Snow is coming!
If Mother Nature dumps as much snow on us as predicted, then it may take a couple of days for me to get out to the supermarket. Therefore, I took Ari to the grocery store to pick up the things we use a lot of (e.g., milk) before I started my workday.
Much to my surprise, I was greeted by new carts when I arrived at Giant.
“I wonder why they replaced the carts,” I said to Ari. “Didn’t they just change from green to black carts a few months ago?”
Ari ignored my wondering-aloud and squealed with delight, “They’re red!” when he noticed his favorite color on the handlebars.
“The new carts sure are red!” I replied.
I grabbed a sanitizing wipe and began wiping down the cart. As I did, I noticed two round holes near the handlebar. Why would someone put a coffee cup holder up here? I looked in the back of the cart since that’s where the coffee cup lholder was in the previous carts. Nothing was back there. The only place to put a cup of hot coffee was now in front of a seated toddler. (Clearly, the person who designed these carts doesn’t have small children in their life!)
I lifted Ari into the cart, snapped him in, got him a banana, and walked over to the in-store Starbucks. I was in the mood for a white mocha despite the fact I’d have to hold it as I pushed the cart.
Once I had my coffee, I asked Ari, “If I put this cup here, would you grab it or leave it alone?”
“I take it! I like coffee!” (He does. Ari drinks what we call “baby coffee” when we go out to breakfast. “Baby coffee” has a 10:1 ratio of whole milk to decaffeinated coffee. Also, it has two packets of Stevia for sweetness.)
“So, basically, I need to hold my coffee so you don’t take it, spill it on yourself, and get hurt, right?” I asked.
“Right!” He smiled.
Putting a coffee cup next to where a toddler’s hands rest in a shopping cart doesn’t make sense to me. It’s as useless to me as the new plank for my cell phone that sits beside the coffee cup holder. (I’m not about to put my iPhone down, which is where I keep my shopping lists, in front of my kiddo. Chances are he’d accidentally mark something as purchased and I’d go home without buying everything on my list.)
I don’t mind change. Nevertheless, I could do without change that doesn’t improve my quality of life.
Raising Literate Humans 
Just goes to show how you don’t always see things outside your own perspective. Not having kids I’ve used carts like that and never saw it as a potential problem. Now everytime I use them I’ll think of your post.
Some one made these changes that doesn’t shop with a child. Long out of that phase, I like a cup holder in the front. However now I often use the mini carts now, which they have removed from our store in favor of giant carts.
Great reminder of why it’s important to remember and consider all perspectives. I wonder what the rationale was for the switch. On a side note, our carts up here in Maine are nowhere near as fancy as yours!
yikes!
And send some of that snow our way!
Yeesh! Maybe they kept some of the “old” ones for parents with small children? I can definitely see why people without kids might prefer the new version, but, ugh, I feel your pain! Your descriptions were so clear I predicted the picture. Amazing that your store gives you fruit to feed your kids- kind and smart!
I’m sure that if MOMS and DADS were designing shopping carts, things would change. Your post, while lighthearted, is a reminder that we need to check with ALL our diverse constituents to make sure we can appreciate each others’ needs. For example, I watched a wiggling, distracted student during a lesson the other day. His teacher found him exasperating! After we talked about HIM and what might make a difference….. SOME of our students like to sit on the floor and others prefer the structure of chairs!!!
The cart designer makes me think of those people who write textbooks yet have never spent a day in a classroom. Makes you wonder. As far as snow, here they are calling for 6 – 8 inches. Why can’t we get six 1-inch snowfalls instead of one 6-inch snowfall? After all, it would still be the same amount of snow.
As someone who doesn’t have kids, I never would have thought about the cup holder being in an awkward place. Now it makes so much sense not to have it there!
I also have no kids and never would have thought of that. You should let the store know. I bet the people who make those decisions might not be parents who think about those things either. They might not be able to do anything about it now, but maybe next time.
I wondered about that place in the front. I would never lay a phone down and allow it to be so accessible to snatching fingers. That cup placement is a poor design. Good luck on surviving the snow. Fortunately, we will just have cold, no precipitation.
I enjoyed your amusing, thoughtful post and, of course, Ari. It made me think about my post which is about our town leaders completing ignoring the wishes of our town residents and never consulting them about what they want (on a much bigger scale). Why isn’t there more collaboration I kept thinking?
Thanks for the picture . . . plain carts w/o cup holders or places for phones here! (also not shopping with a toddler or marking off a list!)