Tesco shoppers unhappy with major change in stores

Tesco is said to be considering the feedback

Tesco shoppers are unhappy with a change being rolled out in the supermarket's stores. Tesco is said to be considering customer feedback after reaction to the update.

The move has seen the slot on trolley handles, used for scan and go shopping scanners, move from the right to the left-hand side of the trolleys.

Shoppers have asked for the space to be moved back - or for Tesco to 'at least make a mixture of trolleys available'. One wrote: “Years of it being on the right and 90 per cent are right-handed and this change is just awfully impractical.”

Another said: “It drives me nuts.” One added: “Appreciate the new trolleys, but why the F are the holders for the scanners on the wrong side?”

Left-handed Jess Shaw, told The Sun: “I don’t know why they’ve put the scanners on the left of trolleys but it’s nice that something works well for us for a change — even if it was a mistake.”

Prof Chris McManus, author of Right Hand, Left Hand, said: “Historically, many items have been biased so that they are easier for right-handers to use. Designers have though been very successful in recent years at making objects ambidextrous so anyone can use them, and that is surely the ideal.”

Tesco was contacted for comment.

Approximately 10% of the global population is left-handed. The reasons for this difference are not entirely clear, but it is likely a combination of genetic, developmental, and environmental factors.

Studies suggest that handedness has a genetic component, but it doesn't follow a simple inheritance pattern. If both parents are left-handed, there's only about a 25% chance their child will be left-handed, indicating that multiple genes might be involved.

There's no single "left-handed gene," but several genes may influence handedness. Right-handedness is dominant because of the specialization of the left hemisphere of the brain for language and fine motor skills.

Historically, societies have often favoured right-handedness, with tools, writing systems, and social norms catering to right-handers. In the past, children were sometimes forced to write or use their right hand even if they naturally favoured their left hand. Certain environmental factors during fetal development, such as hormone exposure or prenatal positioning, might also influence which hand becomes dominant.

Some evolutionary theories suggest that being right-handed may have offered survival advantages due to the coordination of tool use or social cooperation. Left-handedness may persist because of its potential advantages in competitive situations. For instance, in some sports (like boxing or fencing), left-handed individuals have an advantage because opponents are less accustomed to facing them.