Preceden

History of Shopping Carts Timeline

(1937–Present)

This timeline traces the evolution of shopping carts from early basket carriers to today’s large, accessible, and technology-enabled retail carts. Less

Build a timeline like this one in minutes, for free. Start Yours →

Go to: Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Safety and accessibility

Bessie DeCamp invents a chair seat belt

1909

In 1909, Bessie DeCamp invented a seat belt intended for chairs, go-carts, or carriages. The invention predates the later use of restraint systems on shopping carts.

Goldman adds child seating

1947

In 1947, Sylvan Goldman introduced a child seating area on shopping carts. The feature allowed a young child to sit in the cart while an adult shopped.

Image source: Shopping cart

Goldman adds child seating

Shopping-cart safety becomes a recurring concern

1967 - 2007

From the introduction of cart seat belts in 1967 through injury statistics reported as of 2006 and pathogen research supported in 2007, shopping-cart safety increasingly encompassed child restraints, injury prevention, and sanitation.

Shopping-cart seat belts are introduced

1967

Although Bessie DeCamp had invented a seat belt for chairs, go-carts, or carriages in 1909, seat belts specifically for shopping carts were not introduced until 1967, when David Allen developed them.

Shopping-cart access becomes an ADA concern

1990

Shopping-cart arrangements that exclude people with disabilities can violate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 in the United States. The law became an important accessibility reference for store layouts and shopping assistance.

Image source: Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Shopping-cart access becomes an ADA concern

Shopping carts become a public-health concern

2004

Also in 2004, shopping carts were identified as a source of pathogens. The findings made cart cleanliness and disinfection a major public-health concern.

Shopping-cart injuries affect children

2006

As of 2006, approximately 24,000 children were injured in shopping carts each year in the United States. The figure highlighted the safety risks associated with child seating and cart use.

University of Arizona backs cart pathogen findings

2007

A University of Arizona study in 2007 later backed findings that shopping carts could carry pathogens. The research reinforced concerns about contamination on frequently handled retail equipment.

Origins and patents

Goldman imagines moving more groceries

1936

One night in 1936, Sylvan Goldman sat in his office wondering how customers might move more groceries. This thought experiment led to the development of one of the first shopping carts.

Image source: Sylvan Goldman

Goldman imagines moving more groceries

Goldman introduces an early shopping cart

Jun 4, 1937

On June 4, 1937, Sylvan Goldman introduced one of the first shopping carts. Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma, developed the cart to help customers carry more goods through self-service stores.

Goldman files the folding basket carriage patent

Mar 14, 1938

Sylvan Goldman's application for a folding basket carriage was filed on March 14, 1938. The design was intended for use in self-service stores and could be folded much like a folding chair.

Folding basket carriage patent awarded

Apr 9, 1940

Goldman's cart was awarded United States patent number 2,196,914 on April 9, 1940. Titled “Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Service Stores,” the patent formalized a foundational shopping-cart design.

Watson applies for a cart patent

1946

Orla Watson applied for a patent on his shopping-cart invention in 1946. His design used a swinging rear door to make telescoping or nesting possible.

Nesting changes shopping-cart design

1946 - 1949

Between Watson's 1946 invention and his 1949 patent award, the swinging rear door established nesting as a defining shopping-cart design principle. The mechanism reduced storage space and eliminated the need to assemble or disassemble carts before and after use.

Orla Watson develops a nesting cart

1946

In 1946, Orla Watson devised a telescoping shopping-cart system. Unlike Goldman's design, which had to be unfolded and later reassembled or folded, Watson's carts could nest together without disassembly.

Goldman introduces the Nest-Kart

1948

In 1948, more than a year after Watson filed his patent, Goldman patented a similar one-basket cart called the “Nest-Kart.” The design incorporated a nesting mechanism and abandoned the double-decker format of Goldman's earlier cart.

Goldman contests Watson's patent application

1948

Goldman contested Watson's 1946 application and filed his own application in 1948 for a similar one-basket cart with a swinging door. The dispute centered on the nesting feature that allowed carts to be pushed together.

Nest-Kart patent interference investigation

1948

Telescope Carts, Inc. alleged infringement after Goldman patented the Nest-Kart. An interference investigation was ordered because the Nest-Kart incorporated the same nesting mechanism used in carts designed by Orla Watson.

Goldman relinquishes patent rights to Watson

1949

After considerable litigation and allegations of patent infringement, Goldman relinquished his rights to the patent in 1949 to Orla Watson and Telescope Carts, Inc. Goldman recognized that the swinging rear door was central to Watson's patent.

Watson receives the nesting-cart patent

Aug 16, 1949

Orla Watson was awarded United States patent number 2,479,530 on August 16, 1949. The patent covered the swinging rear door and telescoping arrangement that enabled shopping carts to nest.

Consent decree opens cart licensing

1950

The 1950 lawsuit ended with a Consent Decree. Telescope Carts, Inc. agreed to offer the same license to any manufacturer, broadening access to the patented shopping-cart technology.

Federal lawsuit challenges Telescope Carts license

1950

In 1950, the federal government filed a lawsuit against Telescope Carts, Inc. The government alleged that the exclusive license granted to Goldman was invalid.

Art and culture

Supermarket Lady critiques consumerism

1970

In 1970, US pop artist Duane Hanson created “Supermarket Lady,” one of the most famous artistic thematizations of a shopping cart. The sculpture presents the cart as part of a critique of consumerism.

Stiletto Studios converts a cart into a chair

1983

In 1983, the neoist one-man artist group Stiletto Studios in Berlin converted a stray shopping cart into an inverted cantilever-wire chair. The work used the cart as an objet trouvé.

Massurrealism incorporates shopping-cart imagery

1992

Another artistic example involving shopping carts appears in Massurrealism, a grass-roots genre that began in 1992. The genre uses surreal and mass-media imagery, including the familiar retail cart.

Technology and retail

Tesco trials health-monitoring carts

2004

In 2004, British supermarket chain Tesco trialed carts with user-adjustable wheel resistance, heart-rate monitoring, and calorie-counting hardware. The experiment aimed to raise awareness of health issues while customers shopped.

Researchers prototype computerized carts

2009

In 2009, researchers developed prototypes of computerized context-aware shopping carts. They attached tablet computers to ordinary carts to explore interactive and context-sensitive shopping assistance.

Chaotic Moon Labs makes a driverless cart

2012

In 2012, Chaotic Moon Labs made a driverless shopping cart. The project represented an experimental move toward carts capable of navigating with less direct human control.

Target adds mobile-device shelves

2017

In 2017, Target stores added mobile-device shelves to shopping carts. The feature supported a digital in-store shopping experience by giving shoppers a place to keep and use a phone or other device.

EASY Shopper launches in Germany

2019

Pentland Firth Software GmbH introduced “EASY Shopper” in 2019 in partnership with German retailer EDEKA. The system represented another step in the evolution of shopping carts and digitally assisted retail.

Build a timeline like this one in minutes, for free. Start Yours →

Key Facts

  1. Sylvan Goldman introduced the first practical shopping cart in 1937 at his Humpty Dumpty grocery stores in Oklahoma City.
  2. Goldman’s original design combined a folding chair frame with a wire basket and wheels.
  3. Orla E. Watson patented a telescoping, nesting cart in 1946, allowing stores to stack carts compactly.
  4. Shopping carts became widely adopted during the 1950s as supermarkets expanded and customers purchased larger quantities of goods.
  5. Modern carts may include child seats, accessibility features, anti-theft systems, scanners, and smart technologies for checkout and navigation.

Source

This History of Shopping Carts timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free