A Tribute to Sylvan Nathan Goldman
In 1936 Sylvan Goldman ran a successful chain of Standard-Humpty Dumpty (Now called Piggly-Wiggly)
stores in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
His stores, like others of that era, had a supply of wicker or wire market
baskets. These baskets became heavy as they were loaded with food items,
particularly for the woman buyer, who usually did most of the shopping for the
family.
One evening, he got an idea from a wooden folding chair. He envisioned a solution for the arm-weary
shopper. The seat of a folding chair was raised several inches and a basket placed on it.
Wheels attached to each leg would made the chair mobile, and the back of the chair was be adapted as a
handle to push the cart.
Sylvan Nathan Goldman had invented the folding basket carrier, or as we commonly know it today,
the shopping cart.
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.
By 1940 Goldman had a 7 year waiting list for new shopping carts. Goldman's
concept was simple: make shopping easier for the customer and they’ll visit the
store more frequently, and buy more.
Today there are 30 to 35 million shopping carts in the U.S.
and 1.25 million new ones are manufactured each year.
Next time you go grocery shopping, say thanks to Sylvan Nathan Goldman.
The cache is a 35 mm film container. Bring your own writing instrument