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.