The First Grocery Cart on Wheels

The grocery cart has gone through many changes since its inception. Before the wheeled cart, shoppers used smaller hand-held baskets that didn’t hold a lot of merchandise. Retailers noticed that their sales were being limited because shoppers stopped placing items into their baskets when they became too heavy. Then a local grocer had the idea to mount two baskets on a 4 wheel cart.

The very first grocery cart on wheels was invented by Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma City in the 1930s. Goldman, who owned a local chain of grocery stores called Piggly Wiggly was noticing the same problems with his wicker baskets. They simply were too small and heavy for shoppers to gather more than just a few items.

Mr. Goldman was inspired by a pair of folding chairs. The frames were designed to fold down while the two baskets nested between the frames. Several revisions ensued before the new grocery cart operated as it was intended. In 1940 the very first grocery cart was patented, and by 1947 Goldman and a friend (who was a mechanic) formed the Folding Basket Carrier Company. The carts were manufactured and sold to stores around the country.

Shopping Cart Etiquette

There are many small gestures we can perform throughout the day that make life easier for other people. Random acts of kindness can inspire others to do the same. One example would be serving those who serve you.

Instead of leaving your shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot, why not return it to where it belongs? Simply returning it to the cart corral or front of the store not only makes someone’s job easier, it avoids creating a hassle for your fellow customers.  We’ve all seen that empty parking space ahead only to find it being occupied by a random cart left behind by a thoughtless patron. Some of us have actually had our vehicles damaged by a runaway cart in the parking lot.

It’s a small act that doesn’t require a lot of thought or energy. However, it will be greatly appreciated by all. This is especially true for those who must constantly retrieve random shopping carts during extreme temperatures and weather.

Shopping Cart vs. Buggy

Do you call it a shopping cart, a buggy or something different? Depending on where you live, you have probably heard people refer to the wheeled contraption that holds your groceries by several different nouns. The most common name is “shopping cart.” However, if you live in the southern United States, the term “buggy” is often used. Even though a shopping cart and a shopping basket are two different things, people sometimes use these labels interchangeably. We have even heard the term “bass cart.” After scouring the net, we found several studies on the matter. Below is our conclusion.