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Continued from last week
Trouble on the Horizon
Watson’s telescoping cart design
The grocery industry, however, would soon be introduced to a landmark invention: telescoping carts. In Missouri, business owner and machinist Orla Watson came up with a design for a grocery cart that improved upon Goldman’s basket-carriers. The cart enabled space-saving convenience in supermarkets and parking lots by nesting multiple carts together rather than disassembling them. Watson filed for a patent in 1946, but had his invention contested by Goldman.
In the meantime, Goldman produced replicas of the nesting carts to compete against the new challenger. Goldman sold his new carts for three dollars less than Watson’s, using his manufacturing resources to effectively drive his competitor out of the market. Finally, after an extended legal battle, Watson was granted the patent in 1949. Goldman was required to pay him royalties for each nesting cart produced.
The design of the grocery cart would remain the same for decades, but additions helped shape it into what it is today. Most notably, carts were outfitted with seats for children beginning in the mid-1950s. These seats cemented the grocery cart as a supermarket necessity.
Additionally cart became motorized for seniors and disabled users. Some have been outfitted to resemble motorized vehicles. These revisions are really unlimited. The bottom line is convenience for the shopper.
Everything else is just history…
The First Shopping Cart Was No Fun: Part 1
