How it works
The parts of a shopping cart, called a shopping trolley in British English, on one supermarket cart drawn from the side. The child seat at the back of the basket is folded open.
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From the basket down to the wheels
Numbers 1 to 5 are the top of the cart: the wire basket, the handle you push, the child seat folded open at the back, its seat belt, and the coin lock on the handle. Numbers 6 to 8 are underneath: the chassis, the swivel casters at the front and the rear wheels.
- Front and back wheels differ: a caster swivels, a fixed wheel only rolls straight.
- Look for the chain: the coin lock links each cart to the one in front.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a shopping trolley called?
The wire basket, the handle, the fold-out child seat with its seat belt, the chassis underneath, and the wheels or castors. Many trolleys also have a coin lock on the handle. In American English the trolley is a shopping cart.
Which wheels on a shopping cart swivel?
On most carts in the United States the front wheels are swivel casters and the rear wheels are fixed. In Europe it is more common for all four wheels to swivel.
How does the coin lock on a shopping cart work?
You put a coin or a token in the lock on the handle, which frees the cart from the row. When you bring the cart back and lock it to another cart, the coin is returned.
Why do shopping carts fit inside each other?
They are designed to nest in a line, so that many can be collected and moved at one time and they take up less space when stored.