Sylvan Goldman
(1898 - November 27, 1984)
Sylvan Goldman ran a successful chain of grocery stores, where customers could carry hand baskets while they shopped.
In 1936 when he was a major owner of the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket chain he invented the shopping cart. He got the idea from a wooden folding chair. He designed the cart by putting a basket on the seat, another below and wheels on the legs. He and a mechanic, Fred Young, put one together with a metal frame, and wire baskets. The frames could be folded up and the baskets stacked, which took up less storage room.
Customers were reluctant to use this new contraption, so Goldman hired fake shoppers to wheel the carts around pretending to shop so people could see how useful the cart could be!
They became a hit, and he formed a new company to manufacture the carts. It is hard to imagine a supermarket or discount store without shopping carts today.
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