You’re a business owner looking to make the investment of a fleet of shopping carts or shopping baskets for your store. But when weighing these options, you might be wondering: what is the difference between a basket and a cart? Let’s answer this crucial question with some pros and cons of each, so you can make a strategic decision about what’s best for your type of business, your customers, and your bottom line.

Pros and Cons of Shopping Carts

Shopping Carts: The Pros

We’re all familiar with rolling shopping carts—they’re what most of us use to collect the wares we wish to purchase in grocery stores and big box chains. Shopping carts are incredibly utilitarian, providing large wire or plastic baskets for collecting items, wheels to roll those items around the store and back to the car, and often child seats to put kids in while parents shop.

So when you’re weighing the pros and cons of a shopping cart vs. basket, the first thing to consider is whether these are things your store needs. Do you customers expect to be able to transport their items around the store, bag them at your checkout counter or desk, and then take them to their cars? Keep in mind that since shopping carts are typically much larger than baskets, your aisles need to be wide and clear enough to allow your customers to push them around your store. 

Shopping Carts: The Cons

As you’re browsing available options of carts for shopping with wheels, you’ll need to stay aware of a few things that could impact your decision. Since shopping carts are usually stacked in one long line, you will likely need a return bay in your parking lot, unless you want to see your carts strewn across the pavement. Additionally, when thinking about storage, you may need to consider whether there’s enough space in your entryway to allow for many carts made available to incoming customers.

Shopping carts are naturally transportable, so these mobile receptacles may not necessarily stay on your property unless you have some kind of security system in place. Keep this in mind as you decide whether to purchase carts. Also, they can see quite a bit of wear and tear—not only with heavy foot traffic but also the elements if they’re stored outside. And shopping cart wheels can often be notorious for having issues, including imbalanced or faulty swivels, squeaking, and dragging. So if you do opt for shopping carts at your establishment, regular inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement may be things you’re looking at adding to your to-do list.

Shopping Baskets: The Pros

Small clothing or accessory boutiques, corner bodegas, and convenience stores might be well-versed in shopping baskets as their primary means of shopping receptacles. And it’s true: shopping baskets provide a wide array of benefits. They’re typically extremely lightweight, making portability a breeze. And they stack beautifully and conveniently, one atop another, which makes storage easy, especially if you’re low on real estate.

There is another option if you’re looking for the ultimate choice in convenience and portability for your store’s patrons: the shopping basket on wheels. This is a hybrid model that combines the best of both worlds. These roller baskets seamlessly merge the benefits of both shopping baskets and carts. They’re typically larger than an arm basket, but not nearly as big as a traditional shopping cart. Often, they feature extendable handles that the customer can adjust. And with heavy-duty wheel bearings, they can be transported around easily. These make great options for any store—especially the smaller properties—or any shopper, especially seniors.

Shopping Baskets: The Cons

Whether you’re looking at a traditional plastic or metal shopping basket, or a more modern shopping basket with wheels, there are some pitfalls to be aware of. First, will the baskets be large enough for the types of products your store sells? Many shopping baskets simply won’t be large or deep enough to satisfy the shopping needs of your customers. This should be the ultimate deciding factor in whether to go for a shopping basket or a traditional shopping cart. After all, if your customers can’t comfortably place all of their items in the basket, this could cost you in profitability as well as brand loyalty.

Next, are the baskets durable enough to withstand the weight of those same products, while remaining lightweight enough for the customer to carry on their arm? No one wants a shopping experience that feels like a weightlifting session. Keep in mind that cracked or broken basket lattices and handles could cost you in inventory. 

Trust Good L Corp with Your Shopping Basket and Cart Supplies

Good L Corporation is an industry leader in the shopping cart and basket niche. We’ve been operating for decades with customers across the United States, spanning many verticals. And our carts, baskets, and basket-cart hybrids are well received by our clients. Our products are American made with top-of-the-line, durable materials, so you won’t need to repair and replace your baskets or carts every year. And yes, we even sell kids’ carts for those pint-sized shoppers tagging along with their parents.

We offer a host of options to meet your store’s needs, from steel wire carts coated with shiny zinc to brightly colored plastic carts with honeycomb lattice sides. All of our shopping carts feature a side panel to proudly display your establishment’s logo, increasing brand awareness (and providing something in the way of security, to boot!) As far as shopping baskets go, we offer a collection of tall baskets, large baskets, mini baskets, and even roller baskets! Our baskets are sturdy, stackable, and come in a variety of colors to best suit your store’s needs. Plus, they also feature side panels where you can print your logo.

When you’re ready to make that all-important investment in a fleet of shopping carts or baskets, look no further than the expert team at Good L Corporation. We can answer your questions and help guide you in the right direction based on the needs of your store and your customers. Contact our team today for some guidance and a no-pressure sales quote!