Shopping carts are the handy items that stores provide to their customers so we can buy a lot more things while we4 are in the market.
If you did not have these wheeled baskets to put your intended purchases into you would have to limit your shopping to just what you could carry in your arms. That would certainly reduce the amount you would spend while you were shopping.
Shopping carts are one of the items that we do not really think about. We expect them to be available when we enter discount stores and grocery stores. We expect half of them to have a wheel that turns the wrong way or squeaks.
Let’s see what else we can discover about these everyday items.
How Much Does A Shopping Cart Weigh?
The average full-size metal shopping cart like the ones in your grocery stores in your hometown weighs between 32 and 65 pounds.
The same size shopping cart made from plastic will weigh between 36 and 55 pounds. There is not a big difference in the metal or plastic weights.
Once you have loaded the cart with groceries the weight can easily be 150+ pounds. No wonder you are tired when you come home from the market. You have been pushing around 100+ pounds and fighting to make the cart go where you tell it to.
Smaller Carts
The smaller metal shopping carts weigh about 32 to 38 pounds.
The smaller plastic carts weigh between 30 and 36 pounds.
Frequently Stolen
Shopping carts are one of the most frequently stolen items.
Every year about 2 million of these items are taken from the property without permission.
That means that each store suffers losses of up to $10,000 each year on shopping cart theft. Those losses are passed on to the customers when the stores raise the price of the merchandise so they can afford to buy more carts.
Shopping cart theft is a punishable crime and the police can be called to arrest you and issue a citation if you are seen leaving the premises with one.
Did You Know?
- 23,5000 children ages 5 and under are injured in a shopping cart incident each year in the United States. The greatest number of injuries are caused by falling from the cart. Children receive cuts and bruises for the most part, but there are severe injuries with concussions, broken bones, and more.
- 50% of shopping carts that were tested had e-coli present on them.
- 72% of shopping carts tested positive for coliform bacteria.
- Shopping carts are increasing in size because people have a tendency to buy more products if the cart they are pushing will hold more products.
- Using a carry basket instead of a shopping cart will greatly reduce the amount of impulse buying you do while in the store.
- Store4s pay between $75 and $400 dollars on each cart. The price is dependent on the materials the cart is made from, the size of the cart, and the customization of the cart. Some carts have new technology that allows them to follow behind the shopper, and some carts now have places for your cell phone to rest while you shop.
- Some stores place GPS tracking devices on their carts. They do this so they can see what aisles customers usually go down first, and so they will know where to place items they want to increase sales of.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Standard Dimensions for A Shopping Cart?
33 inches long x 20 ½ inches wide x 37 13/16 inches high.
How Long Does A Shopping Cart Last?
Most of these items will be serviceable for at least 10 years.
How Much Weight Can A Shopping Cart Hold?
The standard size cart can support 1000 pounds.
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