Shopping carts was not an immediate success

Shopping carts helped usher in mass consumption and enabled grocery stores and brands to expand their products. Customers didn't have to worry about how they would get the goods to their car. Carts also spurred the rise of impulse buying.

But early on, customers were wary of the carts. Women did not want to push carts in stores, saying they had pushed enough baby buggies around. Men thought the carts would make them look weak.