Tuesday 16 April 2013

Lookout in Corby - Grampa's Got a Scam!

As I was walking into Aldi in Corby last  week, near the trolley holding area, I was approached by a gentleman who was returning his trolley, asking me if I would like his, before he put it back in the cart queue.
I could see that the smaller trolleys were gone, as a woman was putting in her £1.00 coin and taking the last one. I hate using the larger trolleys, so I accepted his offer, handed him my £1.00 coin, and proceeded into the shop.

When shopping was all finished, I returned to my car, unloaded my groceries, and walked back to the put the trolley away and retrieve my £1.00.
If you live in Corby you know that it is an awkward area where the carts are stored - and the smaller ones more difficult to get at, too. It is a one-way lane only, and quite tight to fit any more than one person in there at a time.
A woman had just put her trolley in the trolley queue and offered to put my trolley back in for me. I accepted and took the pound coin from her outstretched hand. Now I know you know where this is going, right?

No sooner had I turned and walked away and she had removed my coin from the slot of my trolley, she called out to me, "It's not a pound!". Naturally, I turned back in surprised horror, dumbfounded that a little old grampa had taken me for a pound! And now the horror for me was that this woman was thinking it was ME who was scamming HER!

I couldn't have been more shocked and dismayed. What is this world coming to when a you can't even trust someone to be honest with you over a £1.00 coin? Especially when the someone in question is an elderly gentleman, well groomed and presented, and surely not a risk in person or action.
Don't judge a book by its cover, I say! This little old man has quite the scam going. If he buys the fake £1.00 tokens in bulk, and pulls this stunt many times per day, he is having a nice little side income for himself.

The sad ending to this story is this: I have had this happen to me dozens of times before and never gave it a thought that the person wasn't going to have a £1.00 coin in the slot. Now I am tainted and have a distrust for this formerly friendly exchange. People beware and grampa, shame on you!

xxx
Maggie

2 comments:

Bumpkin Hill said...

Hi Maggie, I just discovered you through you favouriting my etsy shop. What a shocking scam this was, what is the world coming to! I loved your post about the sheep jam, i adore lambs, i used to help on a farm at lambing time as a child. Catherine x

Lesnes said...

I realise that we have been lucky not to have this happen to us - never even thought about such a scam before. We shop at the largest Sainsburys in the UK, but the trolleys are free as is the parking. However, in all other local stores you have to pay for both! Even our road has just had a parking meter put in it and the wardens are quick to put tickets on. ( our car's front wheels were just over the front of our disabled bay - due to a car parked too close behind - but our appeal was turned down!)