Seriously, what’s up with grocery store shopping carts?

Shopping cart lying upside down

Benjamin Franklin once famously said "...in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes and that your grocery store shopping cart will have a wonky wheel."

Even though this quote is over 2 centuries old, it still rings as true as ever. Well, the shopping cart part does, at least. No matter which grocery store you go to, where that store is located, or what time you're going, chances are weirdly strong that you're going to get a messed up shopping cart.

But why is this? What is it about grocery store shopping carts in particular that makes them so vulnerable to problems? Below, we'll explore two possible explanations.

The Boring Shopping Cart Explanation

The first, and obviously the least realistic, theory is that grocery store shopping carts are so awful because of all the wear and tear that they experience on a daily basis. There are probably thousands of people going in and out of a grocery store on a daily basis, and the majority of those people are using the available shopping carts. This is sure to put some stress on the carts.

The wheels on most shopping carts nowadays have metal ball bearings that rotate around a metal axle. Ball bearings, axles and swivels gradually start to rust and wear over time, which makes it harder to steer the cart because of the increased friction.

Another aspect to consider is the distinction between the rear and front wheels of most shopping carts. The rear wheels are likely to be fixed and sturdy, and they aren't as good for side-to-side adjustments as the front ones. Both the front and back sets of wheels have to be aligned for smooth movement. Steering a shopping cart with just one front wheel out of alignment causes that annoying sensation of wrestling for control.

The REAL Shopping Cart Explanation

Here at Caboodle, we don't buy that first explanation. There are a couple of problems we have with the theory that we just can't get over. First of all, it's boring. "Blah blah blah, ball bearings and wheels, etc." Secondly, it just doesn't make sense. Everything experiences wear and tear over time, but not everything is as annoying to push around as a shopping cart.

The other shopping cart explanation, and the true one, is a bit more complicated than that.

A few decades ago, science people unearthed a major archeological discovery out in the desert somewhere. What they found was a fossilized shopping cart that was determined to be over a million years old.

Next to the shopping cart, they found an ancient text written in a strange language that predates everything we know about in human history. Using Google Translate, they were able to decipher the writing, and what they found was both horrifying and fascinating to the scientific community.

The text was actually a story, or, more accurately, a warning for future civilizations. It talked about a society that was built around shopping carts. This society was basically a utopia where all people were able to happily move things from one point to the other using their shopping cart technology.

Unfortunately, the chief spirit of grocery shopping, Anna Banana, noticed these mortals and their carts. She was angered by their hubris, and determined to teach them a lesson about grocery shopping with a powerful curse.

One day, all the citizens of this ancient civilization woke up to find that their shopping carts could no longer move in straight lines. Written in the sky in Spirit Writing was a message from Anna Banana that read like this: "I have cursed all of your shopping carts and the shopping carts of your descendants to never again move smoothly across a linoleum floor!"

Of course, this inconvenience caused the entire society to crumble, and all we have to remember them by is the still present curse placed by Anna Bananas on all of the grocery store shopping carts in the world.

Sick of Shopping Carts? Try Caboodle

Our dislike of grocery shopping carts was one of the main inspirations for the creation of Caboodle. We wanted a way to deliver people their groceries without them ever having to touch a cart at all. It’s just the right thing to do.

In fact, Caboodle skips the grocery store experience entirely. In fact, we deliver groceries straight to your front door without any extra fees. Best of all, it’s actually cheaper than going to the store!

How to Join Caboodle In the Pittsburgh Testing Phase

We're a startup in Pittsburgh, PA with the vision to make grocery delivery simple and accessible for everybody. We think that getting a week's worth of groceries shouldn't have to be a stressful experience that leaves you pulling your hair out and throwing nervous looks at your quickly depleting grocery budget.

If you’re somebody who lives in Pittsburgh and you like the idea of having your groceries delivered, then we invite you to download our app today.

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