The shopping carts at Ross have long, skinny poles on them so they don’t easily fit through the door to prevent people from walking out with the carts -- and don’t face the risk of never finding their way back inside.
One night, in 1936, Sylvan Nathan Goldman sat in his office wondering how customers might move more groceries. He stared idly at a wooden folding chair. Put a basket on the seat, wheels on the legs. . . Wait a minute.
Goldman and a mechanic, Fred Young, began tinkering. Their first shopping cart was a metal frame that held two wire baskets. Since they were inspired by the folding chair, Goldman called his carts "folding basket carriers".
They're everywhere - in almost every grocery store, department store, and bulk item superstore. Depending on where you live in the world, you might call them carts, trolleys, carriages, buggies, or wagons.
The guys from MTV's Jackąss practically built their careers on them. Yet most of us have never really considered just where the ubiquitous shopping cart came from. Come along as Mentalfloss.com take a trip through the fascinating history – and possible future – of the common grocery cart.