lives on the nearby Canada Estate, also said thieves were to blame.
“[At the] Osprey and Canada Estate there are tonnes there and people keep them in the garden,” she said.
She added: “For me, I take my own little trolley along but for most people it’s hell.”
Jo Krishnakumar, 28, said: “I’m not sure what’s happening with the trolleys. There’s usually never trolleys, especially the smaller ones.”
This paper understands that the Surrey Quays store recently received new trolleys and will receive a further delivery ahead of the Christmas rush.