It looks like there may be a chance to get Waitrose to provide free cycle trailer hire, would you use them? If we can show there is enough demand they say they will provide them.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
Waitrose cycle trailers?
(23 posts)- Started 11 years ago by Kim
- Latest reply from Bhachgen
- This topic is
not resolved - poll: Would you use Waitrose cycle trailer if available?Yes, frequently : (3 votes)
20 %Yes, occasionally : (10 votes)
67 %Not sure : (1 votes)
7 %No : (1 votes)
7 %
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Posted 11 years ago #
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Yes probably I would, for getting the groceries home and also the trip to the bottle bank, which I always put off until I've so many bottles secreted around the flat that panniers are a bit inconvenient.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Trek from morning side to Balerno a bit off putting but just to be helpful. Voted occasional. You would cycle, then use trailer instead of filling panniers which I have damaged through using for shopping over years, ortliebs not as robust as their five year warranty claim. However, once at home you would have the trailer to deal with whilst unpacking the messages. Then presumably you would have to cycle the trailer back to the shop? Quitengoodnthough if you have bought too much stuff. But thennquitenbad buyingntoonmuchbstuff? I am a little conflicted on this one.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I usually walk there. You can carry a surprisingly large amount in just an average sized rucksack. It fits well with our not-very-good-at-planning-ahead-so-never-buy-all-that-much approach to food shopping.
So I went for "Not sure".
But on a related theme, I note that nothing has happened re. bike parking at the Morningside branch.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I already have a trailer and Sainsbury's let me wheel it round the aisles, which means I can't overfill the box by mistake.
That said, were I to find myself needing too much guff in Waitrose, having a trailer facility would be shiny.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I find that having a restrictive carrying capacity on a visit to Waitrose can be good for my wallet!
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Kim I'm not sure but I might do. By coincidence I just mailed Waitrose to ask for better/more cycle parking at Morningside, though I haven't had a reply yet.
@kaputnik Alternatively the council's kerbside recycling service will collect the bottles from outside your flat every couple of weeks, just pick up a blue box from your local library.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Regarding kerbside collecton - Just din't signup for an email alert and then expect them to actually use it to notify you of things like holidays. When I find time I will photo and tweet my 3 boxes worth of cardboard that won't be collected for another week, when it will have grown to 4.
Oh, and on-topic - since we last discussed wait rose trailers, we've gotten our own. But yes, could see myself borrowing one for 'over-ambitious' shops. There's got to be some irony in that I can get to asda and lidl using off-road paths for most of the journey, but that waitrose is quite an unpleasant cycle.
Posted 11 years ago # -
For those who use Twitter and would like to see Waitrose extend their cycle trailer loan scheme to Edinburgh, it would be useful is you could tweet Quentin Clark @GreenCrispy (Head of Sustainability at Waitrose) and tell him so... ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Also tweet him about the bike parking!
As an afterthought I realised that if I had answered "yes, often" then I could probably also justify buying one of my own.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I've voted yes, frequently: we are about to move, from just-around-the-corner to a large Tesco (I pack long service bags, hang them from handlebars and push the bike home) to somewhere about a mile from any decent supermarket (and half a mile from the closest shop), and it would be great to be able to borrow a trailer - I'd need to go to the Comely Bank Waitrose though, hope the service wouldn't just be Morningside.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Surely you'd need a mortgage to fill a trailer at waitrose?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Not today, lots of spectacular post-festive bargains...
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't have a local Waitrose but have started cycling to my local supermarket for small trips. I have Ortleib rollover paniers which can hold a few choice items. I now look for less boxes and more bag of stuff as they pack better. I do have a childs trailer on lend out and if I get it back I'll do what Dave does and strap a box on for bigger shopping trips.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Dave - it's amazing what you can get in two panniers and a couple of bungees for strapping stuff on top of the rack. But the trailer - if it's light - makes a huge diff. No need for a box. Just pop everything into reusable bags, then swing them in the trailer.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't often splurge on Waitrose but my normal not-in-a-rush morning-route goes past the Morningside branch and a frequent indirect evening-route past the Comely Bank site; as their shopping-trolley-sized hardware looks markedly less unwieldy than the donated Phillips Cleveland I recently fished out of the shed I'd be possibly interested, if only to study them close-up in order to make my own shopping-trolley conversion.
Posted 11 years ago # -
if you shop using two ortliebs on a regular basis at the supermarket weekly shopnetc, then they will wear out before the five year warranty. However, as this is normal wear and tear it is reasonably likely that ortlieb will give you a new pair. I doubt they would then give you another new pair if the second pair also became worn. Inhave recently bought some EBC panniers made by vaude for my commute, too small to shop but actually good size for running two bags, which I think is the way forward (bigger footprint, better balance, only downside is you have two bags doubling thenfindingnstuff time). I will therefore take my second worn pair back to see if there is any joy. I have treated the second pair better, knowing they were not indestructible and they had an internal pocket which is a better design. It may be the five years are up but I think nearer four. I am on ortlieb system as an abuser of panniers. I say normal wear and tear. They say tested to destruction. One is worse than the other but the less used one is still ropey
Posted 11 years ago # -
If they extended Waitrose to Fife I'd be up for it.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Better move is to be able to do as Uberuce, and take bike & trailer inside the store to load at check-out. I take my bike & trailer in to Lidl and load it at the check-out and rarely use a shop that does not let me bring the bike inside or park it within sight at the front.
Posted 11 years ago # -
That Tulyar is a hoopy frood who really knows where his trailer is.
Something like that anyway.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Coming soon (Morningside).
"
We will shortly (within the next few weeks) be allowing customers the opportunity to use the cycle trailers. Once we have completed the necessary safety checks/repairs and Partner training we'll get this scheme up and running. The trailers are from another store but appear to have never been used.We will only have two available, and these are available to be used by a customer for up to three days at a time (although from experience customers tend to be much more responsible and return them quicker than that). I'm sure that you will agree that this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully they will prove to be popular.
"
This is not a type of trailer that is often seen (in Edinburgh at least) but has been around for over thirty years.
Posted 11 years ago # -
not a type of trailer that is often seen (in Edinburgh at least)
As well used by Mr Pink Bicycle himself:
Posted 11 years ago # -
Aah Bike hod. I can confirm the "around for over thirty years" as my Dad used to have one which I think he acquired in about 1980. When I was about 7 or 8 we were a no car family and would convene weekly at the supermarket (Save-rite I think) after Dad finished work. Think it was about 5 miles from home - we lived in a wee village outside Shrewsbury. I had a mini racing bike with 3-speed derailleur. My brother would be in a child seat on Mum's bike, and Dad had the trailer with all the shopping.
Now that I am riding the bike that he used to tow the trailer I can understand his shouting from behind to ride hard at any uphills - it's a Peugeot 10-speed "racer" (as we knew them at the time) with 42-24 bottom gear!
In fact I'm sure I remember him saying not too many years ago that he still had the trailer but not the bracket that attaches it to the bike. Now I know they're still going I may have to investigate...
Posted 11 years ago #
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