Incentive coupon-based system and apparatus for treating shopping carts

Abstract

An incentive-based grocery cart washing and disinfecting system including a consumer special-offer coupon applying apparatus, for use in a batch or continuous process comprising a housing having at least one pipe manifold with nozzles positioned therein to provide at least one treatment zone selected from pre-wash, wash, disinfecting, and rinse zones. In addition, blown air water-stripping/drying zones may be provided, with a heating source to assist drying. Following drying, a strip of specially adapted grocery coupons is optionally applied to the grocery cart handle, so that the coupons can be redeemed by customers during their subsequent shopping. The housing is generally a linear tunnel permitting access of soiled carts at one end and removal of the clean, disinfected carts at the other end. A cart pusher system may be employed to transport the carts through the tunnel either singly or in nested groups. A convenient antimicrobial disinfecting solution is a water solution of hypochlorite. A single zone system is disclosed in which in a selected, optionally preprogrammed, sequence of application of pre-wash, wash, rinse, and disinfecting fluids are delivered to selected surfaces of the cart, followed by blown air, preferably heated, for stripping/drying,. The coupon strip comprises a leader portion and a coupon portion, and the leader can be wrapped and fixed around the grocery cart handle manually or by means of the automated machinery described. The system of the invention may be a fixed or mobile system, with the use preferably being on site at stores.